Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury

Study and Opportunities for Growth and Vitality

Overview �  Introduction

�  Team Purpose, Goals & Approach

�  What Is Growth? �  Within, Among & Beyond

�  Why Should We Grow? �  Distinctive Calling �  UUCD Mission

�  How Can We Grow? �  Assessment - Who Are We Today?

�  Systems Index �  SWOT Analysis �  Learnings & Insights

�  Recommendations �  Who Can We Be Tomorrow?

Introduction � Team Purpose – Think Tank charged with:

�  Studying congregational growth, considering UUCD’s potential for growth

�  Providing recommendations for short and

long term initiatives to promote growth.

�  (Added) Participating in “UUA Eastern Regional Growth and Vitality Consultancy Project.”

Introduction � Team Goals

� Assess and Evaluate congregation today �  Identification of best practices for growth � Articulate a future state � Develop a plan for growth:

� Identify barriers and opportunities to growth

� Identify and integrate systems that maintain membership

� Analyze organizational structure against growth strategy

Introduction � Team Goals (continued)

� Create roadmap that is directional in nature with tactics, milestones and metrics

� Establish guidelines for Implementation Team(s)

Introduction � Learning Team Approach

�  Met bi-weekly March – January (summer break) �  Built on UUCD Information �  Utilized External Resources �  Incorporated Systems model of current and

future states (functional interrelationships)

What Is Growth? Multidimensional Growth, Not Just Numerical

� Within – Each individual � Among – Inter-member; Organization � Beyond – Community; Social Action

Why Should We Grow? We have a moral imperative to grow!!

� To fulfill our responsibility to our mission! � To grow a community around Unitarian

Universalist spiritual practices and ideology. � To better address the social issues in Greater

Danbury and the world beyond and shape our collective cultural values.

This cannot be about getting more money.

Money will be an outcome.

Change: What are we Talking About? Size Transition N-Curve

Pastoral Size

Corporate Size

Family Size

Program Size

Pastor- centered

Group- centered

Organism Organization Mann, Pg. 12

★

What will it take? 6 Factors of Differentiation Pastoral Program � Style of leadership � Structure of reflected organization � Focus of decision making process � Manner of relating � Clear sense of mission and distinctive

calling � Size of attendance

Mann, pg. 13

Pastoral Program Shift is Discontinuous

� Program-driven, multi-cell/group-oriented vs. Pastor/Board led

� Supported by: �  A lively network of staff, volunteer

program heads and committees (ministries)

Mann, pg. 13

Movement to Program Size A clear identity for the church as expressed

via mission statement/vision leads to: Larger membership and rich variety of

programming coherence

² Stimulates 0ur imagination about church life ² Clarify our reasons for participating ² Provides rich networks of friendship, growth, and

ministry.

Rallying Focus: Distinctive Calling & Mission

Ministry Leaders

Members & Friends

T h e W i d e r W o r l d

Distinctive Calling

�  Within �  Explore Spiritually - individual theology

�  Among �  Create a community of diversity, openness,

acceptance, support and collective action �  Beyond

�  Live our faith in the world around us and help shape our cultural values

“The more a congregation comes to understand its own uniqueness, the better equipped it will be to hear God’s call and to “dance” with its context…. A still small voice is calling the congregation from deep within, from the heart of it’s very particular (even peculiar) character and its unique constellation of gifts…. But to hear the whisper of a unique call – deeply rooted in the past and deeply relevant to today’s context – leaders need to find a much more subtle and idiosyncratic vocabulary of congregational giftedness.” P. 76 Mann

Our Mission Current Mission Statement: The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury is an open religious community that welcomes a diversity of people, ideas and beliefs. We celebrate together that which is good in life, and offer comfort and care in times of need. With others, we work to create a just society and a sustainable Earth. We stand as a beacon for independent thought, and encourage lifelong spiritual and intellectual exploration.

Focused, Memorizable Alternatives (examples): We are an open religious community of shared ministries committed to justice, compassion and service. We are an open-minded religious community that shares a ministry of love and justice within, among, and beyond ourselves through deeds not creeds.

How Can We Grow?

� Assessment – Who are we today? � Recommendations – Vision: Who can we be

tomorrow? � Action Plan – Make it happen!

�  Leverage & Harness our strengths �  Bolster our weaknesses �  Remove/mitigate the threats & barriers �  Seize our opportunities �  Manage the process

System Index Analysis: Under Radar Screen for Growth

★

YET We are

Passionate And

Committed…

SWOT Analysis - Definitions �  Strengths – What we’re doing well and factors

that position us well for growth

�  Weaknesses – Elements of our work, under our control, that are inefficient or ill-formed and are therefore barriers to growth

�  Opportunities – Untapped resources that are available to us which would promote growth if accessed or leveraged

�  Threats – Factors that could challenge our growth if they are ignored and/or not addressed

SWOT Analysis – Strengths

� Liberal Religious Values

� Visible and Accessible

� Sunday Worship Experience

� Abundance of Willing Leaders

� Governance

� Commitment to Spiritual Growth

� Caring Community

� Community Connections

SWOT Analysis – Weaknesses

�  Inadequate fundraising

�  Insufficient staff

�  Inadequate facilities and parking

� Organizational infrastructure lacking

� Lack of clear mission

� Membership path & lifecycle incomplete

� Marketing and communications inadequate

SWOT Analysis – Threats

� Catastrophe

� Religious Competition

�  Other institutions better serving their congregations

� Economy

�  Continued or worsening economic and employment conditions

SWOT Analysis – Opportunities

� Refine and Focus our Mission and our Message

� Enhance Governance

� Regenerate Financial Vitality

� Enrich Worship Experience & Spiritual Practice

� Vitalize Membership Path and Lifecycle

� Build and Energize Partner Relationships

� Capitalize on External Resources

SWOT Analysis – Cautions

Potential inhibitors if not properly managed:

� We have too much change too fast

� We stray from our mission and focus

� We fall short in our fundraising

� We continue deficit spending

� We mismanage conflict

� We don’t market & communicate adequately

Learnings & Insights � We are just below the threshold of being

able to grow per the System Index, yet we say we want to grow.

� We don’t have a clear approach for how members are introduced, become engaged, contribute and become committed to UUCD

� Our committees are silo-ed which creates a number of outcomes such as working cross-purposes, lack of integration, creating multiple, conflicting events occurring on the same day

Learnings & Insights � Language is important

� We need to change our language to grow in ways we want to

� Growing will require a lot of work

� Growing requires a culture shift

� Growing requires an ongoing plan that is monitored and evaluated systematically

Learnings & Insights � We are a small group of committed,

passionate people. This serves us well in that we have a presence in the Greater Danbury area greater than our numbers should warrant. The downside is people burnout, we try to be all things to all people, and we don’t always sustain our plans.

� We need to say “no” more – take a step back – to consolidate to grow.

� We need processes whereby new initiatives can be evaluated and decided upon.

Learnings & Insights � “We have to realize that each time

people enter a room, they walk in with ambivalence, wondering whether this is the right place to be. This is because they believe that someone else owns the room.” We need to enable everyone to feel that they own the room.

Learnings & Insights � The system model could depict UUCD as

comprised of five ministries: �  Stewardship – BOT, CC, Finance, B&G, Admin

�  Spiritual Growth – SSC, Music, SGM, COM

�  Membership – Welcome, Hospitality, Care

�  Programming – RE, Adult Ed, Events

�  Social Action – Sow Green, Team Green, Dorothy Day, New Sanctuary

Recommendation Areas: � Update our Leadership Practice

� Diversify and Enhance Fundraising

� Focus our Spiritual Practices

� Establish Membership Lifecycle

Update our Leadership Practices: �  Our mission is our owner. �  Harness our Passion

� Become process and job-based versus people and passion-based

� Construct Job descriptions

�  Increase organization and change structure, language and way groups interface

(i.e., committee heads to ministry leaders) �  Match gifts (talent and skills) with work required �  Require Leadership Training (Certification) �  Capitalize on external resources.

�  Raise expectations that we can deliver a balanced budget with the Annual Budget Drive alone.

�  Diversify fundraising efforts

�  Put more energy into already existing revenue streams

�  Innovate to create new revenue streams.

�  Consider the future of the congregation’s plan to grow reserves and begin saving.

�  All fundraising aligned with our our calling, mission & vision

Diversify & Enhance Fundraising:

Canvas

Rentals

Weekly Offering

Endowment

Events

Deficit Supplemental

Pledge

Reserve Spending

Revenue Streams Annual Budget

Annual Budget Drive

Rentals

Weekly Offering

Endowment

Events

Supplemental Pledge

Reserve Spending

Preliminary Budget Revenue Streams

What’s Missing? How can we grow our other revenue streams and/or improve the effectiveness of our annual budget drive

Annual Budget Drive

Rentals

Weekly Offering

Endowment

Events

Preliminary Budget Revenue Streams

What’s Missing?

Balanced Budget

Annual Budget

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!

Preliminary Budget

Annual Budget

Actual Revenue

Imagine if each year we were actually fundraising for two budget cycles ahead…

Focus our Spiritual Practices: �  All work in the Congregation is a “ministry”

�  Grow multi-cellular collaborations.

�  Enrich and expand worship opportunities and experiences

�  Grow lifespan opportunities for members to mature and deepen their spiritual identities

�  Prioritize and focus our social action efforts.

Establish Membership Lifecycle �  Spell out with specificity what becoming a member looks

like, from visitor to committed member.

�  Establish responsibilities of ministries to proactively and systematically maintain membership.

�  Cross-ministry ad hoc team to map out life-cycle and build implementation plan.

�  Build and energize community and outreach partner relationships.

Ultimately, we must… �  Honor our mission as our owner;

�  Focus our passion and cultivate leadership;

�  Diversify and enhance our fundraising efforts and save for the future;

�  Mature and enrich our spiritual identities; and

�  Cultivate our future through clear membership practices.

Goal Setting It’s not about time but where we put our energy

Immediate Deliverables

Short Term Goals (3-5 years)

Long Term Goals (6-20 years)

Larger Vision

Fulfilling our distinctive calling…

Next Steps: � Board Review of Recommendations

� Choose Recommendations to Support (with resources of time, talent and treasure)

� Short Term and Long Term Planning

� Hand off to Growth Implementation Coordination Team

�  Implementation and review process aligned with 6 month goals and 3 year UUA process

Next Steps: Implementation Synergies

Members

Gift Release

Ministries, Programs

Organization &

Governance

Spiritual Practice

Establish Membership Lifecycle

Enhance Fundraising Focus Spiritual Practices

Update Leadership Practice

Expand Programs