Congratulations to the Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence, Kansas, for being the newest UUA Breakthrough Congregation! Each year the UUA’s Congregational Life Office recognizes a handful of congregations that have “broken through” barriers to achieve exemplary goals.

The Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence, Kansas is highlighted in the fall edition of the UUWorld, which will be hitting Unitarian Universalist members’ mailboxes at any moment. The following study guide is intended to accompany the article about the Lawrence congregation. We hope that this enables lively discussions for your congregational leaders.

 

Questions for Discussion and Deeper Study

 

Over the years, the Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence, Kansas has experimented with a number of alternative programs, demonstrating their willingness to change.

 

Questions for Discussion

• What were some of the concrete ways in which the congregation showed their openness to change?
• How open is your congregation to change?
• In what ways can your congregation experiment with alternative or additional services in order to better meet the needs of your members?

 

Lawrence recognized that change requires leaders and has cultivated leaders through education and leadership weekends.

 

Questions for Discussion

• In what ways does your congregation cultivate and support leaders?
• What are some strategies your congregation can implement to better recruit, recognize and retain leaders?

 

In an effort to clarify its identity and future direction, Lawrence is currently engaged in a mission/vision/strategic planning process.

 

Questions for Discussion

• How well does your congregation’s mission and vision impact on congregational life? How could your congregation benefit by revisiting its mission and vision?
• Does your congregation currently have a strategic plan? If not, why not? How could your congregation benefit from creating one?

 

At their water communion and ingathering, the minister asked the congregants to decide if their waters were “waters of peace, waters of joy, waters of struggle, or waters of hope.”

 

• As you think about your congregation, which category of waters do you carry with you? Why do you feel that way?

 

__________________________________

This Study Guide creator is Mark Bernstein, Congregational Life Staff with the Central East Regional Group. CERG offers many excellent growth resources. Please check them out! Thank you, Mark, for so generously serving our faith.