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Updated: October 1st, 2024
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Chapter Leader Handbook

Updated September 2023

Table of Contents

Chapter Leader Handbook 2021
(Updated September 2023)

1.   Why, How, and What of the UUMA

Chapters of the UUMA are subsidiaries of the continental organization. Chapters must be guided by the Bylaws and Guidelines of the UUMA continentally, and are expected to operate in alignment with the Why, How and What (mission, values and strategic plan) of the continental organization.

2.   The Purpose of UUMA Chapters

“UUMA Chapters exist to embody and advance the Why of the UUMA with and for the members, and potential members, of the chapter.”

Catherine Ishida, former co-president of the Pacific Central Chapter, puts it this way:

“The purpose of the chapter is to:
Come alive as a body.
Live the mission of the UUMA.
Relationship IS our business.
Remove barriers to participation.”

3.   The Shifting Role of Chapter Life

In years past, chapters were a primary place for ministers to access continuing education. Today, there are many places clergy can access high-quality continuing education experiences tailored to their particular learning needs. Given the diversity in our ministry, our ministry contexts, and our identities, it has become challenging for chapters to provide learning experiences that are highly relevant and meaningful for all participants (or potential participants) in the chapter.

Today, chapters are most vital when they focus on helping all members flourish in ministry. We want chapters to be places where members can experience a renewed sense of connection to calling, to colleagues, and to our tradition. Learning is certainly one way to get at those goals, but we discourage you from thinking about providing continuing education as the primary purpose of your chapter gatherings. Rather, we encourage you to emphasize relationships, worship, support, and accountability; spiritual nurture; timely religious and associational conversations; and anti-racist, anti-oppressive practice in your chapter leadership. When you do offer continuing education, carefully consider how your offering can be as relevant to, and inclusive of, as many participants in the chapter as possible.

4.   Ways to Advance the Why

Central to the job of the chapter leadership is finding meaningful and engaging ways of advancing the Why (mission) in a way that is grounded in our How (values). There are countless ways to do this, some of which are listed below. We hope that you will share and discuss these ideas and add your own examples and sample formats in our Chapter Leader Group on the UUMA website. As a Chapter Leader, you are automatically added to that group.

Whatever programming or experiences you offer, please make every effort to ensure you have planned for and advertised ways that your programming will be accessible, including via an option for virtual participation.

WORSHIP:
Ensure that you have a meaningful, worshipful experience crafted for participants at each chapter gathering.

RITUAL:
Please be sure to mark comings and goings from the chapter and important ministry milestones through shared rituals. If you don’t already have them, please create and maintain rituals to welcome people when they arrive in the chapter, to say goodbye when they depart, and to mark important moments in members’ vocational lives such as attaining preliminary or full fellowship or entering retirement. Attending to people and their emotional and spiritual experiences of arrival, departure and other vocational milestones are some of the most impactful things you can offer to help members feel connected and valued.

HOSPITALITY & INCLUSION:
Please ensure that all people, including aspirants/candidates and retired ministers, are welcomed each time they attend chapter gatherings. Beyond welcoming, consider how you can structure offerings at the chapter gathering so that each participant feels included in a shared experience. Before and between gatherings, reach out to those who had to miss or who have not yet elected to participate in the chapter.

CLUSTERS & OTHER SMALL GROUPS:
Clusters and other intentional small groups meet needs for networking and collegial connection. Consider the needs of the people in your chapter and offer support in arranging groups to meet those needs. Most commonly, clusters are organized by geography. That strategy of organizing tends to center the needs of parish ministers. Consider supporting a range of approaches such as organizing by community ministry context, shared experience, shared interest, or identity. You can also try things like support groups, small group ministry, book groups, or common read discussions.

CASE STUDY CIRCLES:
Creating opportunities for presenting and reflecting upon case studies at chapter gatherings can be an especially helpful way to ground in relationship and connection while also facilitating learning. Having more than one case study at a time from people in different ministry contexts is a way of practicing inclusion.

INVITE SPEAKERS FROM UU ORGANIZATIONS:
Part of the value of chapter life is the chance to engage in conversations about the ministry. Inviting people from UU organizations and institutions to offer a reflection on some aspect of common concern can be an engaging way to help participants be part of timely and relevant conversations that require little to no preparation.

CONTINUING EDUCATION THAT IS WIDELY RELEVANT ACROSS MINISTRY SETTINGS:
When you do invite someone to offer continuing education, consider inviting people to speak about topics all clergy need to keep learning about such as trauma, mental health, self-care, boundaries, anti-racism, anti-oppression, etc. Ask the speaker to be mindful of the diversity of participants gathered or provide support to help people apply learning to their own settings and experiences. Alternatively, if you want to offer something that will really only be applicable to parish ministers, consider offering another option at the same time that will be relevant to those in other settings.

CONNECTIONS WITH OTHER RELIGIOUS PROFESSIONALS:
Many chapters arrange for regular gatherings with local religious professionals in other roles – for example, religious educators, regional staff, administrators, and musicians. Interfaith collegial connections are also very rewarding.

COMMON CAUSE ENDEAVORS: Some chapters support efforts to help each other cover leaves of absence from parish ministry settings. Such efforts can be a way of building a sense of community and mutual support. Others organize annual pulpit exchanges on the same day.

5.   How to Organize and Operate a Chapter

What You Need:

  1. You need leadership. Your leadership does not have to include a traditional slate of President, Vice-President, etc. If that works for you, that is great. Alternatively, you are also free to experiment with other ways of organizing that meet your needs, such as leadership collectives organized by portfolio. (Update your leadership list here.)
  2. You need a plan and a structure for leadership development. This could be a traditional nominating committee or a leadership development committee. For recommendations, please see the heading “Nominating Committees as Agents of Change” in the Governance section of Widening the Circle of Concern.
  3. You need regular communication with all members of your chapter (including aspirants, candidates, active and retired ministers, and those in all ministry contexts). You are encouraged to utilize your UUMA Chapter Page to do this. You can do this on your chapter webpage by selecting “Send Broadcast Message” under the menu in the dark gray bar at the top of your chapter web page.
  4. You probably need a bank account and a way to receive and distribute funds electronically. As a chapter, you are entitled to use the UUMA FEIN to open a chapter bank account. Paperwork is available from our Director of Operations and Finance.
  5. You need a Group Admin – a leader responsible for keeping your chapter webpage up to date. This is very important because the UUMA chapter webpage is often new members’ first introduction to your chapter. Group Admins can find support by contacting our Program Administrator.
  6. You need regular, meaningful opportunities to gather and engage as a chapter. Unless your chapter is very small, you will also need a plan to help people connect in small groups.
  7. You need an intentional effort to decenter whiteness and cultivate anti-racist, anti-oppressive practice in your chapter. We encourage chapter leaders to implement the CARAOM AR/AO rubric and assessment tool[1] [2] [3]  and to study the recommendations offered in Widening the Circle of Concern, the report from the Commission on Institutional Change.
  8. You need the technology and leadership to ensure virtual access to chapter gatherings for those who are unable to travel to in-person gatherings. Professional Zoom accounts are available to chapters free of charge to assist with this. Contact the UUMA Administrator at office@uuma.org to set this up.
  9. You need to ensure that all in-person gatherings are held in accessible locations and meet our accessibility guidelines. EqUUUal Access also has a wealth of resources to assist with this. You can also read our 2018 Accessibility Audit here.

What You Don’t Need:

  1. You don’t need (and should not have) separate Bylaws or Guidelines. Chapters and clusters of the UUMA are governed by the Bylaws and Guidelines of the UUMA. If you feel you need to spell out additional guidance for chapter governance, you can create policies or procedures for your chapter.
  2. You don’t need a separate covenant – everyone in the UUMA has already agreed to uphold the Covenant of the UUMA. Begin with the UUMA Covenant and augment or elaborate as you wish.
  3. You don’t need an independent website or email list. You have a chapter page on uuma.org where you can post information, upload files, and engage with each other on the discussion board. For more information about how to use your chapter page, please contact our Program Administrator.
  4. You don’t need to collect dues. We understand you will need funding to pay for the cost of programming you wish to offer. Please don’t call those fees dues. All members of the UUMA pay dues to be part of the organization and are entitled, as members, to participate in any chapter that is not otherwise restricted for people of particular identities or experiences. When you need operating income for your programmatic efforts, we encourage you to charge participants a program fee that is sufficient both to cover the particular program costs and to build and maintain a scholarship fund.

What to Remember:

  1. All active members of the UUMA are eligible to participate in any UUMA chapter or cluster (with the exception of non-geographic chapters that have identity or experience limitations) including aspirants, candidates, ministers active in any ministry setting, and retired ministers.
  2. UUMA members can join more than one chapter. Many people are members of both geographic and non-geographic chapters.
  3. As part of your efforts to work toward a more anti-racist, anti-oppressive UUMA, please be attentive to prioritizing inclusion and accessibility in all you do. We know that many people have not chosen to participate in chapter life for a variety of reasons, including structural racism and oppression, scheduling, traveling and family life limitations, and privileging the experiences of parish ministers. The pandemic has radically shifted how we gather – and given us opportunities to gather more inclusively. Please take care to lead in anti-racist and anti-oppressive ways that foster inclusion and accessibility for all current and potential members of your chapter.

6.   How are Chapter Leaders Equipped and Supported?

7.   Continental UUMA Structure

Board
Board Advisory Committees
Nominating Committee
Executive Team and Staff
Staff Teams
Ethics and Accountability
Chapter Pages (Select “Groups”)’

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