OMD Congregational and Cluster Consulting Services

Consulting Services are offered by experienced leaders, both District Staff, OMD/UUA Consultants and volunteer Adjunct Consultants, with expertise in many areas.  

These services are partially underwritten by the District and may require cost sharing by contracting congregations or clusters.

Fees vary according to the type of service provided and the time commitment involved. Congregations which are “Full Fair Share” in their contributions to the District and the UUA receive a 33% discount on Adjunct Consulting fees.

Congregations in several financial circumstances may speak to the District Executive about fee adjustments or a good faith payment plan.

Congregations are urged to think about inviting other congregations nearby to jointly request some of these services.  Joint services enable cost sharing among congregations and may provide a better learning experience as different congregations learn from each other as well as the presenter.

For Scheduling or Further Information

1. Plan ahead for an available date and have alternative dates in mind.
2. Clarify your goals for the event.
3. Contact Rev. Joan Van Becelaere, District Executive or Tom Bodie, Acting Program Consultant for Lifespan Faith Development or others as noted in the List of Services.

Visit the: Fee Schedule Page ~ Full Fair Share Congregations Listing ~ Online Evaluation

Board Retreat Facilitators
These consultants facilitate congregational board/leadership retreats and assists with communication issues, board mission and vision work, or other issues as requested. Please contact the District Executive.

Compensation Consultant
Assists congregations in understanding and establishing fair compensation practices in accord with UUA guidelines. There is no charge for telephone or email consultation; on-site visits may require some assistance with travel or lodging expenses according to UUA guidelines.  Please contact our OMD Compensation Consultant, Debra Boyd. You can find her contact information on the Compensation Consultant Page.

Emergency Preparedness
Helps congregations develop fire safety, tornado and other emergency plans.  Please contact the District Executive.

Future Work(Vision, Mission, Planning)
Assists congregations in articulating their core mission and vision for the future.  Assists with long range and strategic planning work.   Please contact the District Executive.

Healthy Congregations Work
(Right Relations, Behavioral Covenants, Communications, Mediation, Healthy Congregations Workshops)
Provides training, consultation and assessment for congregations who wish to embrace healthy communications and proactively deal with conflict. Assists in the creation of congregational Right Relations or Behavioral Covenants.  Congregations in extreme financial circumstances may have all or part of the fees waived to ensure that consultation services are available. Please contact the District Executive

Ministerial Settlement Representative (Full Time Ministry)
Assists congregations in the search process for a full-time minister.  Most expenses are paid by the UUA Transitions Office.   Please contact our OMD Ministerial Settlement Representative, Rev. Daniel Budd.

Ministerial Settlement Assistance (Part Time Ministry)
Assists congregations in the search process for a part-time minister. Please contact the District Executive.

Professional Transitions
Facilitates ministerial and religious educator search committee retreats.  Conducts exit interviews with departing ministers or religious educators and congregational leadership in transition.   Facilitates start-up workshops for new ministers and religious educators. These services sometimes require cost-sharing by congregations. Congregations in extreme financial circumstances may have all or part of the fees waived to ensure that consultation services are available.

Please contact the District Executive concerning ministerial support. Please contact the Lifespan Education Consultant concerning DRE start-up support and exit interviews.

Leadership Development

• Basic leadership skills: running effective meetings, agenda setting, etc.
• Pastoral care associate skills: creating a team with skills in basic pastoral care
• Worship associate skills: training Sunday service facilitators in basic public presentation skills, hymn and reading selection, etc.
• Policy governance: the basics of Policy Governance, with case studies, and analysis of your congregational systems
• Organizational development: study of your congregational system and insights, analysis and suggestions on future direction
• Appreciative inquiry: using appreciative inquiry for long range planning and stewardship work
• Radical hospitality: practical advice about how to transform your congregation from one of being nice to newcomers to an attitude of "Sunday is for Company."
• Volunteer recruiting and coordination: the recruiting, care and nurturing of those all-important volunteers. 

Please contact the District Executive for referrals.

Lifespan Faith Development and Congregational Safety Policies
Provides training, consultation and assessment for congregations who wish strengthen their Lifespan Faith Development programming. Consultants are available in areas such as Lifespan Faith Development program start up and administration, DRE transitions, visioning, teacher training, committee planning, and congregational safety policy work.  Some of these services may require a fee depending on the nature of the need and the length of time required.  Congregations in extreme financial circumstances may have all or part of the fees waived to ensure that consultation services are available. Please contact the Lifespan Faith Development Staff Consultant.

Pulpit Supply (Sermons/Guest in Your Pulpit)
The District has a list of ministers and lay speakers available to congregations.  Please visit the Guest in Your Pulpit Page to see the current list of speakers, contact information and fees for pulpit supply. A typical honorarium for a sermon is $200 plus mileage ($250 plus mileage if there are two services on Sunday morning.)

Small Congregation Consultants
If your congregation is under 200 members, particularly if you have no minister, these volunteers are available at no charge for phone or email consultation.  On-site consultation may require a fee.  They are ready to help when a congregation needs a quick answer or help identifying specific resources for a wide range of situations that are common in UU congregations.  Please contact the District Executive.

Stewardship
Offers consultation and training to congregations wishing to learn new and different ways of approaching stewardship.  Please contact the District Executive.

Website Assistance
Assists congregations in reviewing their website options for hosting the site and sources for simple web templates.  Please contact the OMD Administrator.

Youth Ministry Consulting
Please contact our Lifespan Faith Development Staff Consultant.

Young Adult and Campus Ministry Consulting
Please contact our Young Adult and Campus Ministries Consultant.

UUA Resources
There are a wide variety of resources and consultants available from the UUA, including Stewardship and Capital Campaign Consultants, Beyond Categorical Thinking Consultants, and many more.  Please click on this link to be taken to the UUA’s page on Congregational Resources.   www.uua.org/leaders/leaderslibrary/55644.shtml