Growing Small Congregations

Nancy Proctor, from the UU Congregation of the Outer Banks in Kitty Hawk, NC, and chair of the TJD Growth and Development Council, recently compiled this information about small congregation growth. And although it focuses on small congregation growth, most of the information is applicable to congregations of any size.

This is probably the best place to start if you want to see what the latest research shows as to why churches grow.
FACTs on Growth

This is an article about small congregations and growth:
A Saving Remnant: Vitality in Small Congregations

This is a very large pdf file but has lots of good information on growing members on the UUA website:
The Membership Journey

To learn more about your community:

If there is a Episcopal Church in your zipcode go to:
Studying Your Congregation and Community

If there is a Nazarene Church in your area go to:
Neighborhood Demographics Reports

Marketing for Congregations

My colleague in Central Midwest District, Ian Ivanson, posted a valuable interview with a marketing consultant, Mike Murschel, who has been working with some of the congregations in that district. I thought you might find it interesting. This article is available on the CMWD website: Some Marketing Basics. Mike Murschel also has created a great listing of free marketing resource for the Chicagoland Marketing Initiative for the Chicago Area Unitarian Universalist Council: Chicagoland Marketing Marketing Initiative Materials and Resources. Although some of it is specific to Chicago, most of it is adapatable to any setting.