- Overview
- The Leadership Development Program Area sponsors and presents leadership training and development programs for the District, and provides support for congregations in leadership training for their own congregations. The program area aims to support:
- A wide variety of leadership training opportunities for both congregational and District work.
- Leadership conferences.
- Midwest Leadership School.
- Other training programs to local congregations on request.
- Leadership Workshops
- The District offers several workshops promoting leadership development, including (a) Leadership Conferences (typically every fall) and (b) Healthy Congregations Workshops designed by Rev. Dr. Peter Steinke, adapting family systems theory to congregational life.
- Commissioned Lay Leaders
- The District’s CLL program is designed to give lay leaders special religious and secular education and experience so that they may serve their own congregations more effectively.
Candidates for the program must be sponsored by their congregation and spend two to three years in independent study and working with a mentor before being commissioned.
- UUA Leadership Portal
- The Leadership portal at UUA’s website covers many topics of interest to professional and lay leaders in our congregations, including the Leadership Library, the UUA Health plan, and resources and contacts available through UUA.
- Interconnections
- The UUA newsletter for congregational leaders.
- MidWest Leadership School
- The District sponsors this program in Beloit, Wisconsin, for one week every summer jointly with other mid-west districts. This program for current and future congregational leaders includes UU history and theology, elements of worship, group and system dynamics, and developing and sharing personal belief statements.
