Join us for RE Without Walls: Technology, Theme-Based Ministry, and Full Week Faith!

Liberal Religious Educators Assoc Logo

October 22-25, 2015 * Morristown, NJ

Behold the awesome!  It is the LREDA Fall Conference with a focus that all Unitarian Universalist congregations and their religious leaders need to wrap their minds and ministry around:

  • Social Media and Technology
  • Theme Based Ministry
  • Full Week Faith

Yes, we’re talking Religious Education Without Walls and our keynotes, workshops and other programming will be covering critical building blocks for ministry, religious education, and faith development in today’s digitally connected world.

This event not to be missed.

And I’m not just saying that because I’m leading part of the programming.   It is because I care too much about you to let you be left behind,  struggling with 19th and 20th century ministry models. The horror! We have to move forward.

You know we have to change the way we transmit our faith and values as the world changes.  Yes?  Good!  So let’s all convene at the LREDA Fall Conference, and  learn, experiment, and move forward together.

I  will be offering the Friday keynote, two workshops and serving as the conference social media / digital ministry coach.

Trust me. This is one of the events where you’ll hear about it after the fact and wish you had been there.

If you want to go, you need to reserve your hotel room now as space for this event will go fast. Why? Because it is covering so much critical information our religious leaders know they need. The reserved LREDA rooms are going to go fast.  Oh, and Emma’s Revolution will be there too.

Here are critical links via LREDA.org:

If you don’t have the professional development budget for this,  tell your leadership that this is critical education and ask them to help you find the funding.  You’ll be glad you did, and so will they…   I don’t know what scholarships are available via LREDA or your region, but make sure to check. You might be able to get some support.

I hope to see you there!

In cooperation,
Peter

peterbowden2013

Introducing the New UU World Magazine Website

Here’s a fun little video I produced for my colleagues at the UU World Magazine.  They have finally made their website mobile friendly.  Checkout the new uuworld.org!

If your website isn’t mobile friendly, time to get serious about an upgrade.  According to Pew Research, as of October 2014, 64% of American adults have a smartphone.

I like to tell people in my trainings, “Today, if you don’t have a mobile optimized website, you don’t have a website.” Tweet Quote.

In fact, 7% of American adults are what is called “smartphone-dependent” relying on it almost completely for their internet access.Continue reading “Introducing the New UU World Magazine Website”

Event: UU Social Media and Membership Growth – May 16, Framingham, MA

UU Framingham MAFriends, if you want to rock your social media and grow your congregation come the Fall, join me on May 16th for a day-long training at our UU congregation in Framingham, MA.  We have a tiny window to infuse our teams with new ideas, intention and skills if they are going to be ready to implement come the new church year.   Now is the time — I know, we haven’t even been to the beach yet!  I say, come to the training and then THINK ABOUT IT on the beach. Oh yes, that’s the way…

It is time to register, we’re just two weeks out.  I know you like registering last minute but that tends to freak out the hospitality team of host congregations.  If you know you’re coming, register today. Okay?

Details and registration:

UU Social Media & Membership Growth  – May 16th in Framingham, MA

Peter BowdenI’ve said it before, but it is important to repeat…   Today we need to be intentionally integrating our social media, visitor greeting and other membership development efforts.  If we don’t,  we’re in trouble.

Thanks to technology the path to membership is moving increasingly online.   How many people visit your website before visiting?  Around 100%.  And now people are wanting to explore your social media and check you out digitally for a while to judge you before they visit. That’s right, they’re judging you based on what you’re online presence and identity.

Potential members are  increasingly making a decision about your congregation based on their digital experience, and then and only then, if that’s good, they’ll visit in person to confirm you are what you’ve said you are online.

Increasingly you need to be helping people pre-qualify themselves for membership online if you want them to visit and join in person.  I was just guest preaching on this and a newcomer (4th visit) reported keeping an eye on the congregation’s website for a YEAR, a whole year, before feeling like the match was good enough to try it in person.

And your existing members?  They are bombarded with information via multiple communication channels.  How do you get them to hear you and to not drift away?  We’ll discuss all of this in more in one very full, exciting and useful day…

Peter Bowden speaking at event

These trainings have gotten rave reviews and have been catalysts for congregational teams to take their social media to a whole new level, especially if your minister comes with you.  You can’t communicate well with the world if your minister isn’t communicating with your media ministry volunteers.  So, bring a team and get a 2015-2016 upgrade for your communications and membership growth strategy.

Details and registration:

UU Social Media & Membership Growth  – May 16th in Framingham, MA

What’s that you say?   Are these events being lives streamed?  No,  but I will be turning the content into text and video resources. Make sure you are subscribed to my Leading Congregations E-Newsletter to be updated as they become available.

In cooperation,
Peter

Tim DeChristopher – Hard truths that must be spoken about Harvard

Tim DeChristopher speaks at the Harvard Heat Week Faith Day on the hard truths that must be spoken about Harvard. Learn more at http://harvardheatweek.org.

Harvard Heat Week Kicks Off!

Harvard Heat Week is turning up the heat on fossil fuel divestment. Starting on April 12th, students, faculty, alumni, and members of the Harvard community are coming together in Cambridge to speak out for climate justice, learn from one another, and take action

Learn more and join in: http://harvardheatweek.org/join/

 

Kerry Brock speaks at #DivestMA Global Divestment Day

Kerry Brock, Alliance for Climate Education (ACE) Senior Action Fellow; Co-Founder of the Student Organized Climate Action,
speaks at the Massachusetts State House during the #DivestMA Global Divestment Day event on 2/12/15 organized by 350 Mass. For more on Global Divestment Day visit http://gofossilfree.org.

http://www.twitter.com/gracecaltabiano
http://socan-mass.weebly.com

Front Page

“Youth will not let our future be destroyed by inaction on climate change.  We are stepping up and calling upon our elected leaders in Massachusetts to join us by divesting from fossil fuels.”

Photos from the event
Available for media use with photo credit: Peter Bowden.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/116378748@N03/sets/72157650373614450/

Videos from the event
There are 20 videos in this playlist from the event.  This includes those I filmed, plus others as I discover online.