Generally, the committee members discover newcomers, greet them, and introduce them to members who can be counted on to help them get acquainted and answer their questions with friendly intelligence. The committee may be responsible for maintaining a rack of pamphlets about Unitarian Universalism and preparing an attractive brochure about the local congregation to be added to the pamphlet rack. At least once a year, more often for large or rapidly growing congregations, the membership committee should sponsor an orientation for newcomers who wish to know more about Unitarian Universalism and the local congregation. These sessions should be carefully planned to involve newcomers and longer-term members in sharing personal religious views, to explore together the liberal religious heritage, and to explain the programs and organizational structure of the local congregation. In addition, as personal interests, needs, and skills of newcomers become known, the membership committee sees that they are invited to social events, special programs, interest groups, work parties, or committee meetings.
Some newcomers soon indicate an interest in becoming members.
Others wait for an invitation. The membership committee should be ready to explain what is involved in joining when newcomers ask and should extend the invitation when the time seems right to newcomers who do not ask. Though we not want to pressure people to join, some people who attend fairly regularly have never become members because it was never suggested to them. This page was last updated September 25, 1999. There have been 790 accesses to this page since September 25, 1999.