1. New DRE Training
Fall 2012
Presented by:
Nancy Combs-Morgan,
Faith Development Director
Heartland District of the UUA
ncombsmorgan@uua.org

2. Introductions
 Please introduce yourself by sharing
the following:
 Name
 Congregation Name
 Your role/job in the congregation
 Congregation Size/Approximate RE
Enrollment
 Strengths you bring to the position

3. Roles of the Religious Educator
 Supervisor, colleague, cheerleader,
arbiter, teacher, creator.
 Discover your own working style.
 Discover your strengths &
weaknesses.
 Personality testing such as Myers-Briggs
or Kiersey-Bates (www.kiersey.com)

4. Breaking Down the Role of the
Religious Educator
 Theological: Tradition, ritual, story
telling, UU Identity building
 Philosophical: Faith development,
developmental theory
 Educational: Curriculum mapping,
teacher development
 Administrative: Everything else!

5. Responsibilities
 Administrative
 Program & Budget
 Worship
 Special programs/Holidays
 Volunteer Management & Training
 RE Committee
 Communication

6. Working with Others
 Minister
 Covenantal Relationship
 Understanding Lines of Authority &
Accountability
 Other Staff – think TEAM!
 Confidentiality
 The Religious Education Committee
 Know when to lead, when to listen

7. Essentials of Building Good
Relationships
 Clarity in documents, Contract, Job
Description, Evaluation of Program and all
involved in making it happen
 Clarity in who does what task
 Rotation System for volunteer Lay Leaders
 Financial and Public Support from Board
Leadership
 Cooperation and interaction with other
standing committees of the church
 Support of the minister or Board

8. Working with Parents
 Relationship with Parents
 Parents are the Primary Religious
Educator
 Working with parents whose children
are challenged
 Confidentiality
 Welcoming of new families

9. Religious Educator
Responsibility for Self Care
 Avoid overfunctioning
 Seek clarity about roles and
responsibilities
 Claim authority
 Delegate & Seek a mentor
 Engage in Spiritual Practice
 “D” is for Director not Do-er

10. Congregational Responsibility for
Nurturing the Religious Educator
 Fair Compensation & Time Off
 Support for Professional Connection
and Professional Development
 Institutional Support for faith
development
 Shared Leadership

11. Professional Connections
 Liberal Religious Educators Assocation –
LREDA (www.lreda.org)
 Code of Professional Practices
 Guidelines for Professional Religious Educators
 Good Offices Program
 REACH-L UUA Listserve (open to all)
 LREDA-L UUA Listserve (LREDA
membership required)
 District and regional listserves & Facebook
pages

12. The Renaissance Program
 Each 15-hour module provides standardized basic
training in a specific area useful to Religious
Educators in local congregations. The following
modules may be taken in any order:
 Administration of RE Programs
 Curriculum Planning in the Local Congregation
 Developing a Philosophy of Religious Education
 Ministry with Youth
 Teacher Development
 Adult Faith Development*
 Unitarian Universalist Identity
 Worship for All Ages
 Multicultural Religious Education

13. Current Renaissance Modules
 Curriculum Renaissance Module, Nov. 8-
9; Cedar Rapids, IA. Registration link:
psduua.org
 Continental schedule on uua.org
 Feb. 28-Mar. 2nd, St. Louis, MO either Adult
Faith Development or Ministry with Youth

14. The Tapestry of Faith Era
 Tapestry of Faith, the on-line curricula
series, is available at uua.org
 The ToF vision statement is a
centering source of direction
 Consider the 4 strands: Ethical
development, spiritual development,
UU Identity, and Faith Development

15. The Religious Education
Credentialing Program
Was created to strengthen Unitarian
Universalist religious education
through the continued development
and professionalization of lay religious
educators, and to provide a clear and
effective system for standards and
recognition of these achievements.
recredentialing@uua.org

16. Evaluation and Assessment
 Job description: Clarity is important
 Start as you mean to continue!
 Goals for Religious Educator
 Who is your supervisor?
 Goals for Religious Education Program
 Program Assessment/Feedback
 Personnel Committee

17. Next Steps
 Recommended next steps:
 Go to www.lreda.org and review the Code of
Professional Practices
 Reflect on the following questions:
 Are there aspects of my job description that remain
unclear?
 Are there areas where I may find it difficult to
distinguish healthy and appropriate boundaries? Who
can help me with my growing edges?

18. Questions
 Are you wondering about….?
 Have you connected with other
religious educators in neighboring
congregations?
 Have you linked with your district’s
LRE resources and events…Cluster
opportunities?

19. Thanks…
 Thank you for taking part in this
webinar.
 Feel free to contact me:
 Nancy Combs-Morgan,
 ncombsmorgan@uua.org
 (With appreciation to Pat Infante, CERG, for sharing many of these slides!)