News
Introducing Rooftop Pricing
Friday, February 22nd, 2019
We are excited to announce that we are now offering rooftop pricing!
CongregationU wants you to get the biggest bang for your buck, so we offer rooftop pricing. This means that every person at your church or organization (under one rooftop or campus) can take any or all courses in the Unlimited Package for one low price. Pricing for the Unlimited Package is based on average weekly attendance.
Just need one or two courses? No problem! You can purchase courses individually for one or more users.
News
Are you up-to-date on harassment compliance?
Tuesday, January 10th, 2017
Harassment is not just illegal; it can create an uncomfortable, threatening, and unpleasant environment for all people within a workplace. Sexual harassment happens in all environments, including the church workplace. For a church, a public sexual harassment lawsuit can have far-reaching consequences: decreased morale, attendance, productivity, and work quality, and damaged reputations.
It’s a new year, and exactly the right time to think about doing everything possible to create a harassment-free church workplace.
CongregationU has three online, up-to-date sexual harassment courses for clergy, staff, and volunteers:
- Sexual Harassment Training – Harassment Awareness for Employees: This 25-minute course will help employees and volunteers have an awareness of sexual harassment and take action to stop it when they see it happening in the workplace.
- Sexual Harassment Training for Supervisors and Managers: This one-hour course will empower church clergy, supervisors, and managers to create a harassment-free work environment.
- Sexual Harassment Training for Supervisors in California (AB 1825/AB 2053): This two-hour course is designed to meet the requirements of both AB 1825 and AB 2053, which took effect in January 2015 and requires training on abusive conduct.
With CongregationU’s online training, you can track who has been trained for your church’s protection! Cover your bases now so you can get down to other important church business. Set up your account online or call CongregationU today at 866.862.5855 to begin training the clergy, staff, and volunteers in your church on sexual harassment and other important risk-management topics. Click here to see our course list.
News
Running a Capital Campaign?
Tuesday, October 18th, 2016
No matter what type of capital campaign your church wants to develop, it always starts with a vision. What is your church’s goal? A new facility, major building repair, or significant equipment purchase?
The success of a capital campaign is directly related to the commitment, expertise, and effectiveness of the committee leaders—as well as the willingness of prospective donors. Running a capital campaign can be a complex endeavor, but CongregationU is here to help.
Our new 60-minute online course, “Capital Campaigns for Churches,” breaks down the process for any church—small or large. In this course, you’ll learn about:
- Types of capital campaigns, including their phases and components
- Building a capital campaign team
- Establishing financial goals, budgets, and timelines
- Crafting effective vision and case statements
- Acquiring donors—large and small
- Getting your congregation on board with your campaign efforts
A capital campaign can energize a church, providing members with a shared goal and a sense of purpose. This course can help you realize that goal. Check out CongregationU’s course list to discover additional courses for your clergy, staff, volunteers, and laity.
Learn at your own pace, online 24/7. Call us at 866.862.5855 for a free demo of this course today!
News
Check out our updated course list
Wednesday, August 31st, 2016
Have you looked at our course list lately? We are adding courses right and left to expand the possibilities for congregations across the country. All of these courses are included with the course bundle, which is an extremely cost-effective way to train all of your congregants.
Most recently, we’ve added the following courses:
- Capital Campaigns for Churches: planning a successful campaign, and learning about the benefits and risks
- Diversity in the Workplace: making your church workplace diverse, and learning about the benefits and challenges of diversity
- Foodborne Illness: Awareness & Prevention: avoiding sickness when preparing and participating in church dinners or other occasions
- Back Injuries and Ergonomics: keeping your back safe as you work and volunteer at church, as well as how ergonomics can help
Think about people in your congregation who might need these courses: staff, clergy, volunteers, laity. The learning options are endless!
What courses would you like to see? Let us know!
News
Have VBS in Your Church? 9 Ways to Keep Kids Safe
Tuesday, June 21st, 2016
Summer is a really fun time of year in churches, especially when they are buzzing with the excitement of Vacation Bible School. Churches come alive when children and youth are engaged in activities designed especially for them.
But with this energy and excitement also comes some added preparation. With so many children and youth running around your church facility—many of whom may be visitors or guests of members—as well as an increased number of volunteers, church staff and VBS leaders need to pay especially close attention to security and safety.
Here are some things to think about to help keep the children and youth safe during the exciting week of VBS:
- 1. Everyone should have ID, including participants. It can be nametags, t-shirts, lanyards, or buttons, but everyone should be identifiable with their role in the week’s activities.
- 2. All volunteers should be screened and trained before serving in activities involving children and youth. This includes abuse prevention training in accordance with your church’s policies.
3. Two-deep leadership: Two adults with a child or youth at all times. This applies during regular Sunday activities and in all activities throughout the summer. If you do not have this policy at your church, start it now.
4. Get permission to use photography of children. Some churches make special VBS CDs or post pictures on the church website or during church services on the big screen. Make sure you have permission to use photography, and do not identify children on social media (even with permission).
5. Register every child or youth. No young person should be in the building participating in activities without having filled out a registration form with emergency contact information. This should include information about allergies and/or other medical needs.
6. Make sure all volunteers are prepared. Let them know of fire safety policies and extreme weather policies in case of emergency.
7. Check your first aid kits to make sure they are fully stocked and accessible to all volunteers and classrooms.
8. Communicate with parents about your security and safety policies. Send information home or have information on your website about the measures you’ve taken to keep children and youth secure. Your parents will appreciate this peace of mind!
9. Signage should be abundant. Make sure everyone knows where to go and how to get there. For the first couple of days (or the whole week if you can spare some volunteers), keep people posted at doors to direct anyone who is unsure. The fewer people wandering the halls, the more secure you will feel.
News
CongregationU is on the road!
Wednesday, May 11th, 2016
Are you at the UMC General Conference in Portland this week? We are excited to tell you that we are there! We know that the General Conference is a very important event for many of you, and we are happy to share in that excitement as we get to meet you and discuss your training needs.
If you are at the conference, come visit CongregationU and Safe Gatherings in Booth 31. We’ll be here all week!
News
Introducing CongregationU: Watch our video
Friday, April 29th, 2016
Take two minutes to view the video below and find out how CongregationU’s e-learning can dramatically impact your church. We’re talking about EVERYONE in your church: staff, clergy, volunteers, and laity. Everyone.
News
Safe Gatherings Introduces CongregationU
Friday, April 8th, 2016
| Dear Friends,
Safe Gatherings is a trusted name in screening and training to help protect children, youth, and vulnerable adults, but many of you have expressed a need for training that goes beyond abuse prevention and boundary awareness, and we are responding to your requests. It is with great excitement that I introduce you to our new sister company, CongregationU. CongregationU provides the tools you need to educate your staff, volunteers and members through e-learning specifically designed for the church environment. Your church can use CongregationU to:
We have focused on making Safe Gatherings as simple and effective as possible, and we’ve now applied those same principles to training your entire congregation on topics related to safety and security, technology, leadership and management, and other relevant subject areas. No church is too big or too small to provide consistent, relevant training and support to members, clergy, staff, and volunteers. Click here to view our initial course offerings. With your input, we will be expanding our list of available courses on an ongoing basis! Through CongregationU, you can focus efforts on fellowship and discussion of more in-depth topics instead of spending hours of training on the day-to-day operations of the church. You can assign and track relevant courses, and know that every person is receiving the same information, delivered consistently every time. Your leaders now become the resources they are meant to be. Please contact the CongregationU team to set up a demo or learn more. I am confident CongregationU will assist in freeing up time to focus on the real missions of your church, within its walls and beyond, into the communities and world we share. We look forward to being of service! With gratitude, Sharon Holt |
News
Wishing You the Blessings of Easter
Friday, March 25th, 2016
This weekend we remember and celebrate that Jesus has risen, Allelujah!
From all of us at CongregationU to all of you, we wish you and yours a Happy Easter.
News
We Expect Great Things for You
Friday, February 26th, 2016
Do us a favor: Walk into your empty church facility, and take a moment to listen. What do you hear?
If you are like us, you may hear the echoes of what is to come. The hustle and bustle of a Sunday morning service, the quiet prayers of a Bible study, or giggling children in a room nearby. Church is a busy place, a quiet place, a crazy place … all at once.
Now add your clergy, staff, and volunteers to that mental picture.
Are they ready to greet newcomers, ready for an emergency situation, ready to conduct a business meeting? Have you done everything you can to prepare them for bigger congregations, bigger church business strategies, and bigger church life?
This is where CongregationU enters the picture. We are here to provide you with the resources you need to train clergy members, staff members, volunteers, and laity. And we’re doing it all online, allowing time to be spent on the true missions of your congregation.
We’re starting with categories and training we think you need: safety and security, abuse prevention, and leadership and management skills. Most of the courses are designed to take about 25 to 30 minutes.
We’ll be adding topics regularly, but we want to hear from you:
• What are the training needs for your clergy?
• How do your staff members learn about new policies in a timely manner?
• How comfortable are your volunteers with the tasks they do every day?
• Would your regular churchgoers benefit from training about specific topics?
• Would you like to build your own courses with topics specific to your congregation?
We expect CongregationU to be your partner in educating your church members and staff—and we want you to join us on this journey. Contact us to provide input and learn more about our training and how we can help your church start today.