This article connects effective inreach and outreach in the process of community growth. Thinking about how to grow can help a congregation figure out how to better serve its current members as well.
Since 2001, Temple Beth Hatfiloh of Olympia, WA has been affiliated with the Reconstructionist Movement. This article chronicles their process and also the reasons for why their congregation overwhelmingly chose to join. This article is a great resource for prospective affiliates.
A list of ways to warmly welcome new members into your community, from partnering new members with veteran members to running special programs for members' uninvolved partners and families.
This article brings a historical perspective on biblical taxation, suggesting that synagogue dues are a tax for Jewish citizenship. It also introduces the idea of "fair share" dues, where individual members' dues vary based on their income.
In 2001, there was discussion on the EdTalk listserv about whether families of religious school students should be required to be congregational members. This is a transcript of that conversation.
This 2001 article explores our discomfort with money, offers some historical perspective and some contemporary solutions of how American congregations have set up their dues structure.
This article from Reconstructionism Today contains a transcript of a conference call involving Rabbi Shawn Zevit, JRF board members and synagogue representatives from the West Coast Region about the Torah of Money workshops.