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The Leadership Leaves program is a cooperative
sabbatical program for Unitarian Universalist religious professionals in
New Jersey. Beginning in 1967, with leadership from the Princeton
Unitarian Church and the active participation of other societies, the
idea behind the Leadership Leaves Program was developed. The goal was to
establish shared coverage to its member congregations when a minister
goes on sabbatical leave. Such a program, it was felt, would serve both
congregations and ministers by providing effective and rewarding
sabbatical leaves. In 1998, the program was amended to include full time
religious educators.
Member congregations of the Leadership Leaves Program
covenant together to:
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Provide coverage for two Sunday mornings during the
six-month period of time that the Parish Minister is on leave, as
well as coverage of pastoral responsibilities such as memorial
services, weddings, child dedications and crisis counseling. |
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Assure coverage of Sunday RE programming and
consultation services while a Religious Educator is on leave by
providing two visits per month (one by a religious education
professional and one by a layperson) plus telephone consultations.
This coverage would be at the request of the receiving congregation
and arranged cooperatively by the participating religious educators. |
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Provide funds through a mutually agreed-upon assessment system, to
support the additional expenses of the congregation and provide a
stipend to the religious professional on sabbatical to be used to
deepen and enrich the experience. |
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Create a Leadership Leaves Council to administer the
program. This council would develop a body of information on the
care and management of sabbatical leaves. |
The Leadership Leaves Program has several goals:
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To support professional development among our full
time religious professionals; |
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To assist in religious professionals'
involvement in both the denomination and the larger society; |
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To provide a successful sabbatical experience
which allows for travel, time to read and reflect, and find
meaningful ways to "refuel"; |
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To promote interdependence among congregations; |
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To support lay leadership development; |
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To make full time professional leadership more
attractive to religious professionals; |
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To lengthen the productive tenure of full time
religious professionals. |
The Leadership Leaves Program (LLP) is administered
by the Leadership Leaves Council (LLC), which meets twice a year (Fall
and Spring) at the home church of one of the participating
congregations. The membership of the Council is composed of two lay and
two religious professional delegates from each participating
congregation.
Congregations agree to participate in the Leadership
Leaves Program for a six-year cycle. During that time, each congregation
pays into the program a set amount (up to 1% of its annual budget and
capped at a maximum amount each year) for each of its participating
professional religious leaders. These payments build a reserve enabling
the Leadership Leaves Program to provide funds for each congregation
when its religious professional goes on sabbatical. When a congregation
receives this disbursement, it agrees to pay three-quarters of the
amount to its religious professional for sabbatical expenses and to
retain one-quarter of the amount for use by the congregation to help
provide Sunday morning leadership.
Participating Congregations:
Leadership Leaves Council Officers:
Judy Malsbury, President (Princeton) Email (click icon):
Barbara Rall, Secretary (Plainfield) Email (click icon):
Bob Haug, Treasurer (East Brunswick) Email (click icon):
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