| When a
congregation searches for new ministerial leadership, it exercises one of
the most important freedoms and rights that we grant ourselves in this
denomination. Local Search Committees, chosen by their congregations,
think deeply about the needs and member dreams about the future of their
church or fellowship through discussion, surveys, and church meetings.
They then search and recommend a minister from among interested
applicants, whom they believe is the best match of ministerial skills and
the congregation’s vision to achieve that new future. At the end of a one
or two year search, the congregation decides and calls (invites) the
minister candidate to join their faith community and to serve its members.
Congregations and Search Committees are
supported by highly trained Interim Ministers, who are selected by local
trustee boards. Interims provide ministerial leadership and service, help
the faith community to work through barriers to change, and prepare the
congregation for the arrival of the new minister. The District’s
Ministerial Settlement Representative (MSR) works directly with Search
Committees, as a trainer and an advisor throughout the process. The MSR, a
volunteer, works through the guidance of the UUA’s Transition Director,
the Rev. Dr. John H. Weston. The UUA
Transitions Office provides a wealth of resources online, including the
Settlement Handbook and the
Resource Guide for Ministerial Search Committees to guide their work. |
