Searching for Our New Minister: A Time of Transition
(A message from the Board of Trustees President)
Last December, I gave a description of the Interim Minister Hiring Process at the 2018 Annual Congregational Meeting. With Reverend Joan giving her final sermon last month, I thought I would take a look at what I said and share with you some information about the process that the Board agreed on — why we are looking to hire a minister and how we are going about it.
After many discussions in 2018, the Board voted to hire a two-year interim minister to replace Reverend Joan. The idea is that the interim minister will start in August or September of 2019. This person will advise the Board and the congregation in conducting a participatory and democratic search for the permanent minister.
Why an interim?
We have four big reasons for deciding to hire an interim as opposed to going straight into a search for a permanent minister:
A process of mourning. Reverend Joan has relationship with each of us and has many connections with the community. Her leaving is a reason to mourn. An interim minister is trained to guide congregations through that mourning and recovery process. As Rev. Joan recently told us, we as a congregation need some time to “fall out of love” before we can look for someone else.
An opportunity for realization. We all know the many roles that Reverend Joan played in the working of the church. She has been monumental to making the congregation what we are today. However, we seem to be evolving from the size of church in which many roles can be done by a single person to the size in which these roles must be dispersed across teams of people. The interim process gives us the opportunity to realize how each of us will contribute going forward. Again, from her final sermon, Rev. Joan mentioned the chance for each of to pick up another thread that helps weave our community…a chance to share our ideas and talents.
A time for growth. Considering a new, permanent minister allows us to reflect on long-term goals. It is an ideal time to think, as a congregation, where we hope to be in five or ten years. Is it a greater University presence? What social justice focus does it entail? This process gives our congregation the opportunity to realize how we will achieve our Mission going forward.
A time to contemplate and select. Before we select a permanent minister, we need to discuss many other questions about ourselves. Who wants to be on the search team? Who do we want leading the search team? What characteristics, emphases, and values do we want represented on the search team itself? Again, this is part of the training of interim ministers; hey can help us work through the discussions of who represents this group.
Where are we now?
The interim search team has looked over a number of applications, interviewed candidates, and chatted with a large number of references. Tina Perdue, Ruth Thomas, Brad Barefoot, and myself have had so many conversations with members of the wider UU community, not only about various candidates, but also about ourselves. We have spent a lot of time communicating what our congregation is like, who we are, and where we may be going in the next few years. This process has strengthened my faith in our congregation — we are a place that others want to join; we have the potential to grow in how we Inspire, Care, and Act.
Please stay tuned for updates on the hiring process. The hiring committee will let everyone know when we have found an interim minister. In the meantime, please feel free to email any questions to Tina, Ruth, Brad, or myself.
