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RE Credentialing

Religious Education Credentialing
The Religious Education Credentialing Office works with persons preparing for credentialing as lay professional Unitarian Universalist (UU) Religious Educators. The Religious Education Credentialing Director offers consultation and advice pertaining to the Religious Education Credentialing program. In coordination with Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) district staff, the Director provides information about professional development, settlement, and staffing issues related to lay religious education professionals. The Religious Education Credentialing Assistant supports the Religious Education Credentialing Program and its committees, communicates requirements of the program, and provides information on scholarship grants and settlement of lay religious education professionals.

Religious Education Credentialing Program
The Office of Religious Education Credentialing is accepting applications to participate in the Religious Education Credentialing Program of the UUA (PDF). The Religious Education Credentialing Program replaces the RE Leadership Landscape Options Plan. The goal of the new program is to strengthen Unitarian Universalist religious education through the continued development and professionalization of lay religious educators, and by providing a clear and effective system for standards and recognition of these achievements.

Ministry of Religious Education
Educational standards for Ministers of Religious Education are established and evaluated by the Ministerial Fellowship Committee. Ministers of Religious Education are required to: have a Master of Divinity or equivalent, graduate work in areas of Religious Education, A Clinical Pastoral Program, and a supervised ministerial internship. Contact the UUA Ministerial Credentialing Office for further information.

Renaissance Program
Loan Library
DRE Search Process
DRE Job Description
Professional Development
Procedures, Forms and Resources
Scholarship Grants
FAQ

Religious Education Leadership Training
The Renaissance Program is a major component of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Religious Education Credentialing program. Each 15-hour module provides standardized basic training in a specific area useful to Religious Educators in local congregations. The following modules may be used in any order:

Administration of RE Programs
Curriculum Planning in the Local Congregation
Developing a Philosophy of Religious Education
Ministry with Youth
Training Teachers
Unitarian Universalist History
Unitarian Universalist Identity
Worship for All Ages
Multicultural Religious Education
Participation
For the purposes of Renaissance recognition, attendance at a week-long UUA leadership school is counted as one module. Modules can accommodate between 12 and 20 participants. Preference is given to Religious Educators if the workshop is oversubscribed.

Sponsorship
Local congregations sponsor the Religious Educator by underwriting their registration and allowing time to attend. Renaissance modules are offered by District RE Committees, or by regional summer camps or conferences. If you are interested in sponsoring a Renaissance module, requests should come through your District RE Committee or through the planning committee of a regional conference. The UUA will provide leadership lists and program materials, while the district or conference committee is responsible for registrations, publicity, and local arrangements for hosting the workshop. Many of the modules require that reading materials be mailed to participants in advance of the workshop; this mailing is also the responsibility of the local sponsor.

Cost
The cost of sponsoring a Renaissance module is shared by the participants, their congregations, the District RE Committee or conference, and the Renaissance Program. The registration fee is determined by the local planning committee, based on its estimates of the conference costs. The conference budget must include:

Honoraria for the leaders
Meals and accommodations
A travel equilization fee
Registration also includes a $25.00 administrative fee for each participant.

Recognition
When a participant has completed five modules, or a minimum of 75 hours of Renaissance training, the Renaissance Program will send a Letter of Recognition, in appreciation of the time that has been given in the service of quality religious education for our children, youth and adults. A participant may include these five modules and any additional modules toward completion of any level in the Religious Education Credentialing Program.

Scholarships
It is strongly recommended that congregations give financial sponsorship to a Religious Educator who is attending on their behalf. A limited amount of scholarship help is available from the UUA through the Beatley and Earle endowment funds, whose interest is annually available in modest amounts for RE grants to individuals. Please contact us for more information on these funds. Some District RE Committees have funds available for Renaissance scholarships. Summer conferences may offer financial assistance.

Schedule
Renaissance modules around the continent are included on the UUA Calendar of Events.

More Information
If you would like more information on Renaissance module content, please contact the Director of Lifespan Faith Development. For all others Renaissance program questions, including questions about hosting a Renaissance module, please contact the Office of Religious Education Credentialing, Ministry and Professional Leadership.

Director of Religious Education Search Process
The DRE Settlement System is an online system through which congregations can publicize open positions in lay professional religious education, and religious educators who have been credentialed by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Religious Education Credentialing program and are in good standing with the Religious Education Credentialing Committee can indicate their interest in these positions. Religious Educators who are have not yet been credentialed but are participants in the Religious Education Credentialing program may view the publicized open positions, but may not indicate their interest through the system.

The following is some informal guidance that may be helpful to your congregation if you do not choose, or are unable to use the DRE Settlement system.

As a preliminary, if you have not already done so, you should read "The Search for Religious Education Leadership: Best Practices for UU Congregations" (PDF, 43 pages).

Also, you should contact the RE program consultant, RE contact person, or district executive in your district. This person can also serve as a resource for you, and will certainly want to keep in touch with you during your search. Any informal consulting on a DRE search done by the UUA Office of RE Credentialing with a congregation is done in conjunction with district staff.

We can then do the following:

Review and provide feedback on your job description, advertisement, salary and benefits. Please see "A Guide to Creating a DRE Job Description Advertisement" for hints about this the process.
Submit the job description or other advertisement to the readers (mostly religious educators across the continent) on the Reach-L and the LREDA-L email lists.
Other pertinent information:

You can see the job descriptions of other Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregations in search for a DRE by accessing Openings at UU Congregations. This web-page will also explain how you can submit a link to your job description to the site.
You may contact your district staff to see how you might submit an advertisement to your district's newsletter, their website, and any email lists that serve religious educators in your district.
You may contact Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA) directly for the following:

They will email your job description advertisement to all LREDA members who have a known email (this is many more than are on the LREDA "list") at no charge.
If you provide them with a URL (web address) they will include a link to your job description web page on their Employment Opportunities web page at no charge.
A set of LREDA mailing labels can be purchased for $35, sorted any way desired. The LREDA membership has voted to support only this outside use of their membership list.
A Job Description Advertisement flyer can be included in their regular mailings for a charge of $50 for 8.5x11 one sided—and $25 for additional side.
If you would like to provide your own flyers or brochures for the LREDA mailing, they will need 700 copies and the stuffing charge is $25.
Deadlines are typically March 15, July 15, and November 15 for a mailing early in the next month.
You can request mailing labels from the UUA in order to do your own mailing of your advertisement or job description to all religious educators in the UUA database. You may contact us to receive the PDF documents describing the UUA policy and form for this request.

Guide to Creating a DRE Job Description Advertisement
Revised March 2003
"The Search for Religious Education Leadership: Best Practices for Unitarian Universalist Congregations" (PDF, 43 pages) recommends including the following elements in a job description advertisement for the search for a Director of Religious Education (DRE):

Name & address of congregation
Title of Position: make it descriptive of the functions and roles within the congregation.
Time Frame: Is it a full-, half-, or less than half-time position? Describe it in hours or units, based on congregational personnel policy. Is it a permanent, acting, or interim position?
Goal: Briefly state the overall purpose of the position as it relates to your congregation's mission.
Statement of Accountability: In the organizational structure, to whom does the employee report and how? Will there be a supervisory body or person?
Responsibilities: Describe the categories and population for which the person in this position will have responsibility. Be sure to include only what can be accomplished realistically within the time frame of the position as you have designed it and for the compensation that has been designated.
Experience, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: State the kinds of experiences, academic background, knowledge, skills and abilities needed to do the job you want done. This is especially important when advertising the position. Be as clear as you can about what you are seeking.

Procedures, Forms and Resources
The Religious Education Credentialing Program Plan (PDF) gives an overview of the program, as well as an outline of requirements for each of the three Religious Education Credentialing levels.

To apply to the Religious Education Credentialing Program:

File the Statement of Intent form (PDF) (Word) with the Religious Education Credentialing Office in the Ministry and Professional Leadership staff group. The Statement of Intent should include attachments of a resume and a brief statement of goals and aspirations for the Religious Education Credentialing Program.
 
Submit Letter of Endorsement forms (PDF) (Word) from those individuals specified in the Program Plan. The Letter of Endorsement should indicate the individual's potential and suitability for participation in the Religious Education Credentialing Program.
To complete the Religious Education Credentialing Program:

Request any equivalency fulfillment of RE Credentialing requirements (PDF).
 
Complete and submit the appropriate Reading List:
Credentialed, Associate Level (PDF)
Credentialed (PDF)
Credentialed, Masters Level (PDF)
 
Submit a portfolio of life and learning experiences that demonstrates competencies in, and commitments to, religious education leadership. Creating Your RE Credentialing Portfolio Resource Sheet (PDF)

The following grids are organizational tools to help identify which of your structured learning experiences (academic and otherwise) and which materials or work samples you would like to include in your Religious Education Credentialing portfolio. Warning: these grids are not for the faint of heart. They are large documents of many pages. Each grid includes all portfolio competency areas relevant to that level of Religious Education Credentialing. It is not a program requirement to complete these forms or use these resources as a reference. If you do not find them helpful, then skip them!
Credentialed, Associate Level
Learning Experiences Blank Form (PDF) (Word)
Completed Sample (PDF)
Materials Blank Form (PDF) (Word)
Completed Sample (PDF)
 
Credentialed
Learning Experiences Blank Form (PDF) (Word)
Completed Sample (PDF)
Materials Blank Form (PDF) (Word)
Completed Sample (PDF)
 
Credentialed, Masters Level
Learning Experiences Blank Form (PDF) (Word)
Completed Sample (PDF)
Materials Blank Form (PDF) (Word)
Completed Sample (PDF)
 
Submit a Statement of Personal Theology or Religious Philosophy. Choose the form that corresponds to Religious Education Credentialing Program level.
Credentialed Religious Educator, Associate Level: Statement of Personal Theology or Religious Philosophy Form (PDF) (Word)
 
Credentialed Religious Educator and Credentialed Religious Educator, Masters Level: Statement of Pedagogy, and Personal Theology or Religious Philosophy Form (PDF) (Word)
 
Submit Letter of Recommendation forms (PDF) (Word) from those individuals specified in the Program Plan. The Letter of Recommendation should indicate the individual's competency in the many program areas of religious education leadership as required by the Religious Education Credentialing Program, and a general readiness to receive the Religious Education Credentialing Program status that is sought.
 
Meet with the Religious Education Credentialing Committee for an Evaluation Interview (Level Two and Credentialed Level Religious Educator), or portfolio evaluated by RE Credentialing Director (Level One Religious Educator). What to Expect from the RECC Interview Meeting (PDF)

This work is made possible by the generosity of individual donors and congregations. Please consider making a donation today.

Last updated on Thursday, August 18, 2011.

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