Serving with Grace Lay Leadership as a Spiritual Practice

By Erik Walker Wikstrom

From Skinner House Books

Discover how to experience congregational work as an integrated element in a fully rounded spiritual life.

Buy This Book

The health and vitality of our congregations depends in part on a good fit between a congregation and their minister. The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) helps to connect ministers searching for a position with congregations which want to find a minister.

The UUA offers information and resources to help congregants, ministers, compensation consultants, and regional staff throughout the search process for all types of ministers: assistant, contract, developmental, interim, or settled.

Announcements

UU Transition Ministry Seminar

UU Transition Ministry Seminar is April 22nd to April 26, 2024!

Registration is now open for the 2024 Transitional Ministry Seminar! The theme for this year’s seminar is “Making Meaning in a Changing World: Spiritual Practices for Transformation.”

The registration is available online. In-person registration is now closed (barring cancellations). Virtual registration will close Friday, April 20th at 12pm ET.

The Transition Ministry Seminar is of particular interest to UU ministers in transitional roles such as Interim and Developmental, and registration is open to any Fellowshipped member of the UUMA. The Transition Ministry Seminar is a collaborative effort of the leadership team of the Transition Ministers Chapter of the UUMA and the Transition Team staff of the UUA.

This year’s seminar will be online with an in-person retreat option at the Mount Olivet Retreat Center in Farmington, Minnesota.

Please let the planning team know if you would like to offer a spiritual practice small group!

Additional information about logistics will be forthcoming. Please register as soon as you can, as some of this information will be sent directly to those who have registered.

We look forward to reconnecting with you throughout these weeks of registration and preparation for the seminar. Please share this information widely with UUMA colleagues who may be interested. If you have any questions, please email transitions@uua.org or josephmcherry@gmail.com.

Questions About Materials or the Search Process

Please include your full name, your congregation’s full name (no acronyms), city, and state in all correspondence with the UUA Transitions Office and regional staff.

• Transitions Office: Rev. Keith Kron, Director; Amy Szen, Administrator; Rev. Patrice Curtis, Transformational Interim Ministries Director; and Christine Purcell, Transitions Program Manager (transitions@uua.org)
• Congregational Life field staff support, all regions: Christine Purcell, Transitions Program Manager (cpurcell@uua.org)

Congregational Leaders and Ministers

Regarding All Active and Upcoming Searches

1. Only use the old settlement system for accessing historical information. The new Ministry Search system is in use!
2. Congregational leaders, once you have been in touch with regional staff and/or the Transitions Program Manager about the types of ministry search which would be best or are available to your congregation, send an email to transitions@uua.org to initiate your search. Include your congregation’s full name, city, and state, and the name and email for your contact person.
3. To view opportunity listings for ministers, religious educators, musicians, and other congregational staff, please visit the MinistrySearch Jobs Board. To post a position on the jobs board for non-ordained staff, use the Job Board Listing Request form.
4. Congregations seeking or offering staff for collaboration may also post to the Congregational Collaboration Board.

These documents are essential reading for both lay leaders and ministers:

• The Settlement Handbook The comprehensive guide to the process of calling a minister for both congregations and ministers (updated 02/2024 with minor changes which will not affect the 2024 search, full update for 2025 coming this spring)
• The Transitional Ministry Handbook (PDF) The comprehensive guide for all transitional ministries (updated 01/2024)
• Links-Only Version of the Transitional Ministry Handbook (PDF)
• The Second Ministry Search Handbook (Word) The comprehensive guide for all assistant/associate ministry searches (updated 2019)
• Settled Search Calendars 2021-2025 (Excel) (use tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet to flip to your specific search year)
• Interim Search Calendars 2019-2025 (Excel) (use tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet to flip to your specific search year)
• Ministerial Agreement (full-time called), August 2021 light revision: UUA/UUMA Recommended for Full-time Senior, Lead, and Solo Ministries (Word, 20 pages) or (PDF, 20 pages)
  • Virtual Ministry Considerations: Addendum to Recommended Ministerial Agreement (Word)
  • Form to Record Changes from Recommended UUA/UUMA Agreement (Word)
• UUA Recommended Ministerial Agreement for Interim Ministries (Word) or (PDF), March 2022 Light Revision
• Recommended for Developmental Ministers (Word) or (PDF), April 2022
• Interim Ministry Appraisal (Word) 
  To be completed by ministers and lay leaders, online, after 6 months; after 12 months; and for two year interims, again at the end of the second year
• Developmental Ministry Evaluation 
  To be completed by ministers together with the board annually
• Directory Update Form Please complete this form to note any staffing changes to be displayed on MyUUA.org

Congregational Leaders

Resources here are of particular use to lay leaders shepherding their congregation through the ministerial transition.

• Notice of Ministerial Transition 
  Informs the Transitions Office and your Regional Transitions Program Manager that your congregation is going into ministerial search
• Board Checklist for the Search Process (PDF) 
  A list of board responsibilities from the time the board becomes aware of the need for a settled ministry search to the beginning of the next settled ministry (includes the interim search process, coaching fees, etc)
• Congregational Transition Interview (Word) 
  To be completed by congregational leadership with UUA Regional Staff when ministers depart
• Settled Search Support Request 
  To be completed by board chairs during the spring when settled ministry search committees are formed. This form arranges payment for the congregational portion of the support provided by UUA staff and volunteers throughout the search process (search committee retreat, Beyond Categorical Thinking workshop, new ministry start-up workshop)
• Responsible Staffing (PDF, 14 pages)
  • Oxford Document Management Company
  • Church Mutual Insurance Company
• Compensation Worksheet (Excel) 
  Assists in calculating total compensation for a ministerial position, based on UUA benefit guidelines
• Ministerial Compensation for Search Committees (PDF, 52 pages) (YouTube Version). PDF version of webinar hosted by The Transitions Office and the Office of Church Staff Finances.
• Notice of Call 
  To be completed by the governing board once the congregation’s call to a minister has been extended and accepted
• Transitions Support for Congregational Staff

Ministers

These resources are useful for ministers in the midst of or considering a transition.

• Intent to Retire Form 
  Must be submitted in order for retirement to be recognized in UU World Milestones and at the General Assembly Service of the Living Tradition
• Ministerial Exit Interview (Word) 
  To be completed by departing ministers with UUA Regional Staff
• MinistrySearch Jobs Board
• How to Case a Church (PDF, 59 pages) 
  The classic (third edition) by Peter Spilman Raible
• Ordination and Installation Handbook (PDF), by Rev. Erika Hewitt
• After Running Through the Thistles the Hard Part Begins (PDF, 13 pages) 
  The Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed's reflections on the position of the former minister, with responses by Revs. Leon Hopper and Marge Keip.

Archived Resources

• 2018 UUA/UUMA Recommended Ministerial Agreement (PDF, 23 pages). Note that the August 2021 version is a light edit, mainly for clarity and cosmetics.
• 2012 Joint Recommendations Concerning Ministerial Agreements (Word, 24 pages) (PDF, 21 pages) Background information for all ministerial agreements and sample letters of call for settled ministries. For ministries beginning in July 2019 or later, please use the agreement listed in the above "essential reading for both lay leaders and ministers"section.