Sexually Healthy Religious Professionals: Assessing Sexual Health
Building Block #2
Assessment Questions
The most important building block for a sexually healthy congregation is a staff of sexually healthy and responsible religious professionals. Sexually healthy religious professionals—clergy, religious educators, youth advisors, and pastoral counselors—are comfortable with their own sexuality, have skills to provide pastoral care and worship on sexuality issues, maintain professional boundaries and avoid misconduct, and are committed to sexual justice in the congregation and the society at large. Some of these issues will be covered in future sections in more depth as well.
These assessment questions can be completed by:
- Congregation Minister(s)
- Director of Religious Education
- Youth Minister/Director
- Committee on Ministry or Personnel Committee Chair may choose to review the answers to these questions to assess the level of training/background of the religious professionals in the congregation
Sexually Healthy Religious Professionals: Assessment Checklist
Suggested Readings
- A Time to Build, Religious Institute, Revised 2012
- Sex and the Seminary: Preparing Ministers for Sexual Health and Justice, Religious Institute, 2009
- Sexuality and the Sacred: Sources for Theological Reflection, ed. Marvin Ellison and Kelly Brown Douglas, Westminster John Knox Press, 2010.
For More Assistance
Religious Institute “Sexuality Issues for UUA Religious Professionals” Online Course—12 session course available to ministerial candidates, Unitarian Universalist (UU) fellowshipped clergy, Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA) members, Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) professional staff members, and staff directors of religious education. Enroll online.
For more information contact safecongregations @ uua.org.
This work is made possible by the generosity of individual donors and congregations. Please consider making a donation today.
Last updated on Wednesday, May 23, 2012.
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