In recent years, more congregations than ever before have chosen the contract search process over other types of ministry search.

They have done so for several reasons:

• The contract search process is less expensive and easier on volunteers than the settled search process.
• They like the flexibility of being in partnership with a minister for a couple of years before deciding mutually whether to move toward a call process.
• They are uncertain if they will be able to sustain full-time, fair compensation for four or more years, which is a firm expectation of congregations in the settled search process.
• They want to have more time to consider applicants and be considered by applicants than the narrow window of consideration in faster-moving ministry searches.
• They know that in the last decade, congregations with fewer than 125 members and those offering part-time ministry opportunities had fewer (or no) applicants in the interim, developmental, and settled searches as ministers think more carefully about the sustainability of ministry in our changing and challenging economic landscape.

Some ministers mourn the loss of the traditional approach to being called to serve with a congregation, missing the time when far more congregations and ministers entered the settled search process and made deep, open-ended commitments to one another at the end of the annual search cycle. Other ministers have embraced the shift toward flexible, defined term ministry with joy and interest. This change echoes a broader generational shift in the world of work: people today are far less likely than in decades past to remain in one position for most or all of their careers.

Contracted ministry is flexible ministry; it is not lesser than settled ministry. With the average ministerial tenure now lasting seven years or fewer, past misconceptions about the diminished status of contract, flexible ministry no longer hold. Flex ministry is an asset to congregations. The ability to navigate change skillfully is one of the most vital traits a minister can possess in a dynamic world. Indeed, a contract may result in a ministry that lasts for the typical span of a settled ministry. As such, contract ministry may be a type of transitional ministry or encompass
the typical context and content of settled ministry.

Change does not equal decline—but failure to change guarantees it. All ministry is about change, whether we acknowledge it or not.

When entering a contract search, regional staff can help congregational leaders determine whether your contract ministry should have a transitional focus or if it could lead to a call in a couple of years. A contract search is not a way to skip needed interim ministry work. Multi-year contract positions with a developmental ministry focus or the possibility of a call were common and extremely attractive to searching ministers in the 2025 search cycle, drawing as many applicants, in some cases, as the most popular settled searches. It is interesting to note that there was greater diversity amongst the ministers who chose multi-year contract ministries than amongst those who chose settled positions in 2025. With 82% of the applicants in the 2025 settled search also applying for contract positions, and many of them choosing the contract positions over the possibilities for immediate settlement, we notice that ministers, in general, are less concerned with the form of the search or the label of the type of ministry than they are with these three considerations:

• Compensation: Does this congregation offer sustainable compensation which meets my needs and the needs of my family? Can I afford to buy a home and live a good life there with this compensation?
• Location: This has always been an extremely important factor, though ministers seem to define favorable geography differently than they did before COVID began, with slightly less of a focus on the coasts and major metropolitan areas. Do I want to live in this area? Will I be safe and comfortable there (particularly true of ministers and their families with marginalized identities)? Will I be close to my family and support network? Can my spouse find a job there? Do my children want to go to college there (in-state tuition)?
• Congregational self-awareness: Does the congregation describe itself in nuanced ways? Can I imagine the ministry partnership based on what they have said about themselves? Has the search team provided a profile which is too rosy or too negative? Has the congregation done the needed transitional ministry since the ending of a long-settled ministry or in the wake of significant conflict or misconduct? Does the search profile match what my ministerial colleagues have said about serving with this congregation?

The truth is that no type of ministry or search is inherently better or more important than the others. UUA Congregational Life (regional) staff work with leaders of congregations to think through the next, best move in seeking ministry partnership, and make binding recommendations about the types of ministry search which are open to congregations. UUA Ministries and Faith Development staff and UUMA mentors and colleagues support ministers in making good choices for their ministry careers. We have vital ministry to do regardless of the path we take to forming ministry partnerships.