Phase 1: Search Foundations
Getting ready for a ministerial settled search starts when you are first aware that your current minister is leaving. It’s important to end the ministry well, with time for reflection on the ministry that will be useful as you think about what kind of ministry might be a good next step. This section will guide you:
Congregations in Transition
An overview and guide to ending the current ministry well, discerning the next kind of ministry needed, planning and supporting the search process, then a good beginning of the next ministry.
Most congregations enter a two-year-long period of interim ministry before calling a minister. This timing gives the congregation time to process the previous ministry and get ready for the next ministry.
The sections below will guide you in laying a strong foundation before formally beginning the search process, which begins in the late spring of the first interim year.
In This Section
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Interim or Transitional Ministry before a Settled SearchFrom LeaderLab
Congregations that have a two-year interim ministry between settled ministries give themselves time to process the previous ministry and get ready for the next ministry.
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Lay the Groundwork for Communications During SearchFrom LeaderLab
The ministerial search process requires lay leaders to practice skills of holding confidentiality about detail while being transparent about the process.
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Before Forming Your Settled Search TeamFrom LeaderLab
Waiting until the Spring of the first year of interim ministry before the search team is formed allows for the processing of the change and its impacts.
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Budget Considerations for a Settled Ministry SearchFrom LeaderLab
What should congregation budget for the interim ministry search through the beginning of the next settled ministry?
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UUA Shared Values as Part of SearchFrom LeaderLab
The UUA search process includes opportunities to examine how oppression, supremacy, and bias work in the world and how they are at play in our search system’s processes and practices.
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