UUA Transitions Team
Newsletter
Serving Congregations & Ministers
March 2025 |
The UUA Transitions Team is a partnership between Ministries & Faith Development and Congregational Life staff, supporting good matches between congregations and ministers. |
In this issue...
- Ministers & Search Teams in a Settled Ministry Search
- Ministers & Search Teams in Settled & Developmental Ministry Searches
- Ministers in Search
- For Contract Ministry Search Teams
- Interim Ministry
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For Ministers & Search Teams in a Settled Ministry Search
We’re in the home stretch! With only one more weekend of pre-candidating, the week for discernment and follow-up is approaching: 24-30 March. During that week, search teams and ministers may follow up with one another, search teams may reach out to any final references or UUA regional staff, and ministers may reach out to colleagues and UUA regional staff. This is the first year that we had a week between pre-candidating weekends and the due date for rankings. We hope this gives everyone the time they need to feel confident about their rankings.
Search teams, remember your anti-bias training and commitment as you fully and fairly consider your pre-candidates. The needs and hopes of your congregation are your guides. Treat each other with kindness, remember your team covenant, and do your best to work toward consensus. Remember that unanimity is pretty rare, and that you may not have an alignment with your number one choice. If your team needs a chaplain, call upon your interim minister. If you need help with your discernment process, please reach out to Christine Purcell, Congregational Transitions Director, cpurcell@uua.org.
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For Minsters & Search Teams in Settled and Developmental Ministry Searches
Important dates:
- 31 March: search teams and ministers submit rankings to the UUA Transitions Team:
- 01-02 April: UUA Transitions Team sees which matches have aligned and confirms any matches which are not mutual first choices. Please plan to be responsive to inquiries from UUA staff on these days. Once the Transitions Team knows how you’ve matched, they will notify you.
- 03 April, noon eastern: offer day! Search teams reach out to the minister with whom they have matched to make the verbal offer. The minister accepts and employment agreement negotiations may begin.
- Any time after the offer is made and accepted: Negotiate the employment agreement and initiate a criminal background check. Once the candidate minister gives notice to their current congregation, if applicable, they release the search team to announce their candidacy. The minister may make a video to accompany the joyous announcement.
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For Ministers in Search
- See the section above for information related to submitting rankings on settled and developmental positions.
- Please feel free to contact Rev. Patrice Curtis, Transformational Interim Ministries Director, for support in your discernment about transitional ministries or Rev. Eric Kaminetzky, Interim Settled Ministries Director, for support in your discernment about settled ministries: transitions@uua.org.
- Our congregation in Reading, MA is pivoting from a developmental ministry search to a multiyear contract ministry search with a developmental focus. Please check out this opportunity when it is published. The search team and board have worked hard to prepare for this search and for the ministry ahead.
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For Contract Ministry Search Teams
As we move toward the discernment and decision-making period (24-30 March) for ministers who are in multiple types of search, make sure that your top applicant, if you have identified one, knows of your intention to offer them the position. Applicant ministers will submit rankings for settled and developmental ministries to the UUA Transitions Team by 31 March. They may include contract searches in their rankings. A minister who is in consideration for settled or developmental ministries, as well as contract ministries, may wait to see what aligns for them on April 2nd before accepting or turning down an offer for a contract position.
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Interim Ministry
Ministers, we have initiated thirteen interim ministry profiles in the search system so far. We anticipate a few more opportunities in the next couple of weeks. Search teams, remember that regional staff will review these profiles before publication. Leave time for this to occur before 18 April, the due date for publication. Please refer to the calendar and handbook as you plan ahead. |
With you in hope and excitement,
Transformational Interim Ministries Director
Interim Settled Ministry Director
Congregational Transitions Director
Transitions Administrator |
Transitions Office
24 Farnsworth St, Boston, MA, 02210 |
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