UUA Transitions Team
Newsletter
Serving Congregations & Ministers
May 2026 |
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 we have news for all...
- Search teams who are...
- Still seeking a minister
- Without a match in the interim search
- Worried that they might not find a minister this cycle
- Ministers who are...
- Still seeking a congregation traversing transitional time
- Who have signed (or are about to sign) an interim agreement
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Search Teams
To all search teams who are still seeking a minister:
As the search process winds down for 2026, the UUA Transitions Team wanted to share some context, encouragement, and information with search teams and board members who are still seeking a ministry partner.
Some encouragement:
- There are still a few ministers searching for fully in-person ministry partnerships. While the search slows down for the year after the interim search concludes in May, partnerships still align.
- There are several ministers who are open to a virtual, virtual + in-person (one in which they would visit periodically and offer most ministry remotely), or creative ministry arrangement (more on this below)
- Please don’t become desperate and settle for a minister who is a poor match. While now is a good time for creativity in meeting ministry needs, congregations can be better off with no minister for a time than with one who is a poor match for the needs of the congregation.
- Regional UUA staff can offer coaching on shoring up lay leaders to congregations which have not yet found a minister (and those which have arrangements with less ministerial time or presence than they are used to having). Reach out to them! Also, congregational leaders can find supportive resources and connections on LeaderLab and in regional newsletters.
Some suggestions:
- If your search team is open to virtual or virtual + in-person ministry, tick the box for this purpose in the “position basics” section of your search profile, and consider this GA Wave Cohort discussion:
- Want to meet with congregants and ministers to share ideas about how only-virtual or virtual + in-person ministry might work for your congregation? Join the General Assembly Wave Cohort on remote (virtual) and hybrid (remote + in-person) ministry. The cohort will explore virtual and hybrid ministry, share ideas of and experience with faithful practices that sustain authentic presence, care, belonging, and spiritual connection in online and hybrid settings. Register for General Assembly online, and join us.
- If your search team is open to applications for creative partnership, such as part-time ministry, a shared ministry partnership with two area ministers, or help with only a specific element of the ministry, tick the box for this purpose in the “position basics” section of your search profile
- If you receive an application [though the search system] from a minister who is offering a different ministry arrangement than you had envisioned, please consider what they are offering. Now is a great time for creativity!
- Make sure that your sustainable best compensation is presented in your profile (the low number in your range only), along with information about relocation expense reimbursement, if you are offering this. You can highlight or explain anything you like about your compensation and benefits in the text field on the compensation and benefits page of your search profile.
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To search teams without a match in the interim search:
The UUA Transitions Team shares in your disappointment. Good matches are still possible! Here are some notes just for you:
- Some context about the search results: eight congregations did not match in the interim search. Nine did. A few applicant ministers dropped out of search. Several congregations ranked a few of the same experienced ministers as their top applicants, and those ministers could only choose one congregation each.
- Your profiles have been converted to contract ministry search profiles but marked as interim ministry to draw attention from potential applicants.
- You can do interim ministry with a minister found through the contract search process. Your applicants may not have had the year-long transitional ministry training, so be sure you plan to support them in participating in that training. Financial support for the training is mentioned in the draft employment agreement.
- Interim and contract search profiles have slightly different questions sets. For the sake of expediency, I have published the profiles with a few placeholders in the questionnaire section. You may update your profiles, including adding responses for those questions. If you change the salary, or anything related to the minister’s authority or duties, please let Christine Purcell know: cpurcell@uua.org.
- There are no deadlines or ranking/matching in this phase of the search process. UUA staff will release applicant names on weekday afternoons. Search teams should evaluate applicants promptly, fully, and fairly. Search teams may make offers and applicants may accept them at will. Please let the UUA Transitions Team know when you have good news to share!
- If you check out the contract ministry section of our search materials (starting on page 71 in the handbook), you may see that there is a fee for contract ministry searches for congregations which do not support the Annual Program Fund at the Honor level. This does not apply to your searches.
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To search teams who are worried that they might not find a minister this cycle:
If your congregation is facing a year of being unexpectedly lay-led or having less ministerial presence than you hoped to have, you are not alone. There have been many congregations, particularly in recent years, which have either not found a minister in the timeframe they have planned or have had less or different ministry partnership than they are used to having. If your congregation finds itself in this situation, please be in touch with regional UUA staff for support while your ministry search continues. Shoring up lay leadership will be crucial in these cases.
As Unitarian Universalists, lay-led ministry is in our bones. While it may not be easy, your congregation’s leaders can maintain the missional focus of your ministry, cast a hopeful vision, sustain joy, create connections, and extend care without a professional ministry partner for a time.
Here are a few suggestions for boards as they plan ahead:
- Check in with the staff and key volunteers who will carry additional work if you do not have a professional ministry partner when you hoped you would. Make sure they feel valued and ask how they are doing. What would help? Where is there strain? Where is there capacity or energy?
- Look to your neighboring congregations. What could you share with them? For example, if you have a talented lay speaker and so do they, could the speakers exchange pulpits? Can your leaders in similar roles meet to support each other?
- Read your regional newsletter. It contains ways to connect and skill up.
- Be in touch with UUA regional staff for support and strategy.
- Check out these resources:
If you would like to have a conversation with Christine Purcell, Congregational Transitions Director, about search strategies and timing, please feel free to drop into her open office hours or schedule a meeting or call directly on her calendar:
Open office hours for board and search team members:
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To all ministers who are still seeking a congregation traversing transitional time:
Congregational records of congregations that did not match with a minister during the recent interim search can now be found listed in the Contract (in Cycle) Ministry section on MinistrySearch. You are particularly encouraged to peruse records that display the Transitional Ministry icon. Experienced ministers who had limitations (e.g., geographic) that did not fit with interim congregations in search might widen search to developmental focus, where some interim ministry skills come into play. Finally, if a congregation in interim search that you were interested in was too far from your home base, approach them about hybrid/virtual ministry, and attend the GA Wave Cohort on hybrid/virtual ministry (see above).
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A reminder to ministers who have signed (or are about to sign) an Interim Agreement:
If you have newly signed an interim agreement and are new to transitions ministry, the UUA expects you to register for YLTMT, the year-long transitional ministry training program. Congregations are expected to support you in doing so, both financially and with understanding that this time is devoted to serving them better through the program.Patrice (pcurtis@uua.org) is available for conversations with ministers about their search. Email them, or make a Zoom (or call) appointment at https://www.calendly.com/revpatrice. If you don’t find a time that works, please email them.
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With you all the way,
Interim Settled Ministries Director
Congregational Transitions Director
Transformational Interim Ministries Director
Transitions Administrator |
Transitions Office
24 Farnsworth St, Boston, MA, 02210 |
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