The early stages of our new search for a called minister has just begun and your Board wants to alert you to an important opportunity for your input.
The entire Board is currently working with Nominating Committee and John Britt (who has agreed to facilitate a Discernment Team) to put together a Discernment Team of seven people whose job will be to select the next Ministerial Search Team. Beginning in early February, the Board and the Discernment Team will be contacting the entire congregation, primarily by phone, asking for your input about who you think should represent the congregation on the Ministerial Search Team (MST).
Between now and early February, each household should be engaged in a conversation around these questions:
- What are the good qualities needed for someone to serve on the Ministerial Search Team?
- Who in the congregation works well with others?
- Who can represent and serve the whole congregation (including looking out for the needs of children) and not just a piece of “faction” of the congregation? Who would have no “axe to grind”?
- Who knows the history and culture of the congregation, whether a member of long standing or relatively new?
- Who has been and/or is active in the congregation and has demonstrated both responsible participation and responsible leadership?
- After a high salary, the most attractive quality a congregation can have is self-awareness-awareness of strengths and weaknesses, what the congregation is like at its best and at its worst, as well as on an average day. Who would be able to know and relate all this to potential candidates?
- After thinking about all of these questions, who would you trust to serve on the Search Committee on behalf of the congregation? We are looking for a single name you would recommend for this role and that name could be yours. If your partner is not available for the phone call, you may certainly pass on the name they would recommend as well.
The Discernment Team and the Board will be making phone calls beginning in early February. If you have questions about this process, please come to the Mid-Year Congregational Meeting on January 28, 2018 at 12:15 in the Sanctuary or email Patti McCall, Board President at president@wsuu.org.
The Discernment Team will take the names offered by the congregation and, using guidelines from the UUA and our Regional Transitions Coach, Rev. Nancy Bowen, will then present their slate for the MST to the Board. We are hoping to have the Ministerial Search Team in place by early April.
This is a lot of information but the Board, Rev. Alex, John and Rev. Nancy have made it a priority to keep our congregation informed and the process transparent.
In Loving Community,
Patti McCall, Board President