Keeping You In the Loop: Developmental Ministry Update from President Jeannette Winn
As you may already know, our current contract with Rev. Lisa runs through June 2022. In order to have time to assess the status of the developmental ministry and decide whether to extend her contract, I asked Rev. Lisa to give the Board an update on her perspective of GUUF’s progress in the developmental ministry at our monthly Board meeting this week.
Her report concluded that GUUF has made significant progress on the established goals, even during the pandemic, and she recommended that GUUF begin the process of searching for a settled minister who would begin their ministry among us in July/August 2022. After discussing her report and recommendation, the Board voted unanimously to begin the search process for a settled minister who would start in summer 2022!
It is exciting news, and I know that you will have a lot of questions about the search process and what’s next. There is a lot of information to communicate, and you can expect to hear more about all the aspects of this process in enews articles, sermons, meetings, and more. I’ve included information later in this announcement about some of the most likely questions you may have, and we’ll send more as we learn more about the process. Please don’t hesitate be in touch if you have questions.
For now, I want to express our deep gratitude to Rev. Lisa for leading us through this developmental ministry process and keeping us on track, especially through this year of closure of our campus due to the pandemic. We hope to make even more progress as we go through her last year with us in what we fervently hope will be more “normal” times!
Stay healthy, wash your hands, wear your masks, and get vaccinated when you can, and we’ll look forward to seeing you in person, we hope, before too much longer!
Jeannette Winn
President, GUUF Board of Trustees
WONDERING WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Here’s a basic timeline for your reference:
As a first step, as President of the Board, I have contacted the UUA’s Transitions Office and our regional staff contact and they will be working with us to guide us in this process
Now: The 2021-22 budget proposal has been updated to include funding for the ministerial search
Early Spring 2021: A Ministerial Search Committee will be convened
Summer/early Fall 2021: The search committee will seek congregational input in preparation for creating GUUF’s search packet and congregational record
December 1, 2021: The search packet will be submitted to the UUA and become available to searching ministers
January 2022: the search committee will receive a list of interested candidates and schedule interviews
Early February: three top pre-candidates will be selected and interviewed by the search committee, including a “neutral pulpit” at which the search committee will observe a Sunday service
Last week in March: initial offer date – all searching congregations make offers on the same day
Early April 2022: if the offer is accepted and a contract finalized, announcement of candidate to congregation (if we do not have a match, there is a second round in April and May)
Late April/early May: the search committee’s chosen meets with the congregation, leads two Sunday services, and the congregation votes to call the minister
August 1, 2022: the new called minister begins work
Back to Ministerial Search Page