All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church :: Kansas City

Ministerial Search

May 8, 2010

Ministerial Survey 2.0 — shorter and Better Than Ever

The search committee is gearing up for year two of our Interim period. This includes a revised survey that allows you, the congregation, to provide input on what you look for in a minister. Just as important is communicating to prospective ministers your engagement in the church.

You may have taken prior surveys. That was just practice!

TAKE THE SURVEY HERE

Online is the preferred method, but there are also paper copies available in the Communications Center, starting May 9.

Your input and opinions are greatly appreciated!

-All Souls Ministerial Search Committee

January 4, 2010

The Search is extended to two years

In the summer of 2009 our minister of 10 years, Rev. Jim Eller, chose to move to Oklahoma for family reasons. While in search of a new settled minister All Souls is ably served by an interim minister, now Rev. Lee Devoe.

UU churches have a standard procedure which may be followed in the ministerial search. The minimum time frame is about one year. Eager to find a new minister, All Souls plunged into the work of search. The elected Ministerial Search Committee set out to learn from the congregation the desires our members have for All Souls and the qualities in a minister that could help achieve what we all long for. The Board of Trustees tackled the financial aspects of attracting a new minister. The late summer and fall of 2009 was a whirlwind of frenetic activity.

Out of that whirlwind came a realization: we need to take a breath. An interim period is a gift not to be squandered. There are things we as a church can do to better position ourselves for the future with a new settled minister. We need to clean out some things swept under the rug, to ask some questions, to make some decisions. Such things take time. All Souls’ leadership chose to take that time and to extend the interim period to two years.

-All Souls Ministerial Search Committee

August 6, 2009

• The process
• Confidentiality
• How can you help?
• Communications
• Timeline

The Search Begins

All Souls Church has said goodbye to Jim and begun the search for his successor. This important duty is shouldered by a group chosen by the congregation at the Annual Meeting and by the Board. The Search committee has met with our Ministerial Search Representative (MSR) from the UUA who briefed us on the process and a general time-line.

We held a retreat to clarify goals, roles, and decision making style. Margaret McCormick will chair
Cheryl Westra will act as secretary
Art Collins as treasurer and head of the Negotiating Team
Tom Buck will coordinate a congregational survey
Kathy While will make travel and hosting arrangements
Geral Culp will head the production of our congregational packet
Jean Patterson will handle communications

Your Search committee is a bit in awe of its responsibility to the church but is joyfully committed to finding a candidate who will serve our community with love, energy, and honor. We intend to educate you on how this process works, to keep you informed of our progress, and to call on you. The outcome we all hope for will be impossible without your individual help and input. Be prepared to be involved!

The Process

• You will take part in an exploration of who we are as a church, where we want to go and what type of Minister can guide us there. There will be interviews, meetings, and a very important survey. This is the point in the process where you input is crucial! Your views inform what we communicate to potential candidates as well as what we look for in a candidate.
• A financial package is developed. The MSR spoke to us about salary considerations, noting that many congregations in Search discover that their departing minister’s salary was not up to standard. Many churches in Search have to play catch-up to achieve parity with Ministerial salaries in their economic region. This is true for All Souls.
• A Congregational Record is completed. It includes basic information about us, the survey results, the financial package we offer, a statement of who we are and what we are looking for in a minister. It is posted to a UUA website for review by any UU minister cleared for Search.
• Ministers express an interest in us by sending us their own Ministerial Record. The Search committee reviews this information and decides on those individuals we want to know more about.
• The committee and the ministers who express mutual interest exchange informational packets. Our congregational packet will present a glowing—realistically glowing—picture of what it is like to be a part of All Souls and Kansas City. The committee reviews the ministerial packets and, with the help of scheduled phone interviews, narrows the field to three to five selectees.
• Those selectees are scheduled for “pre-candidating weekends.” The selectees are brought to Kansas City for interviews with the committee and will then travel to a “neutral pulpit” to conduct a service. This sermon will be presented out of town in order for the committee to see the Minister in a church similar to us in style and size as well as to maintain confidentiality.
• The Committee chooses the candidate who fits All Souls and invites that person to come for Candidating Week. During this marathon week the congregation will hear two Sunday sermons and have a number of opportunities to meet our candidate. On the second Sunday there will be a congregational meeting to call our new minister. If we vote to call, and the Minister accepts, it’s time to celebrate! And attention now turns to assist our new Minister in making a transition to Kansas City and All Souls.

Confidentiality
Confidentiality is not secrecy. The committee pledges to keep you informed of our progress. At the same time, the committee must keep confidential both the names and the locations of the Ministers under consideration as well as all details of Search committee business. Ministers settled in a congregation must be allowed to communicate their plans in their own way. To leak the name of a Minister in Search can undermine their current standing, along with our chances of attracting them. When the identity of applicants becomes public knowledge it heightens the competitive aspect, hurts collegial feeling among Ministers, and can create hard feelings among congregations.

How can you help?
The month of August will be busy. The Search committee will be hosting focus groups and interviews to discuss what you, the congregation, want in our new Minister. By mid September the congregational survey will be ready. Be watching for it and please respond by the deadline. Think about, be ready, be excited to share your ideas about the future of All Souls.

In the fall the church will host a “Beyond Categorical Thinking” weekend. A team from the UUA will visit to help us explore our paradigms—individual and collective—about our ideal Minister. Please be watching for that yet-to-be-announced date. And please plan to attend, listening and giving us your input.

Communications
You can keep abreast of the Search process in several ways: Regular updates will appear in the church newsletter and website. There is a general timeline on the back of this page and another will be posted in the church lobby to show where we are in the process. Questions can be directed to members of the current and former Search committees who will wear buttons saying “Ask Me.” All printed information related to Search will carry the Search logo, the magnifying glass trained on a flaming chalice.

Finally
Think how Jim’s ministry transformed All Souls over the last 10 years. This year-long quest for his successor may well determine the direction of our church for the next 10 years or more. Let us enthusiastically embrace the journey in the spirit of goodwill and service.

-All Souls Ministerial Search Committee

Our SearchTimeline

August/September

• Focus Groups
• Interviews
• The Survey
• Survey results tabulation
• Negotiating Team develops Minister’s Agreement
• Board approves Minister’s Agreement, including salary package

Fall

• All Souls Develops a Congregational Packet
• All Souls’ Congregational Record (CR) developed online
• All Souls’ CR is ‘Open for Business’
• Interested Ministers apply
• Search Committee selects Ministers to exchange packets with
• Beyond Categorical Thinking workshop held

Winter

• Search committee and interested Ministers schedule phone interviews
• Committee selects Pre-Candidates
• Committee hears Pre-Candidates in out of town, ‘neutral pulpits’
• Committee conducts reference and background checking

Spring

• Search committee selects a Candidate
• Negotiating team finalizes Ministerial Agreement, including salary package
• Board approves final Ministerial Agreement
• Candidating Week (Candidate here for one week, including two Sunday services)
• Immediately after second Sunday service of Candidating Week
  - Congregational Vote
  - All Souls extends The Call and the Minister accepts!
• Celebrate!
• Search committee and Board assist new Minister in transition planning