The Minister We Seek

We seek a minister who is energetic, compassionate and inspiring. Our next settled minister will energize us, blending spiritual messages with a sense of humor. We expect our minister to be well-read and articulate. 

Our congregation places a strong emphasis on the Sunday morning service. Virtually all survey respondents value an inspiring Sunday sermon, and a clear majority would like our next minister to speak from the pulpit three times a month. The congregation views the minister as a primary source of spiritual leadership and guidance. More than 3/4 of survey respondents preferred that the Sunday service follow a “fixed format with variations when desired or for special Sundays.”

The congregation was asked how they hope the settled minister would prioritize their time (2018 question #23 and 2019 question #16). Providing spiritual leadership was deemed most important. The role of administrator was viewed as least important. Perhaps reflecting the aging of our congregation, we place a considerable emphasis on the minister’s ability to provide pastoral visits and pastoral counseling to those who are sick, terminally ill, or grieving. Many also viewed the role of the minister to stimulate intellectual development as a vital aspect of ministry.

The responsibility of the minister to engage in or lead social activism was viewed as a relatively low priority by more than half of the respondents to the 2018 survey. However, given the importance that many members place on our social responsibility actions and values, there is an expectation that the minister will be aware of social justice issues and will provide inspiration and leadership in a variety of ways. On the survey (and in other discussions) members often indicated their hope that our next settled minister would lead to a growth in membership. 

Survey responses indicated that most members feel that the minister’s age, family status, gender, or personal lifestyle were not important characteristics for the Search Committee to consider when selecting a minister. On the 2019 Survey, respondents indicated that they would be gladly support a minister who was new to ministry and/ or a transgender minister (Question #17 and Question #18).

Our 2018 survey included an item about freedom of the pulpit: “UU tradition and the congregation’s historical practice is that the minister should have freedom of the pulpit, whereby she/he may express whatever views she/he may hold without censorship from the congregation.” (2018 question #26) A large majority agreed with this policy (82%). Almost half (45%) felt that this should include the freedom to express partisan political values.