“Will the new minister hear me? Will my concerns and needs be met? Will the minister understand what I’m living with? How will the community respond to our minister?” In answering these questions, a picture of the “ideal minister” (categorized by age, gender identity, nationality, physical or cognitive ability, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and more) comes to mind.
With this picture in place, it can be easy to exclude ministers who fall into certain categories unintentionally. As we get caught up in comparing candidates to our “picture,” we can forget what we hoped for in a minister. On the weekend of Oct 13-14, UUCW will participate in the Beyond Categorical Thinking workshop offered by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) for congregations involved in the search for a new minister. UUCW’s Search Team invites all congregational leaders, members, and friends to participate in this workshop. The workshop will be a virtual/in-person hybrid. Childcare is available by request.
The UUA designed the Breaking Barriers, Building Beliefs (B4) program to promote inclusive thinking and help prevent discrimination in searching for a new minister. This program includes a two-part B4 workshop over two days with Rev. Christe Lunsford, a facilitator trained by the UUA. In the workshop, UUCW attendees will:
– Consider the hopes, expectations, and concerns they have for a new minister
– Learn more about the ministerial search process, and
– Explore how creating categories and putting people in them interferes with choosing the best candidate.
Workshop attendees, and even those not attending the workshop, are encouraged to complete this Breaking Barriers, Building Beliefs survey. This survey should take no more than 5 to 10 minutes to complete. All responses to this survey are anonymous. The facilitator will refer to the survey results during the workshop, and a detailed report will be given to the Search team to help them with their work.
Come on Friday, Oct. 13 from 6-7:45 pm AND Saturday, Oct. 14, from 10:30 am -12:15 pm, at UUCW to participate in this two-part UUA-sponsored workshop led by Rev. Christe Lunsford.
If you have any questions, contact the Ministerial Search Team