Ministerial Transition in the Northeast District

The NED offers a three-step process of support to congregations during a time of ministerial transition. The following is a description of these services. NED offers these services to all congregations experiencing a transition in their ministry.

Transition Interviews
When a minister resigns, the congregation’s first step is to contact the District Executive/Minister, who will conduct a transition interview with the congregation's governing board.

This interview is designed to establish communication between the congregation, the District, and the UUA during a transition and provides opportunities to reflect on the ministry of the congregation, its history, and its future. The departing minister is asked not to attend this meeting.

The District Executive/Minister conducts a separate exiting interview with the outgoing minister. Both of these interviews are designed to clarify the status of the ministry and raise and address any transition issues. The congregation makes the decision at this time whether to engage an interim minister for the transition year.

Settlement Process
Once a congregation has decided to begin searching for a regular minister contacts the District Ministerial Settlement Representative (MSR). The Ministerial Settlement Representative is a specially trained minister or layperson from the NED whose training and expenses are handled by the UUA.

The MSR supports the search committee and through it the congregation through the entire search process. The MSR's role terminates when a minister is called by the congregation. Throughout the process, the MSR remains in close contact with the District Executive/Minister.

Prior to the election of a Search Committee, the MSR will address the congregation about the nature and course of the search process and respond to any questions.

A congregation should anticipate expenses in the course of its search for and settlement of a new minister. These include Search Committee expenses, travel, housing, and food for candidates and pre-candidates, moving expense, and the costs of an Installation/Ordination.

The MSR will help the congregation’s elected Search Committee to begin to assess congregational needs and wishes. The MSR advises on how to conduct a congregational survey, prepare a description of the congregaton for the UUA website, prepare a "packet" and other materials to be sent to prospective ministerial candidates, and build a working relationship with the Ministerial Settlement Office of the UUA.

Once the profile and packet are ready, the MSR will deliver an initial list of ministers interested in being considered for your church.

The MSR is available for consultation throughout the process.

Ministerial Start-Up
Soon after a new minister is settled, the District Executive/Minister offers a voluntary workshop to the minister and the congregation to help them to address issues that often arise early and have long-range effects. The workshop is held at the request of both the minister and the congregation, and is led by the District Executive/Minister. It may include:

• A time-line to look at the past history of the congregation to determine patterns and directions
• A goal-setting exercise for the entire congregation
• A Role Priorities exercise to determine the priorities of the ministry in the first year (Leadership and Minister)
• Creation of a leadership covenant (or set of agreements) about who does what to accomplish the goals of the congregation (Leadership and Minister)

This workshop usually takes place on a weekend (Friday-Saturday).