Newsletter, Feb. 11, 2014:

Your Ministerial Search Committee presents: 

 DEEP THOUGHTS

Q. Where were you on Sunday the ninth? Nobody was minding the MSC’s table, and we couldn’t find you.

A. We had to go to a different church … to hear the first of our three Pre-candidates preach!

Q. Did you like what you heard?

A. Quick answer: Yes. Longer answer: We’ll be thinking and talking about that, incessantly… for about the next two months!

Q. Were you hiding a minister in our church over the weekend?

A. We don’t want to be coy … Yes.

Q. Oh! Well … Did the minister like what s/he saw?

A. Yes!

Q. Somebody thinks they spotted some of you at dinner on Friday with somebody else. Could that have been …?

A. My sister-in-law.

Q. What kinds of questions did you ask the minister?

A. We asked how s/he goes about developing a sermon. How does the minister choose a topic? What sources does s/he favor? How would the minister blend challenges with comfort and compassion? How would s/he integrate music into the service?

Q. Oh. All easy questions … lob-tosses.

A. Yeah, right. We also asked the minister about mistakes s/he has made, and how s/he learned from them. And we asked nuts-and-bolts questions: How to lead people, facilitate growth, and manage a church.

Q. What kinds of questions did the minister ask about us?

A. The minister wanted to know how curious we are. Who belongs to this church? Why are we here? What are our traditions? How do they help us? Are we outward as well as inward? Do we understand that growth and civic outreach might bring change?

Q. Why can’t the congregation hear each minister preach?

A. A successful new ministry requires forbearance and solidarity. You have called us to undertake a painstaking review of credentials, style, and potential; to gather data and impressions; to argue well with each other; and to find the best fit. If we do our job well, we will earn both your trust and that of the ministers we are interviewing, whose own confidentiality and growth we also need to respect.

Q. So … do we simply defer to you?

A. No. All our discernment is based on the data, priorities, and feedback we’re getting from you. And in the end, the whole process returns to your hands. The one final Candidate spends ten days with you in late April. After that, only you, the congregation, can decide whether to hire this minister.

Q. And after that?

A. We’re hoping you decide well, because afterwards, we’ll be right there in the pews with you!  

Newsletter: Feb. 4, 2014: What’s “in” a minister’s weekend interview?

     

During February and early March, you won’t see much of us on Sundays. Why? Because we’ll be “on the road,” to various churches around the state. There, in what are called “neutral pulpits,” we’ll witness how each of our three ministerial “Pre-candidates” preaches and leads a service.

Each of those three Sundays is the climax to a grueling weekend-long interview. Typically, the minister arrives Friday evening and stays until late on Sunday. A partner or family member may accompany the minister, to “scope out” the area on the side. All members of the Search Committee participate in the interviewing process. The “grueling” part works both ways: We’re evaluating the minister, and the minister is evaluating “us” (our church). We are trying to find the best “fit”!

We’ve previously met each minister only via Skype, so Friday night will be a time to get acquainted. On Saturday morning, we’ll drive the minister around the Worcester area to see the sights. Next, we’ll tour the church. And then comes the major work of the day: We will sit down and ask each other many, many questions.

We’ll explore: religious philosophy, worship, and spiritual practices; sermon sources and approach; integrating music into the service; theological breadth and focus; pastoral care and working with people; leadership style and administrative experience; church governance; programming initiatives; working with youth; community outreach; finances and growth; and contractual matters. The MSC has prepared questions in each area as takeoff points for discussion. And the minister will ask us as many questions as we ask the minister.

We have made arrangements with three churches to host our Pre-candidates as guest preachers on those three Sundays in February and March. The MSC will then deliberate and recommend one candidate to the congregation. In April, the candidate spends ten days meeting the congregation and preaches two Sunday services. Afterwards, the congregation decides whether or not to call the minister.

  

February 2, 2014: The following was posted on the MSC's Bulletin Board at church.

  

 

             

Congregational Survey: What We Heard

On the MSC’s table (under this bulletin board), you will find the tabulated data you gave us via the Congregational Survey. Feel free to look through it!

“What’s the WORST mistake our new settled Minister could make?”

Below, we’ll show you how you answered this question in your Congregational Survey. Then, we’ll show you how we answered the same question, when we were asked to respond to it in our 17-page job-posting document, the “Congregational Record” (CR).

In the Survey, we received 89 responses to this open-response question! A Phrase Cloud of your respones looks like this:

You can see from this graphic, that some your remarks were stated in the negative (“arrogant” or “dictatorial”) while others were from a positive perspective (“appreciate” or “approachable”).  Not surprisingly, the word “change” was everywhere: change is inevitable; change may be frightening; change should be incremental; change may be enervating; and change IS coming!

Here are some of responses to our survey question, in your own words:

·        “Failure to consult sufficiently with the lay leadership on practical matters and about the future direction of the church.”

·         “Being close-minded and shutting people out.”

·         “Failure to understand and appreciate our history; failure to appreciate the diversity of spirit, belief, views, traditions, etc. among us; being close-minded and/or unapproachable.”

·        “Alienate current membership.”

·         “Be divisive in the pulpit with too strident a tone and/or attitude in the sermons. Tom and Barbara always challenged us to be better, but never scolded us like children, or said ‘do this or else.’”

·        “Be afraid to be themselves.”

·        “Not listening to the congregation and making too many changes. Change is good and welcome but we need some continuity to retain older members and grow the church; arrogance and condescension is a close second.”

·         “Fail to work really hard on his/her sermons.”

·        “Not being open and socially and emotionally connected and not delivering an organized, well prepared and stimulating Sunday service.”

·        “It would be a huge mistake if the new minister came in and tried to impose a bunch of things either in belief or practice on this congregation without first taking some time to find out about what we have been doing and why. I don't think we would respond well to a dictatorial leader or a know-it-all.”

·        “I can't imagine a more challenging task than taking on a Unitarian church ministry in this century. I would offer only a heart-felt "Bless You" to anyone who comes in!”

In responding to this question in the Congregational Record, your MSC wrote:

“Perhaps the worst mistake would be to impose change without having heard and understood and valued the long and deeply-held traditions and history of our Church.  Nearly 75% of respondents to our recent survey suggested, each in his/her own way, that this would be the single-most significant error a new Minister could make.  We hope our new Minister will make substantial effort and take time to get to know us, to ask questions, and to honor our heritage as s/he helps us navigate to and through the next stage in the life of our congregation.” 

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This is the final article in our series about the Listening Sessions and Survey. Your thoughtful and deep participation in these discernment exercises helped us understand your interests and preferences. We hope we've represented our congregation accurately and fully. We're grateful to you and we thank you.

--Ministerial Search Committee: Jesse Anderson, Alison Barrows Ronn, Jane Beckwith, Noel Cary, Shannon Kirshenbaum, Diane Mirick, Lee Reid