Last week I described how Unitarian Universalist congregations search for their senior ministers. First Unitarian’s year of search will start next Summer of 2018.
In this
Interim Work Update
, I am describing the process by which the congregation will elect a search committee this next April, 2018. First Unitarian’s Bylaws specify that the Nominating Committee elected by the congregation will present a slate of nominees to the congregation to be elected as the Search Committee (the members of your Nominating Committee are Irene Burnet, John Dancy, Laura Humphrey, Janice Hargrave, and Dave Burnet). The Nominating Committee will present a slate of nine (9) nominees to fill the nine-member committee required by First Unitarian’s Bylaws.
First Unitarian’s Nominating Committee, following the search guidelines of the UUA, will present a slate of nominees that will be balanced by sex, age, interests, and tenure of membership to reflect the diversity of the congregation. The slate of nominees will be balanced for a broad theological awareness and for skills needed for a ministerial search. The slate presented will be of congregational members who are pledged to conduct a search that is fair and nondiscriminatory with respect to race, color, disability, sex, sexual orientation, age, and national origin.
In preparing the slate of nine nominees, the Nominating Committee (or members working on behalf of the committee) are contacting First Unitarian’s members for up to 3 recommendations for the slate of nominees. The Nominating Committee will use your recommendations to create a slate of nominees that will be strong and trusted by the congregation.
Because strong search committees require the following qualities, please recommend only those members who are:
- More strongly committed to the congregation as a whole than to any subgroup;
- Well-informed about the demands and time requirements of search committee membership. Members should promise to attend every meeting, and to give about 300-400 hours from July, 2018 until May, 2019;
- Committed to maintain confidentiality and to seek consensus
- Capable of both self-assertion and compromise;
- Not prone to extreme reactions to ministers. A previous ministers’ strongest supporters or opponents are rarely the best choice for a search committee
- Well-suited to teamwork: a search committee is no place for Lone Rangers!
You may nominate yourself when you share recommendations to the Nominating Committee. The list of recommendations, who made them, and other information gathered will be held confidential by the Nominating Committee.
The Nominating Committee will be available after services this Sunday and next Sunday for questions or to collect your recommendations.
You may also email the committee
nominating@rochesterunitarian.org
.
You will get a phone call if you don’t have a chance to make your recommendations after a service, but the Nominating Committee realizes that not everyone communicates by phone, so after calling twice, the Nominating Committee will solicit your recommendations by email. The Nominating Committee cannot take more than 3 recommendations, but less than 3 is fine (including none – they’ll still be glad to hear from you).
The Nominating Committee will conclude taking recommendations on January 21.
Rev. Joel Miller
P.S. And don't forget the time change happens this weekend. Also look for a cool video about next Friday's 55th Building anniversary!
