Shoreline UU Church is Seeking a New Minister!
Shoreline UU Church has embarked on a nationwide search for a new minister.
Members of the SUUC Ministerial Search Committee for May 2021 to April 2022
Please offer hugs and kudos to these former members of the Ministerial Search Committee:
Krista Tenney, Jon Grout, Laura Banks, Michelle Martin, Karen Thompson, and Carrie Cameron.
Please offer hugs and kudos to these former members of the Ministerial Search Committee:
Krista Tenney, Jon Grout, Laura Banks, Michelle Martin, Karen Thompson, and Carrie Cameron.
Ministerial Search Committee (MSC) Completion of Process
April 12, 2022
Latest News; Recap of the Nine-month Search Process; and The Next Search is Poised for Success.
April 12, 2022
Latest News; Recap of the Nine-month Search Process; and The Next Search is Poised for Success.
Latest news:
The job of the Ministerial Search Committee (MSC) was to find a suitable candidate to be the next settled minister at Shoreline UU Church. We found not only a suitable candidate but an outstanding one who we unanimously agreed would be the best minister for our congregation. She requested a specific compensation package, and the Board increased its offer to meet her requests. Nevertheless, she chose another congregation. The candidate offered us the following explanation for her decision and reassured us of our worth:
"The first point is that I really feel called to another congregation, and that match seems mutual. The second is that I didn't realize how unaffordable it would be to live anywhere near (your) church. There is little you could do about this, but it may be a consistent factor for you moving forward.
I loved my time with you, I have genuine affection for your community, and you couldn't have done anything more to be transparent, thorough, hospitable, and welcoming. You have vibrant and exciting ministries and a huge wealth of talented and dedicated people. I am grateful to have been in conversation and discernment with you, and I wish you every blessing."
Please note that UUA guidelines prohibit congregations from engaging in “bidding wars,” so there was no way to compete with the other congregation.
For reasons described below, the MSC decided not to go forward with the second round of search, and the SUUC Board of Trustees is deciding what to do now.
Recap of the nine-month search process:
The MSC was elected in May 2021 and began meeting in July. The search process was extremely time-consuming, with weekly meetings plus hundreds of hours of additional work. First, we collected information about our congregation’s needs (via congregational survey and several cottage meetings), described SUUC to ministerial candidates (via congregational record and supporting documents), and conducted a church-wide workshop called “Beyond Categorical Thinking” to help ensure an open-minded search.
Multiple ministers expressed interest in us. We reviewed their ministerial records, watched their recorded sermons, interviewed many of them over Zoom, called their references, and chose three precandidates to meet in person.
Each precandidating weekend included meals with the applicant, a tour of the area and the church, a three-hour interview, and the chance to watch the applicant preach at a "neutral pulpit" (a local church that the search committee had secretly prearranged). After completing the three weekends, we concluded that two of the applicants were not a good fit for our congregation, and our preferred candidate decided to minister elsewhere, which was a big letdown.
The MSC had to quickly decide whether or not to enter the second round of search offered by the Unitarian Universalist Association. The UUA Transitions Director told us that the pandemic had reduced the number of ministers in search and that the second round would include a handful of candidates who were not called in the first round, ministers who did not apply in time for the first round, and up to 16 newly ordained ministers. Our congregation had made it clear that we wanted a seasoned minister. Since there was little chance of finding an outstanding candidate in the remaining pool of applicants, we chose not to engage in the second round of search. The UUA commended our high standards and reminded us that “settling” for a less-than-ideal candidate tends to lead to an unhappy, short-lived ministry.
We share the congregation’s disappointment that we didn’t gain a new minister this year. Many members of the MSC, and their family members, were worn out by this laborious process. After the many hours that we put into finding a candidate, finding one and then losing her was heartbreaking. Entering the second round of search would have most likely been in vain, so the decision was made to not waste time and money continuing with the search at this time. The Board of Trustees is deciding what to do now.
The next search is poised for success:
The next search team will have considerably less work to do, as it builds upon the work of the outgoing MSC. These main components of the search have already been completed and can be updated as desired:
Departing MSC members are willing to share non-classified information and advice with the new search team.
More good news: there are ample funds remaining for the next search. This year’s MSC used only 14% ($5,350) of the $39,000 generously contributed by the congregation! The remaining funds will likely cover the new search and the called minister’s moving expenses.
One huge gift from this year’s search was learning how resilient our congregation is. Shoreline UU Church deserves an excellent settled minister, and we’re confident that we will find one!
Faithfully Yours,
The 2021-22 Ministerial Search Committee:
Laura Banks, Carrie Cameron, Jon Grout, Michelle Martin, Krista Tenney, and Karen Thompson
If you would like to be considered to serve on the next Ministerial Search Committee, please contact Lily Eakin
The job of the Ministerial Search Committee (MSC) was to find a suitable candidate to be the next settled minister at Shoreline UU Church. We found not only a suitable candidate but an outstanding one who we unanimously agreed would be the best minister for our congregation. She requested a specific compensation package, and the Board increased its offer to meet her requests. Nevertheless, she chose another congregation. The candidate offered us the following explanation for her decision and reassured us of our worth:
"The first point is that I really feel called to another congregation, and that match seems mutual. The second is that I didn't realize how unaffordable it would be to live anywhere near (your) church. There is little you could do about this, but it may be a consistent factor for you moving forward.
I loved my time with you, I have genuine affection for your community, and you couldn't have done anything more to be transparent, thorough, hospitable, and welcoming. You have vibrant and exciting ministries and a huge wealth of talented and dedicated people. I am grateful to have been in conversation and discernment with you, and I wish you every blessing."
Please note that UUA guidelines prohibit congregations from engaging in “bidding wars,” so there was no way to compete with the other congregation.
For reasons described below, the MSC decided not to go forward with the second round of search, and the SUUC Board of Trustees is deciding what to do now.
Recap of the nine-month search process:
The MSC was elected in May 2021 and began meeting in July. The search process was extremely time-consuming, with weekly meetings plus hundreds of hours of additional work. First, we collected information about our congregation’s needs (via congregational survey and several cottage meetings), described SUUC to ministerial candidates (via congregational record and supporting documents), and conducted a church-wide workshop called “Beyond Categorical Thinking” to help ensure an open-minded search.
Multiple ministers expressed interest in us. We reviewed their ministerial records, watched their recorded sermons, interviewed many of them over Zoom, called their references, and chose three precandidates to meet in person.
Each precandidating weekend included meals with the applicant, a tour of the area and the church, a three-hour interview, and the chance to watch the applicant preach at a "neutral pulpit" (a local church that the search committee had secretly prearranged). After completing the three weekends, we concluded that two of the applicants were not a good fit for our congregation, and our preferred candidate decided to minister elsewhere, which was a big letdown.
The MSC had to quickly decide whether or not to enter the second round of search offered by the Unitarian Universalist Association. The UUA Transitions Director told us that the pandemic had reduced the number of ministers in search and that the second round would include a handful of candidates who were not called in the first round, ministers who did not apply in time for the first round, and up to 16 newly ordained ministers. Our congregation had made it clear that we wanted a seasoned minister. Since there was little chance of finding an outstanding candidate in the remaining pool of applicants, we chose not to engage in the second round of search. The UUA commended our high standards and reminded us that “settling” for a less-than-ideal candidate tends to lead to an unhappy, short-lived ministry.
We share the congregation’s disappointment that we didn’t gain a new minister this year. Many members of the MSC, and their family members, were worn out by this laborious process. After the many hours that we put into finding a candidate, finding one and then losing her was heartbreaking. Entering the second round of search would have most likely been in vain, so the decision was made to not waste time and money continuing with the search at this time. The Board of Trustees is deciding what to do now.
The next search is poised for success:
The next search team will have considerably less work to do, as it builds upon the work of the outgoing MSC. These main components of the search have already been completed and can be updated as desired:
- Congregational survey
- Cottage meetings
- Congregational record and supporting documents
- Beyond Categorical Thinking workshop
- Letter of Agreement (covenant/contract between the minister and the congregation)
Departing MSC members are willing to share non-classified information and advice with the new search team.
More good news: there are ample funds remaining for the next search. This year’s MSC used only 14% ($5,350) of the $39,000 generously contributed by the congregation! The remaining funds will likely cover the new search and the called minister’s moving expenses.
One huge gift from this year’s search was learning how resilient our congregation is. Shoreline UU Church deserves an excellent settled minister, and we’re confident that we will find one!
Faithfully Yours,
The 2021-22 Ministerial Search Committee:
Laura Banks, Carrie Cameron, Jon Grout, Michelle Martin, Krista Tenney, and Karen Thompson
If you would like to be considered to serve on the next Ministerial Search Committee, please contact Lily Eakin