“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 November 23, First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville (FUUN) will participate in the Break Barriers, Build Beliefs (B4) workshop offered by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) for congregations involved in the search for a new minister. The FUUN Search Committee invites all congregational leaders, members, and friends to participate in this workshop. The workshop will be multiplatform but we encourage you to participate in person if possible.
The UUA designed the Break Barriers, Build Beliefs (B4) program to promote inclusive thinking and help prevent discrimination in searching for a new minister. This program includes a three-hour B4 workshop and a Sunday morning service, with a facilitator trained by the UUA. In the workshop, FUUN 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.
Come on Saturday, November 23 at 9:30 am - 1:45 pm to participate in this UUA-sponsored workshop led by Carol Carter Walker.
The selection of a minister is important. The B4 workshop is another opportunity for everyone in our congregation to participate in this process. This experience will guide the search committee in our work.
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