With great joy and a deep sense of homecoming, we begin a year-long shared ministry together. I am filled with gratitude to the Board of Trustees of First Church for entrusting me with the ministerial leadership of this historic congregation, and I extend thanks as well to all the First Churchers who have made my husband Eric and me feel welcome through their warmth and helpfulness tp us. (Special kudos to those who've helped us lug heavy boxes and furniture!) We are very excited and happy to be here.
Many of you have asked me about consulting ministry, and how it differs from both interim and settled ministry. It's no wonder you haven't heard of it, as it is not the usual thing in the UUA; the other two ministries are more common and more familiar.
*Settled Ministry -- A settled minister is also referred to as the "called" minister. A congregation obtains a settled minister after undergoing a search process of one to two years, in which a Search Committee is elected by the entire congregation. That comittee interviews potential ministers, selects a small number of precandidates to meet with personally and hear preach at a "neutral" pulpit. A candidate is then selected by the committee to present to the congregation. After a hectic 8-day week of meetings bracketed by two services, the candidate is voted up or down by a congregation vote. That minister is then enters into an open-ended covenant with the congregation, to serve as long as both the congregation and the minister are happy with arrangement.
*Interim Ministry -- When a congregation's settled minister leaves a church, for whatever reason, the governing board of that church usually opts to contract with an Interim Minister for one or two years, while the congregation searches for a new Settled Minister. Interim Ministers cannot serve their interim congregations as settled ministers; their job is only to help a church through the period of transition between settled ministries. Interim Ministers have the responsibility to help a church make the necessary changes that would make a new settled ministry more likely to be successful.
*Consulting Ministry -- In certain somewhat unusual circumstances, the UUA will recommend to a congregation's leaders that they enter into an annual contract with a Consulting Minister. A church might need a Consulting Minister if they had never had a minister before, or if for whatever reason they had been without ministerial leadership for a long period of time. Or a church might opt for a Consulting Minister if there was some question about being able to afford a settled ministry. The UUA might also suggest a consulting minister if the congregation were in some other kind of special or unusual circumstances. A consulting minister may eventually be called as a congregation's Settled Minister, moving from a contract with the Board to a covenant with the congregation, if both sides, minister and congregation, agree.
I have agreed to be your Consulting Minister for this year, and very soon the Board of Trustees and I will enter into a process of clarifying our roles, responsibilites and expectations. One of the expectations we'll talk about and clarify at that time will be when we will begin to discuss whether or not we will extend the contract for another year. I am definitely open to that possibility.
If any church in the UUA can be said to be in "somewhat unusual circumstances," it is this one. (Indeed, it can be fairly said that our association has little or no experience with ministering to a city that has been virtually destroyed.) A consulting ministry is very appropriate for a congregation in a situation as unique as ours.
I am extremely happy to be here, and see this year as a pastoral one. That is, I view being a good pastor as my most important job. I am here for you -- to listen to you, to be present to you, to offer advice only when asked, to stand by you as you work through all the post-Katrina emotions and issues and rebuild your lives and this church.
So please feel free to call me and to come by the office. I will keep office hours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and will be available to meet with you morning, afternoons, and evenings. By prior arrangement, appointments can also be made on Fridays and Saturdays (normally my sermon preparation days). On Sundays, I will be busy meeting and welcoming new people and getting to know parishioners, so in general I will not be making non-emergency appointments on those days. Mondays will be my sabbath days, when I will be free from all regular church duties (and when I'll be getting my personal household duties done!).
In faith and hope,
Melanie
