Ministry & Professional Leadership

The Ministry and Professional Leadership's goal is to encourage excellence in ministry, religious education, and other forms of professional religious leadership. It serves ministers, congregations and religious professionals by providing counsel, leadership, and resources; and supports education, credentialing, and settlement for ministers and religious educators. It offers counsel in career development, ministerial-congregational relations, and financial planning.

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Our Services:

Community Ministry: to educate and empower community ministers to successfully bridge the gap between the granting of preliminary and final fellowship.

Ministerial Credentialing: works with persons preparing for the UU ministry by communicating the requirements of the Ministerial Fellowship Committee, relating to theological schools, administering scholarship aid, and supporting opportunities for field education, internships, workshops, and other programs.

Ministerial Fellowship Committee: has exclusive jurisdiction over ministerial fellowship and makes rules governing ministerial fellowship, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees. Each member society has the exclusive right to call and ordain its own minister or ministers, but the Association (through the Ministerial Fellowship Committee) has the exclusive right to admit ministers to, or remove them from, ministerial fellowship with the Association.

Transitions: advises congregations that are seeking ministers and ministers seeking positions in all forms of ministry. Through a Transitions Representative in each district, the Transitions Office trains and supports ministerial search committees and recommends ministers for their consideration. Transitions also oversees the training and placement of interim ministers.

Professional Development: offers career advice to ministers and religious professionals. They maintain a library of continuing education opportunities and leads workshops and events for the development of skills and insights for effective ministry and religious work. In collaboration with others, she develops processes, instruments, and models for shared ministry, conflict management, and professional evaluation. This office also distributes death notices and obituaries.

Church Staff Finances: provides information, services and programs for UU congregations and their ministers, religious educators and other employees in matters of fair compensation and benefits arrangements. Resources include Financial Management For Congregations, Tax Exempt Information, and Ministerial Aid Funds.

Religious Education Credentialing: works with persons preparing for credentialing as lay professional Unitarian Universalist Religious Educators.

Unitarian Universalist Association
25 Beacon St. | Boston, MA 02108 | 617-742-2100