The Renewal Process
In order to advance into Final Fellowship, all Ministers in Preliminary Fellowship are required to submit three evaluations or renewals. Each renewal is evaluated at one of the three annual Ministerial Fellowship Committee (MFC) meetings. As such, ministers have the opportunity to submit their renewals for consideration on the allocated deadlines.
When to Submit
- For renewals reviewed by the MFC in September, evaluation reminders will be sent to you in April/May and are due back at the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) by July 15 (previously August 15)*.
- For renewals reviewed in December, reminders will be sent in September and are due back by October 15*.
- For renewals reviewed in March, reminders will be sent in October and are due back by February 15*.
* These are approximate dates and they may change.
Most ministers are settled around the beginning of September. This means that the Committee and the Ministry and Professional Leadership handle approximately 90 renewal packets each September. This is a lengthy process and it may take a couple of weeks for the Ministry and Professional Leadership to notify you of the result of your renewal. Phone calls for results are accepted, but discouraged. We thank you for your patience.
Where to Submit
NOTE: As of September 2008, you are no longer required to send a duplicate copy of your evaluation. Additionally, ministers are encouraged to submit their forms electronically by email to mfcassistant @ uua.org.
Please send all hard copies by the deadline to:
MFC Coordinator
Ministry and Professional Leadership
Unitarian Universalist Association
Boston, MA 02108
Guidelines
Basic Criteria: To be eligible for a renewal of Fellowship, your ministry needs to be compensated for at least 20 hours a week. You are eligible to be evaluated after one year of ministry provided that you have been meeting throughout that year with a Committee on Ministry.
Time Frame: MFC Rules specify that no person in Preliminary Fellowship shall remain in any one renewal period for more than three years. Movement towards Final Fellowship can take anywhere between three and nine years.
Evaluation Forms and Process: A complete application for renewal should contain the following components:
- Church Organization Profile
- Self Evaluation
- Committee on Ministry Evaluation
- Development Plan
- Mentor Form
- Affiliation form (for community ministers only)
Evaluation Forms: In order to be evaluated, you must supply the Committee with evaluation forms from the following sources:
- Yourself
- Supervisory Body
- Committee on Ministry
As a guide to completing your evaluation forms, we recommend that:
- The committee on ministry prepare a consensus report. You should not submit an evaluation from each person. For community ministers, please identify the members of your committee on ministry and their relationship to you.
- The column "area for growth" be used to indicate areas where additional study would be helpful.
- Comments should reflect on positive areas of ministry as well as areas of needed improvement.
- Supervisors should indicate both their name and title.
Supplemental Forms: In addition to the three evaluations, a minister must submit a development plan, a mentor form and an organization profile.
All forms are available for download.
From the MFC Rules
13. Preliminary Fellowship
When the Committee determines that the candidate is qualified to pursue Ministerial Fellowship, the Committee shall grant the candidate Preliminary Fellowship status.
A. Renewal of Fellowship
A person in Preliminary Fellowship shall be reviewed approximately every year from the date of hire or call. To be eligible for review, the minister must be engaged in compensated ministerial activities which constitute fifty-percent or more of a typical work schedule. This requirement may, at the Committee's discretion, be waived when it determines that the ministerial service is substantial enough to warrant eligibility for review.
B. Renewal Requirements
Each renewal review must include the following:
- A self-evaluation
- An evaluation completed by one’s supervisor or supervising committee (i.e. Board of Trustees, supervising minister, supervisor, etc. In ministries where one does not have a supervisor, a supervisory committee or relationship must be established for the purpose of evaluation.)
- An evaluation from one’s Committee on Ministry. For community-based ministers, all Committees on Ministry must include members of a congregation and appropriate representation from the institution or agency being served by the minister. If the minister is not employed by an institution or agency, then composition of the Committee on Ministry must be approved by the Ministerial Development Director.
- A professional development plan
- A form completed by the minister’s mentor confirming that the minister is in a mentoring relationship.
- A letter from a congregation stating that the minister has affiliated with that congregation (community ministers only.)
Following any review, Preliminary Fellowship may be renewed, continued in present status, terminated or a determination made to move the candidate to Final Fellowship.
C. Renewal Period
No person in Preliminary Fellowship shall remain in any one renewal period for more than three years without a waiver from the Committee.
D. Community Ministry Renewals
All ministers serving community settings must during Preliminary Fellowship receive affiliation with a UUA or Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) member congregation. Affiliation involves a formal connection to a congregation and recognition of the community minister as performing a ministry. Affiliation should include a vote of the Board and having a covenanted relationship with the congregation’s minister(s), if there is one.
There shall be no more than two approved renewals before the decision on Final Fellowship is made. Those persons settled in one ministry with Preliminary Fellowship in more than one ministry may retain Preliminary Fellowship in the ministry for which they are not settled until such time as settlement occurs. For purposes of renewal of Preliminary Fellowship, only one interim ministry, whether for one or two years, can be counted toward such renewal.
Community Ministers are required to develop a Committee on Ministry composed of a minimum of five people. The Ministerial Fellowship Committee prefers that three members of this committee be from Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregations, taken from a list prepared by the Community Minister, to represent the appropriate local UU congregations, area councils, and/or district boards served by the Community Minister. Others on the committee will represent the minister's ministry within the community. This committee's responsibilities include:
- Offering support and guidance in visioning this ministry
- Completing MFC evaluations as required
- Receiving on-going reports of the minister's work
- Ensuring that the Community Minister, where appropriate, maintains membership in at least one certifying professional association.
For more information contact mfccoordinator @ uua.org.
Last updated on Friday, October 30, 2009.
