by Kitty Merrill | Feb 1, 2016 | Justice Actions
Settled Ministerial Search Committee Report – February
The SMSC received names of 12+ applicants at the beginning of the year. We carefully read about the personal and professional experiences that led them to the ministry, examined their education, viewed and listened to them leading services and delivering sermons, read about their work experience and about their hobbies and passions.
We selected seven with whom we had 30-40 minute conversations that further elicited what their ministries with us might be like. We discussed how they would respond to congregation issues and concerns, how they might help us to build on past accomplishments, and how they might inspire and guide us to achieve our goals for the future. When you read this we will have chosen three or four ministers to pre-candidate with us:
They will come to Ventura for a weekend, see what the church and surrounding community is like, participate in a detailed interview session, and conduct a Sunday worship service, attended by the search committee, somewhere in Southern California.
Then the hardest part: selecting just one of these talented ministers to do a candidating week in Ventura. The minister will be with us for two Sunday services and participate in meetings and activities with the committee, board, lay leaders, and entire congregation. This culminates in a congregational meeting with the sole agenda of voting whether to call the selected minister.
The whole process is an awesome responsibility, and the committee is taking that responsibility very seriously. We are having deep sharing about what qualities in a minister would be the best match for our congregation and give us the best chance of going forward with joy and confidence.
by Kitty Merrill | Dec 4, 2015 | Justice Actions
Summary
Members of the UUCV Ministerial Search Committee prepared our version of the Congregational Survey offered by the UUA, and used SurveyMonkey to reach out to the members and friends of the congregation, both on-line and with paper copies. We launched the survey at the beginning of September, and made it available until October 4, 2015. Responses to the survey were received online and through physical surveys, (which were entered into SurveyMonkey by hand.) All surveys were completed anonymously, and had no personal identifiers attached. Click here to see a PDF copy of the survey.
From our membership of 226 and 33 pledging friends of the congregation, 173 surveys were completed and submitted, for an excellent response rate. Some of those persons chose not to answer some of the questions, and numbers and graphs were generated for each question, based on the actual number of responses. Eighty-five percent of respondents are members, with quite a range in years associated with the church: 24% indicated membership for 6-10 years, and 16% have been members for more than 21 years.
Of the persons answering, most are white, 50-80 years old, heterosexual, and married or divorced. Two-thirds of the respondents are female; one-half of respondents indicate that their spouse or partner attends the church. The congregation is well-educated, with several persons holding advanced degrees. Fifty-nine percent of respondents are retired, and the gross income of all responders clusters between $25,000 and $100,000 per year. Annual pledges are in the range of $50-300 per year, with only a small number of members giving more that 8% of their income to the church.
Respondents indicate that they began attending UUCV for the following reasons: celebrating common values, community and fellowship, intellectual stimulation, the minister and UU beliefs, and they continue to attend for similar reasons. When we look at members or friends with children, the Religious Education program is also important. Young adults (ages 19-29) value social action, as well. Opportunity for religious growth is also important to many.
There is diversity in answers to growing-up faith, nature of god (or not), valued faith traditions, concepts of immortality, and personal religious practices. Most respondents indicated growing up in Protestant, Catholic, or Jewish homes, but current ideas of god, immortality, and importance of traditional religious figures, such as Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammad, have departed from earlier beliefs. Respondents value prayer, yoga, meditation, journaling, and small group discussions as religious practice.
The majority of persons want a minister with good character, who is empathetic, approachable and professionally competent. More than 90% agree with the UUA non-discrimination policy, and would be comfortable with a variety of ministers; some people express discomfort with bisexual or transgender ministers, those over the age of 60 (because of longevity questions) and those who are politically conservative.
Well-prepared, intellectually stimulating, and heart-touching sermons are highly valued, with topics that range from coping with life, family issues and parenting, and aging, to UU history and legacy, humanistic values, and exploration of other faith traditions. Sermons that foster spiritual and personal growth by touching on relevant philosophical and psychological thinking are welcomed. Perspective on social issues is considered important, coming from this open pulpit, as long as care is taken exclude no one.
People have indicated a desire for lively singing of less traditional hymns, more instrumental music, and more participation of children and youth in the services. They want worship to attract new, younger families and young adults, and so, maybe offer unconventional worship on occasion.
Respondents also would like a minister who will build community, facilitate right relations, encourage leadership development among members, and provide personal counseling. They would like a minister to be a strong presence in the wider community, working with members on social issues, including our ongoing involvement with the homeless in our neighborhoods. The minister would be expected to work collegially and collaboratively with our Church’s small staff, Board of Trustees, and Committee Chairs, in order to guide us into an exciting and meaningful future.
Graphs, Charts and Analysis
Here, you will find excerpted graphs from the objective question results – a way to give you a flavor of the survey results visually (without bogging you down in all the numbers.) Questions deal with the following topics:
- Connection to UUCV – Questions 1-11
- Worship – Questions 12-17
- Ministerial Characteristics – Questions 18 – 27
- Demographics – Questions 38- 59
- Beliefs – Questions 60-64
While the detailed results of the surveymonkey online analysis of all respondents were fascinating, we did an additional breakdown of the results by different age groups: those under 40, 40-59, and those 60 and over. Looking at each of these, and comparing them with the overall results provided additional insights for us.
Open Ended Questions
Using Excel, we created charts and graphs showing how responses compared – both across the board, and broken down into three age groups. The age break down was particularly important because of the differing levels of participation by age. The over 60 group heavily outnumbered the rest of the respondents, so it was important to break the results down to make sure we were aware of the areas of importance for each group.
These are the charts and graphs created to display the resulting information in a visual way:
Open Ended Questions Charts and Graphs
To ensure that survey respondents answers to the open-ended questions remain confidential, those comments are not being shared openly, but were read closely by the search committee, and made available to our candidates through a password protected website.
by Kitty Merrill | Dec 3, 2015 | Justice Actions
- Name one thing you like about UUCV
- What do you want to see in a new minister?
- Where do you think we need to be in 10 years?
- Did anything bubble up for you from the survey?
- What is our calling as a congregation?
Ideas that didn’t fit these categories are included as miscellaneous ideas and comments. The results of these conversations were collected and evaluated, and this summary reports the dominant themes that came out of the meetings.
When asked what they liked about the church, many attendees mentioned being part of a community of like-minded people who were welcoming and compassionate. They said that the church is a good place to raise children, and a place for a diversity of beliefs. Our social action programs are appreciated, as is the importance of the church as a place to heal and grow spiritually. Quality sermons that preach UU values, stimulate spiritual growth, and challenge us intellectually were also mentioned.
Extensive discussion revealed that many are looking for a minister with a broad and deep education and life experience, one who can challenge us spiritually and intellectually, fostering spiritual growth of individual members and the whole congregation. This person should have a good sense of humor, along with energy and enthusiasm for the work of the church. We need a minister who can help us achieve greater congregational diversity. We would like a minister who is approachable, warm and compassionate, and yet can set healthy personal boundaries. We are seeking someone who challenges us to be our best selves. This would be a person who is honest about personal faults, and admits mistakes, when they occur. The minister should exhibit spiritual and personal integrity. Groups also acknowledged that it is unlikely, if not impossible to find all these attributes in a single person.
Members want a minister who makes changes in our programs gently and thoughtfully, after getting to know the congregational history and passions of individuals in our church. The minister should appreciate the skills and gifts the members offer, and encourage lay leadership development. We would like someone who is a strong leader, willing to take a stand on issues, but not domineering. This should be a person able to delegate responsibility, and who does not micro-manage the Board, Committees, and other groups working in the church. Good administrative skills were considered important by many, but with the caveat that managing staff should not monopolize the minister’s time. On the other hand, some people want to have a minister who is not an administrator, and would prefer that administration be taken care of by members of the church.
Our new minister must be skilled at delivering excellent, well-prepared sermons on a variety of topics, honoring many points of view and faith traditions. Sermons should include UU history and stories of our forebears, so that members develop a sense of continuity with the past. Members also appreciate sermons that address everyday concerns with work, family life, and issues within our cities and neighborhoods. We will enjoy flexibility in the ministry, and a variety of worship styles are welcome.
Many focus group attendees mentioned it was important that our new minister should also have a strong commitment to spiritual growth of our children, and be supportive of quality religious education for our young people. We will soon be in search for a new Director of Religious Education, and so some people suggested that hiring a ministerial team might be a good fit, if it provided the necessary skills and experience that we need.
Our church has a longstanding program of social activism around homelessness in our communities. We would like a minister to be open to supporting these efforts, along with working to develop other community outreach efforts. There is a large Hispanic presence in the county that could use attention, and we are already involved in Green projects. Our minister should be willing to have a visible presence in the wider community, and be comfortable engaging in interfaith activities with other ministers in the county.
When asked about the future of this church, themes that arose related to growth of our congregational numbers, especially an increase in younger families, and younger adults who would take leadership roles. There was a desire for a growing and very strong religious education program, including an active and vibrant high school youth group. Special programs for young adults, with or without children, were also mentioned often.
Many expressed a desire a greater diversity in our membership, with outreach into the community to attract new members from groups that are not well represented in our congregation. A strong social action program, with additional areas of effort was also mentioned.
The status of our present building was mentioned by many, who would like to see some remodeling, painting, and refurbishing. Maintaining a strong financial footing, with a broader pledging base, may help to make these projects feasible.
There was a desire for increased variety of worship services, with music taking an prominent role in some services. Some people expressed a wish to resume mid-week services, with more lay-leadership. Others suggested that services be provided in Spanish occasionally, with translation available for monolingual English speakers.
Finally, many would like to see us really enter the 21st Century with our use of technology and social media, to share our message with the wider community.
Comments about the Survey indicated it was very long but also thorough, thought-provoking and informative.
There were many different responses to the question of our calling as a church. Some saw the church as a place of refuge, a safe place which is open and inclusive, a place to explore our spirituality and the meaning of covenant and right relations. Others envisioned our outward reach into the wider community as our calling, meeting our neighbors where they are in their lives, and offering assistance where it is needed. The groups agreed that our mission is really both inwardly and outwardly directed.
Because focus group participants were told that their names and responses would be confidential, links to the specific results were made accessible to our candidates through a password-protected page.
by Kitty Merrill | Dec 2, 2015 | Justice Actions
On Friday, December 5th, a group of UUs gathered and at church and went caroling at the Victorian, a local convalescent hospital.
Back at the church, everyone celebrated with a Christmas party afterwards.
Festivities included a potluck, garland making, cookie decorating and more!
by Kitty Merrill | Dec 1, 2015 | Justice Actions
Settled Ministerial Search Committee Report – December
The Settled Minister Search Committee (SMSC) thanks the more than 60 people who participated in the Beyond Categorical Thinking service and workshop. We hope it was a useful and eye opening exercise for all. Among the things we learned are a minister’s race, sexual orientation, or disability, while important, does not define the person and the kind of minister they will be. Also, we cannot expect a minister of color will necessarily help us become more diverse, or a gay, lesbian, or transgender minister will necessarily help us to become even more welcoming. It is up to the entire congregation to help us become the place we want to be. The entire congregation is also responsible for pointing out conscious or unconscious stereotyping should they witness it. It should not always fall on the victim of stereotyping to speak up and confront it.
The committee continues to work on the Congregational Information Packet. Ministers looking for a position will review and use the packet to help them decide whether to consider us as a church they would like to serve. The Congregational Record is a major part of that packet and as such contains information about the character of our greater community, a profile of the minister we seek, a profile of the congregation, congregational history, budgets and more.
The ministers who are searching for a position also put together a personal information packet and the search committee will review probably dozens of these packets when they become available early in the next year. It is certainly our hope that we will find one that seems the best match for us and that the one we select will feel the same about us!
by Kitty Merrill | Nov 1, 2015 | Justice Actions
Settled Ministerial Search Committee Report – November
The Settled Minister Search Committee (SMSC) continues to meet regularly to plan our work and evaluate how the process is going. Thanks to all who participated in the focus groups and took the time to fill out the survey. The information gathered from both of them is an important part of our congregational “packet” that candidates will use to get a picture of who we are. Although the search committee itself may not fully represent the congregation demographically, it was selected by getting recommendations from as broad a spectrum of members and pledging friends as possible, and was finalized by a vote of the entire congregation.
The information gathered in the surveys and focus groups, along with the upcoming Beyond Categorical Thinking service and workshop, will help to broaden the committee’s perspective and ability to look at many points of view with regard to selecting our new minister. Next up on our calendar is the completion of the Congregational Record, which is a major part of our packet. This record includes congregational history, information on clergy and staff, budgeting, congregational life, lay leadership, committees, and more.
