|
View these and all previous FAQ answers here.
HAVE REV. DEBRA AND REV. JOEL SERVED TOGETHER AS CO-MINISTERS BEFORE?
Rev. Debra and Rev. Joel are both very respected, experienced UU ministers with a long history of collaborating with congregations and being active in the UUA, but neither of them has done co-ministry before. When they were asked about co-ministry during the interview process it was clear that they had given it a lot of thought and they communicated a compelling vision for how it would work at FUUSN. The search committee is more than satisfied that they will handle their co-ministry collaboration with care and grace.
WHY DIDN’T WE FIND THE CO-MINISTERS IN THE FIRST ROUND OF SEARCH?
Rev. Debra and Rev. Joel were serving separate congregations as interim ministers, and chose not to participate in the first round of settled ministry search. After FUUSN did not identify a suitable candidate in the first round, Rev. Parisa posted in a Facebook group for UU ministers how much she had come to love FUUSN during her own interim ministry here, and shared her hope that FUUSN would find a good match in the second round. Rev. Parisa’s post attracted the attention of the co-ministers, and they started a dialogue - and the rest is history! Once the Ministerial Search Committee began exploring the possibility of co-ministry with Rev. Debra and Rev. Joel, it was obvious to everyone that this is a wonderful opportunity for both the co-ministers and FUUSN.
IS THERE A CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN FUUSN AND THE CO-MINISTERS?
The UUA provides a model ministerial agreement for congregations to use with ministers. Members of the FUUSN Ministerial Negotiating Team, which is a group of three people appointed by the Board of Trustees and Ministerial Search Committee, and the co-ministers reviewed the model agreement and adapted it in light of FUUSN’s needs and governance. The compensation was set in accordance with the UUA’s salary guidelines for congregations of our size in our geographic index. Additional changes were required as a result of the co-ministry arrangement, since the UUA does not have a model agreement for co-ministry. For example, the compensation and benefits are divided into ⅓ and ⅔ to reflect the co-ministers’ respective schedules. The Co-Ministry Agreement provides that, if one co-minister departs, the other co-minister may continue to serve FUUSN only pursuant to a separate call which may be subject to the “inside candidate” procedures of the UUA.
The Co-Ministry Agreement has been fully negotiated, and will be signed upon completion of a successful call vote at the special meeting on June 2, and assuming that Rev. Debra and Rev. Joel accept the call.
In accordance with the UUA’s recommendations, and to protect the confidentiality of personnel information such as individual salaries, access to the Co-Ministry Agreement will be granted to members of the congregation on a need-to-know basis. Any questions regarding access may be directed to FUUSN’s Personnel Policy Committee.
HOW CAN I VOTE FOR THE NEW CO-MINISTERS?
On Sunday, June 2, shortly after the morning worship service concludes, there will be a special meeting of the congregation to vote on whether to “call” the new co-ministers to serve FUUSN. Members of FUUSN who have been members since at least 30 days prior to June 2 will be eligible to vote. If you are not sure whether you are a member, please contact memberservices@fusn.org. We expect that the meeting will be hybrid, and that members attending in person or on Zoom will be able to vote. More details will be made available in the coming weeks.
HOW LONG WILL THE CO-MINISTERS SERVE FUUSN?
The contract with the co-ministers does not specify an end date, which is typical of ministerial contracts. Rev. Debra and Rev. Joel are looking to make a home in this community, and intend to serve FUUSN as co-ministers for a minimum of 5 years.
WHAT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS?
The Ministerial Search Committee welcomes your questions! We are composing additional easily accessible FAQs for our congregation and will address the most common questions there. Please feel free to send your questions to ministersearch@fusn.org. While we will not be able to respond individually to every email, we will take all questions we receive into account when preparing the FAQs, making future announcements, and preparing for candidating week.
| 
