We have broken the ministerial search into seven steps to help make the process clear and easier to understand. This is a shared journey that moves at a thoughtful pace, grounded in listening, care, and trust in one another as we prepare for what comes next at First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Antonio.
It has truly been lovely to get to know other UU ministers. Who are these ministers, you might ask? Well, we are at the part where we really can’t answer any specific questions. In order to protect the confidentiality of the applicants, we must continue to abide by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA, our national association) policies, procedures, and guidelines. Your MSC is feeling strong and optimistic at this point, and we are working hard to ensure we are representing you, our beloved congregation, and your voices. Thank you for your trust!
1. Voting to Search and Building the MSC
The congregation votes to begin the search and forms the Ministerial Search Committee or MSC. This group is trusted to guide the process with care and to keep the congregation informed along the way.
2. Building Covenant and Community with the MSC
The MSC begins by building trust, shared values, and clear ways of working together, creating a strong foundation for the work ahead.
3. Learning the Congregations Ideas and Needs
The MSC listens through surveys and conversations to understand what matters most to the congregation and what we hope for in our next minister.
4. Building a Congregational Profile
We tell our story as honestly and openly as we can, sharing who we are, what we value, and where we are headed as a community.
5. Interviewing Prospective Ministers
The MSC meets with ministers whose experience and values feel aligned with our congregation and spends time getting to know them with care and curiosity. At the end of the UUA guided process, the MSC will narrow our choices down to the one minister we believe to be the best for our congregation. We will share our choice with the UUA and they will notify us if we have a match!
6. Meeting the MSC’s Minister Selection
The congregation has the chance to meet the MSC selected candidate, ask questions, and take part in the discernment and voting process. As we approach the congregational vote, we want to share an important piece of context. Your vote will determine if the MSC’s selected candidate is best for our congregation. While our bylaws require an affirmative vote of at least 90%, most candidates seek a vote around 95% to move forward as a strong affirmation that they are genuinely welcomed and wanted by the congregation they would serve.
7. Starting our New Chapter
If the congregation votes to call the minister, we will begin a new chapter of shared settled ministry together. If the vote does not pass, the search process would pause, and the Board will need to consider next steps. These could include beginning a new search cycle, entering into a contract ministry, or engaging another interim minister for an additional year or two. While none of these paths are inherently negative, each would require additional time, energy, and discernment from the congregation. We share this information not to create pressure, but to ensure that everyone enters the vote with clarity about what each outcome means for our shared future. Either way, we remain grounded in relationship, patience, and trust in the process and in one another, knowing that this journey deepens our understanding of who we are and what we need as a congregation.
