President’s Report – May 2010

The Shared Ministry Team

One of Rev. Millie’s questions when the Search Committee interviewed her last year was “Do you have a functioning Committee on Ministry?” Of course, we were honest and told her that we used to have one, but it hadn’t functioned for a number of years. So, as one of the Search Committee recommendations to the Board, the establishment of such a committee was made a priority in Millie’s first year. To lead this initiative and support Millie and Roger’s orientation to the church, the Board established the ad hoc Ministerial Transition Team, comprised of Search Committee members, Nancy Gilbert, Carolyn Hill-Carroll, Jo’Anne Kelly, and myself, along with Edward Rice and Board member, Brenda Froese. Working with Millie over the winter, the Transition Team is now ready to establish the Shared Ministry Team (SMT) by June 1.

As we heard at Millie’s Installation Service in November, ministry is not just the responsibility of the minister; we each have a responsibility to “minister” to each other. Millie reminded us of this recently in her “Circle of Life” sermon on April 18, where she stressed the importance of Shared Ministry to track the heartbeat of ministry within our congregation – not only how she serves the congregation, but also how the lay leadership serves the congregation and how we take care of each other and ourselves. The Shared Ministry Team will be instrumental in helping us to understand, support, assess, and advocate for robust ministry throughout our congregational life.

So, with that introduction, please read the Shared Ministry Team (SMT) Terms of Reference below based on the current UUA guidelines for the Shared Ministry model and recently approved by your Board of Directors.

Mandate (purpose of the committee)

The mandate of the Shared Ministry Team is to strengthen the quality of ministry within the congregation. The team serves as a support for the minister and the congregation and provides assessment recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of congregational leadership.

Responsibilities

The Shared Ministry Team is responsible for the following:

1. Helps model healthy relationships with the minister, staff, and congregation.
2. Continually sources resources to educate itself about ministry. (see examples in App. A)
3. Supports continuing education of the congregation for its growing understanding and skill in shared ministry. (see examples in App. B)
4. Advises the Board regarding the health of the shared ministry of the congregation on a monthly basis.
5. Coordinates periodic assessments of shared ministry and its leadership components.
6. Assists the minister in planning for continuing education, sabbaticals, and other professional development.
7. Consults with the minister and submits an annual compensation recommendation to the Finance Committee for the next year’s budget. (Assumption: the Personnel Committee will submit annual compensation recommendations for the rest of the staff, but not the Minister. This is due to the covenantal relationship agreement between the minister and the congregation, rather than employee-employer, as with the other paid staff)

Chair

The Shared Ministry Team will select the Chair from the team membership. The Chair will serve up to a 3 year term with the following provision for renewal – maximum of 2 consecutive 3 year terms. The Chair will work in consultation with team members, the Minister, and the President of the Board of Directors or designate.

Responsibilities of Chair

1. Be a presence in the church by attending Sunday Services regularly.
2. Be a presence in the church by attending all congregational meetings.
3. Hold regular meetings of the SMT.
4. Advise Board of SMT meeting dates.
5. Ensure that the Terms of Reference are reviewed annually by the SMT, and submit to the Board for approval.
6. Facilitate with the Board and Minister to set goals for the SMT each year.
7. Manage expenses in compliance with approved annual budget.
8. Arrange for minutes to be kept for each SMT meeting.
9. Inform Board of any significant issue requiring board involvement, advice, or approval.
10. Submit information for the Board agenda by the Thursday prior to the Board meeting.
11. Prepare annual Shared Ministry budget request (resources) for the Finance Committee.
12. Prepare an Annual Report for the Congregation each year.
13. Participate in an annual general meeting of the congregation.
14. Advise Board, Webmaster, and Administrative Assistant of any changes in membership or leadership.

Team Membership

Since the Shared Ministry Team members must have the confidence of both the minister and Board of Directors, each submits six (6) names to the other, and both come to an agreement on a total of three (3), including the Chair, who shall constitute the Shared Ministry Team. Each of the SMT members serves staggered terms of up to three years, with one member’s term ending each year. No member is to serve longer than six continuous years. Ex-officio members include the minister and the Board President or designate.

Criteria for SMT Membership

Effective members:

• are active members in good standing of First UU Church of Winnipeg
• can articulate a cohesive vision of the future of the church
• have the confidence of the church congregation
• are objective and unbiased (leave personal biases and agendas at the door)
• work in a confidential but not secretive manner
• can articulate and apply the philosophy of shared ministry in UU congregations
• stay current in the functions, roles, and responsibilities of shared ministry.

Timeline

The Shared Ministry Team is ongoing.

Meetings

Meetings will be held monthly, with a regular agenda for each meeting so that, during the course of a year, each aspect of the ministerial-congregational relationship will be reviewed in accordance with the selected framework for assessment of the shared ministry, which will be appended to the SMT Terms of Reference. (The SMT will develop a list of items to be covered during the year. For example, every September, the committee might discuss the minister’s goals and expectations for the coming year; every October, the minister’s compensation; every November, the minister’s housing situation, etc. The advantage of monthly meetings with regularly scheduled review of various items is the avoidance of crisis-orientation in the work of the team and in the eyes of minister and congregation.)

The meetings may have two components:

1. “closed sessions” in which discussions are held in strictest confidence with only the SMT, Minister and Board liaison in attendance
2. “open sessions” for other members of the congregation to make presentations of appreciation and/or concerns.

There may be a regularly scheduled meeting of the team without the minister once a year, if thought desirable. However, the team will meet with the minister as soon as possible thereafter to share with the minister the substance of that meeting.

Reporting Relationship

The Shared Ministry Team reports directly to the Board of Directors through the President or designate.

Review

The Shared Ministry Team terms of reference will be reviewed annually for approval by the Board of Directors.

Appendix A: Education Resource examples

• Alban Institute Membership
• Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) Resources
• Unitarian Universalist Association Resources (UUA)

Appendix B: Communication and Education examples

• Communicator newsletter articles
• Sunday Service(s)
• Shared Ministry Workshops
• After service discussions