The Search and Call Journey
The Search and Call Journey
Welcome to the five-phase Search and Call process of the Southern New England Conference, UCC. We know that times of transition can be daunting and stressful; therefore, we offer this resource as a gift.
The introductory video will orient you to the overall Search and Call process. Under each phase you will find:
- The three main tasks of that phase
- A brief video that takes you through that phase
- A list of resources and requisite documents pertaining to that phase.
Beloved, know that you are not alone in this work! Your Area Conference Minister and Search and Call Program Associate are here to journey with you. More importantly, we invite you to lean into the power of the Holy Spirit to sustain you and the voice of God to direct you.
Welcome to phase one! We begin with endings. The three main tasks of this phase are below. The focus is on wrapping up ministry with your current pastor, celebrating, and securing transitional leadership.
Communicate
Plan a Goodbye
Choose a Transitional Minister
Communicate
- S&C Guide for Congregations
- Provides an overview of the entire search & call process, produced by the National Setting.
Plan a Goodbye
- A Sure Foundation
- A guide for clergy and churches on healthy practices from the National Setting. This includes boundaries for departing pastors as well as questions and a format for exit interviews.
- Liturgy of Farewell
- From the UCC Book of Worship, this is used during worship on your pastor’s final Sunday.
Choose a Transitional Minister
- Understanding Pastoral Roles
- Explains the differences between pulpit supply, leave coverage and bridge; intentional interim, designated term and settled.
- S&C Guide for Interims
- This guide is geared toward Intentional Interim pastors but is helpful for congregations considering Intentional Interim Ministry.
- Profile Posting Instructions
- This document includes essential instructions on where to find information for your profile and what you need to do to get your profile posted.
- Clergy Compensation Guidelines
- includes guidelines for bridge and interim pastors
- Local Church Interim Profile
- Fill out this profile if you will be searching for an interim pastor.
- Local Church Designated Term Profile
- fill out this profile if you will be searching for a designated term pastor.
By this time, your pastor has departed, you have a transitional minister in place, and you are ready to begin your search for a settled pastor. The three main tasks of this phase are below. By the end you will have formed a committee, gathered/engaged important information, and written and posted your church profile to the national UCC Ministry Opportunities website.
Form Committee
Gather Information
Write Profile
Form Committee
- Forming a Committee
- Litany for Commissioning a Search Committee
- 5 Commitments of a Search Committee
- Biblical Resources for Search Committees
- Includes devotional materials to help ground a team in prayer and discernment
- S&C Guide for Congregations
- Provides an overview of the entire search & call process, produced by the National Setting .
- Discernment Travelogue
- A resource from the National Setting on how to incorporate the practice of discernment into your work.
Gather Information
- Gathering Information for your Profile
- Describes the process for creating Transition and Search Committees
- Welcoming Diversity Inventory
- A tool for assessing your congregation’s progress toward becoming inclusive of all
- Stretching Beyond: Diversity in the Search & Call Process
- a series of videos to help local churches address implicit bias in the S&C process.
Write Profile
- Profile Posting Instructions
- This document includes essential instructions on where to find information for your profile and what you need to do to get your profile posted.
- Local Church Profile
- Fill out this profile if you will be searching for a settled pastor. One of the questions this document will ask your committee to answer is Who Is My Neighbor? You will asked be to provide a MissionInsite report for your community. For instructions on how to use MissionInsite and create a report for your community, visit our MissionInsite web page.
- Local Church Designated Term Profile
- Fill out this profile if you will be searching for a designated term pastor.
- Call Agreement Workbook
- This guide includes scopes of work for roles of different sizes, as well as what is included in a call agreement.
- Clergy Compensation Guidelines
By this time, your profile has been up on the national UCC ministry Opportunities website and interested candidates are submitting their profiles to your search committee via the Search and Call Program Associate. The three main tasks of this phase are below. The bulk of the work will be evaluating ministerial profiles, interviewing candidates, and identifying top candidate(s).
Receive Profiles
Interview Candidates
Discern Toward & with Final Candidate
Receive Profiles
- S&C Guide for Congregations
- Provides an overview of the entire search & call process, produced by the National Setting .
- Sample Clergy Profile
- This sample profile will familiarize you with what to expect from your candidate profiles.
Interview Candidates
- Interviewing Tips & Questions
- This document includes tips on interviewing, a sample agenda and sample questions.
Discern Toward & with Final Candidate
- Call Agreement Workbook
- This guide includes scopes of work for roles of different sizes, as well as what is included in a call agreement.
- UCC Sample Call Agreement
- This document can be downloaded and used as a template for your call agreement.
By this time, you have identified your top candidate for the settle pastor search. The three main tasks of this phase are below. At this point you are finalizing the selection with the candidate, engaging in negotiations, introducing them to key leaders, and finally gearing up to hold the candidating weekend and congregational vote. Also think of ways to say goodbye to the transitional minister.
Introduce Candidate to Congregation
Hold Candidating Weekend
Plan for End of Interim Ministry
Introduce Candidate to Congregation
- S&C Guide for Congregations
- Provides an overview of the entire search & call process, produced by the National Setting .
Hold Candidating Weekend
Plan for End of Interim Ministry
- Liturgy of Farewell
- From the UCC Book of Worship, this is used during worship on your pastor’s final Sunday.
By this time, you have pretty much completed the Search and Call process. Congratulations and thanksgiving for your dedication, faithfulness, and hard work. However, the work is not over just yet. Endings are important! The three main tasks of this phase are below. But we encourage you to be intentional about how you will welcome your new pastor, pass on important information, and begin to partner with the new pastor in mutual ministry.
Welcome New Pastor
Orient New Pastor
Partner with New Pastor in Mutual Ministry
Welcome New Pastor
- A Sure Foundation
- Includes best practices for a Pastoral Relations Committee