Quarter-time Minister Position Open

Position Available: Minister for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of DeKalb.

Our Mission Statement: Together as a religious community, we put our liberal faith in action, striving to nurture our families and our spiritual lives, protect the earth, eliminate poverty, and stop oppression, while offering love and hope for all.

About UUFD: The UU Fellowship of DeKalb is a vibrant, healthy congregation about 60 miles from Chicago, serving a small town, a university, and nearby rural communities in northern Illinois. Founded in 1960, UUFD was completely lay-led before calling its first and only minister in 1991. After her retirement in 2017, the congregation continues to thrive under our interim minister and looks forward to a new, hopefully long-term, commitment. We are theologically diverse, with strong humanist, Buddhist, Pagan and Christian components. We deeply value community and connection, diversity, the democratic process, freedom of religious and spiritual exploration, sustainability and frugality, and self-examination and critique, particularly in regard to being open to change and growth.

With a membership of about 80, the congregation supports the following programs:

  • Worship Associates, a strong, lay-led preaching collaboration
  • An active Choir (former UUA president John Buehrens said the UUFD choir is “one of the best small choirs ever”) and a monthly musical gathering called Ordinary Folk
  • Sprouts, Rainbow Kids and Bridge Builders, run by our Director of Religious Education
  • Several meditation and spirituality groups that meet monthly or weekly
  • The Welcome Essentials pantry, providing household goods to those in need bimonthly
  • A monthly dinner to Hope Haven (the local homeless shelter)
  • DeKalb County Community Gardens, founded by a UUFD member and supported by many UUFD volunteers; providing local produce and plants to area households
  • Annual participation in CROP walk

Our annual fundraisers include:

  • UU Usables Rummage Sale in August (possibly moving to spring in 2019)
  • Winter Farmers’ Markets with Crafts and Used Book Sale, in December and February
  • Spookathon in October to support children’s programming

Start Date:  August 15, 2019, renewable yearly

Time Commitment: This is a quarter time position. It is hoped that, with growth, we may be able to afford to increase this position.

Compensation: The congregation has a total budget of $22,000 for housing/salary/benefits, to be distributed as best suited to the minister’s needs.

Qualifications:

  • Strong leadership, organizational, communication, and management skills.
  • Ability and commitment to respect a wide scope of religious views, rituals, and cultural and familial values.
  • Ability to say no and create healthy boundaries.
  • Creativity, enthusiasm, and ability to encourage others.

Responsibilities:

  • The Congregation looks to its Minister for spiritual leadership and initiative, for assistance in setting and articulating its vision, and for professional and inspired performance and oversight of the Congregation’s programs in collaboration with the Board of Trustees and the Congregation’s committees.

  • The Minister will be responsible for Sunday service responsibilities once per month.

  • The Minister is chief of staff. The Minister participates in annual staff evaluations and recommends personnel actions to the Board of Trustees. The Board and Minister will jointly decide on hiring, discharging, and changing compensation of church staff. Apart from annual evaluations, staff works largely independently.

  •  The Minister will serve as Co-chair of the Worship committee and supervise the Worship Associates (lay preaching) program, including providing training and support.
  • The Minister will be an ex officio member without vote of the Board of Trustees. The Minister will report to the Board at its regular meeting, bringing to its attention specific concerns as they arise. This and Worship Associate meetings are the only meetings the minister is expected to attend regularly.

  • The Minister will serve members in their needs for pastoral care, including crisis intervention and visitation of the homebound, sick, dying, and bereaved, both directly and in conjunction with the Congregation’s own pastoral care program. The Minister will maintain awareness of their own limitations, and will refer members for professional counseling and other specialized services as appropriate.

Those interested in applying for this position can contact us via the UUA Jobs Board (https://ministrysearch.uua.org/listing/108)

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