UCC Ministry Issues

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UCC Ministry Issues

• An On-Going Conversation
• March 2009

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On-going work we are doing together

• Collaborative, all-Church effort
• Draft document (Draft 3.0) now on UCC website
  (Parish Life and Leadership)

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Ministry IssuesDraft 3.0

• Implementation Committee at work
• Participants as listed in Draft, pg 4, plus
• Candita Mattos, Vertie Powers, Andrea Cano, Felix
  Carrion, Peg Slater
• Ron Fujiyoshi, Gene Miller, Jonathan Lee
• Lynn Bujnak

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Key QuestionsGuide Us

• For example
• Whose ministry is it that we are talking about?

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• The Implementation Committee understands that
  authorized ministries of the United Church of
  Christ are exactly that ministries of the
  Church as it strives to listen and respond
  faithfully to Gods call.

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How We Got to Draft 3.0

• 1980s General Synod adopted current wording re
  authorized ministries of ordination,
  commissioning, licensing
• Expansion of MOM followed
• (MOM Manual on Ministry)

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Conversations of the80s and 90s addressed

• Character of Ministry (ecumenical and UCC)
• Historical Commitments within the UCC
• Increasing (Recognition of) Diversities
• Changing Demographics of the UCC
• Need for licensed ministry, role recognition of
  licensed ministers

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and

• Clergy from other traditions
• Concerns re participation, loyalty of clergy to
  the UCC
• Recognition that one size fits all may not work

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2000s Ministry Issues Convocations

• Five-fold focus
• Theology of Ordination
• In Care Process
• Licensed Ministry
• Multiple Paths of Preparation for Ordination
• UCC Identity
• Three national gatherings, leading to
  Pronouncement adopted by General Synod, 2005

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General Synod 25, 2005Pronouncement

• Ministry Issues Forming and Preparing Pastoral
  Leaders for Gods Church

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PronouncementAffirmations

• Call of all Gods people to ministry
• Call of some persons to authorized ministry
• Call of the Church into Gods mission
• Celebration of diversities

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Affirmations, continued

• Need for new patterns re
• Preparation for Authorization
• Continuing relationships of authorized ministers
  and the church (including accountability,
  lifelong learning)
• Discernment of Call

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PronouncementCommitments

• Repent for any past unfaithfulness
• Give Thanks for those who have served
• Listen and respond to God
• Participate actively in (ongoing) discernment of
  call
• Develop, support, engage in multiple paths of
  preparation for authorization

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Commitments,continued

• Participate in ongoing covenants of authorized
  ministers and the church
• Expect and encourage lifelong learning on the
  part of authorized ministers

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Now

• NOT throw out all the old and bring in all new
• Much which is proposed is in practice in some
  way, somewhere much that we are doing will
  continue
• (Multiple Paths of Preparation is not really a
  new idea.)

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Some things dont change

• Churchs need for faithful leaders
• Role authority of UCC Associations
• Need for educational programs for preparation and
  for continued learning
• Covenants among settings of the UCC and its
  ministers
• Churchs need to make room for diversity

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Ministry Issues(March 2009)

• Draft 3.0 is on the PLL website
• Please toss previous Draft and use this one
  unless there is something in Draft 2 and not in 3
  which you want to address.
• Draft 3 has varied materials (thus its length)
• Tools for Committees, Local Churches, others
• Ideas, Proposals
• Background Information and Commentary

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A Way into Draft 3.0Ministry Issues

• Start with the Narrative Overview on page 6
• See the Core Understandings
• Then the Marks and their Introduction
• Select other key pieces according to your
  interests, concerns

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Ministry Issues Affirmations, Oct. 2008

• Authorized Ministries of the UCC are of one
  piece. All are
• Representative Ministries of the Church
• Based upon the needs of the Church
• Share one basic pattern (or movements) of call,
  preparation, formation, authorization,
  covenantal relationships of standing

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Affirmations

• Authorized Ministries are distinct. Each has its
  own
• Responsibilities
• Required gifts and skills (and related
  preparation)
• Place time
• UCC categories (lay clergy) re Synod
  delegates, etc.

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Affirmations

• Covenantal relationships continue through the
  movements of call, preparation, formation,
  authorization, and standing
• Covenants are reshaped at particular points
• Discernment and formation continue throughout all
  movements

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Implementation

• Marks of Faithful and Effective Authorized
  Ministers of the United Church of Christ is now
  the key piece
• For all authorizations
• Throughout all movements
• To serve as a guide in discernment of call,
  preparation, authorization, and continuing
  formation

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Key Piece Marks

• Marks to be read and to serve within the varied
  contexts of
• person,
• community,
• authorization,
• needs of the church

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Marks in four sections

• Spiritual Formation for Ministry
• UCC Identity for Ministry
• Personal and Professional for Formation for
  Ministry
• Knowledge and Skills for Ministry

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Key Questions

• Can this (use of the Marks) work? Is it a good
  idea?
• (Method)
• Are these the right Marks?
• (Content)

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Multiple Paths of Preparation

• (Multiple Paths does not mean short cut.)
• Implementation Committee Strongly Proposes
• A Path of preparation is individual (for a
  particular person) and usually includes
  participation in one or more educational
  programs.
• Educational program in and of itself is not a
  Path.

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A Key, guiding, Question

• Is this person called to, and ready for,
  authorized (licensed, commissioned, ordained)
  ministry in the UCC?
• Not, has this person completed a particular
  educational program?

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Multiple Paths of Preparation

• can honor the diversities of communities,
  persons, churches, needs within the UCC
• Whether UCC wants or needs a learned ministry
  is not argued
• But, of course, learned varies in meaning

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Discernment

• Crucial to hearing and responding to Gods Call
• Requires serious engagement with the Holy Spirit
• as well as with one another
• Requires/assumes openness on the part of all
• Is on-going

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Discernment of Call to Authorized Ministry

• A communal endeavor which includes
• A Member
• Local Church
• Association
• Perhaps also family, educational setting,
  friends, wise elders

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Another Key Questionfor Discernment

• TO WHAT ministry are you called?
• NOT ARE you called to ministry?

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ImplementationCommittee Proposal

• That a similar pattern of discernment of call,
  preparation, formation, authorization, and
  continuing covenant be followed for all
  authorized ministries of the UCC
• Possible new pattern to organize MOM
• Recognize and honor differences in time, path,
  emphases, and any other particulars of each
  authorization

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Local Church Is a Continuing Covenant Partner

• Culture of Call to be nurtured (needed in all
  UCC settings)
• Initial Discernment with Member
• New Tool in Draft 3.0 (Thanks to Southwest
  Wisconsin Association for their work on this.)
• Ongoing relationship through discernment and
  formation, as well as throughout a persons
  ministry

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Standing of Authorized Ministers as a Continuing
Covenantal Relationship

• Such UCC language may be a no-brainer, but it
  has important implications
• An active, participatory relationship/membership,
  not a static status, within the UCC
• Spiritual, Personal, Professional Formation
  continues (to the grave!)
• Includes continuing accountability, care
  (Covenant calls for mutual accountability)

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Covenantal Accountability

• Formal
• E.g., Periodic, Informational Reviews
• Informal
• E.g., Peer groups, mentoring

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Tools in the Draft for Committees

• Discernment
• Assessment
• Of Persons
• Of Educational Programs
• Meeting members of communities new to the
  Committee
• (Thanks to Dorothy Lester for original draft)
• UCC Identity
• On Formative Practices

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More to Come

• Using the Marks re Licensing
• Using the Marks re Commissioning
• Organizing and Managing the Committee on
  Ministrys ministry
• Bibliographies re ministry, discernment, and ?
• ??

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Next Steps

• Responses to Draft 3.0
• April 2009 Implementation Committee Meeting
• Evaluate
• Identify next steps
• Develop plan (with calendar)
• May have a writer by then to begin work toward
  new MOM if not then, SOON!

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An Invitation

• Please share with the Implementation Committee
  your suggestions, including
• Experiences you might share with others
• Tools still needed (and by what settings/persons
  within the UCC)
• Other comments
• Response instructions in Draft, or send to PLL

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• Thank YOU!