The Standing Committee met on January 8th and settled on the selection process recommended by the Unitarian Universalist Association, the UUA, of which we are a member congregation. The UUA process is highly choreographed. It will begin in the summer and culminate in a candidate potentially being called to the congregation in Spring of 2026. This structured process allows all congregations who are in search and all ministers who are searching to be in the pool at the same time. The process begins with the Winchester Unitarian Society selecting a Ministerial Search Team made up of seven members who are trusted representatives of the congregation.
The process will be as follows:
The Standing Committee will send out a survey to the congregation asking for nominations to the search committee.
People not responding to the survey will be contacted by the Standing Committee by phone, email, and/orin-person.
If you prefer a conversation over filling out the survey, you can reach out to a member of the Standing Committee to give your nominations.
All respondents will be known. There will be no anonymous nominations.
A Google sheet will be created to record nominations. Once we believe we have achieved hearing from everyone, we will review the results and select potential candidates for the search committee.
All nominees we select will be contacted for their acceptance as candidates and a slate will be decided upon.
Final candidates will then create a bio with a photo for displaying at church.
The final slate of candidates will be voted on at our Annual Meeting in May. Only members will be allowed to vote.
Please watch Highlights for additional information about selecting a search committee and questions to think about to help you discern your choices for nomination.
Again, feel free to reach out to any Standing Committee Member (
sc@winchesteruu.org) with questions or concerns.