Summary Report from the Task Force to Explore Ordaining Leia
July 28, 2020
Over the years, many of us have appreciated all the ministerial work Leia does in addition to all her religious education duties. She provides ministry to our congregation at many levels in: pastoral care, the pulpit, stewardship, administration, spiritual development, rites of passage, worship, senior leadership and overall care for our congregation. When we learned that churches can ordain ministers outside of fellowshipping, we began to investigate the possibility of ordaining Leia.
We thought deeply about the pain and fracturing that our beloved community has suffered in recent years. We thought about the need for reconciliation and healing. And, we thought about what we need in our church leadership. We need leaders who understand our needs and are willing to work hard on our behalf. We need leaders with integrity, wisdom, perseverance, tolerance, kindness, and a steadfast dedication to living according to our UU principles. Leia is such a leader and has been such a leader for decades in our church.
For many years, Leia has taken on administration, pastoral care, and leadership far beyond her role as the Director of Faith Development. We want to fully recognize her contributions and her role as a minister in our congregation. We strive to live our UU values in part by honoring and celebrating those who lead with wisdom and loving commitment. By ordaining Leia we would also be formally recognizing her as a leader of our church. We would be stating that we believe she is one of our ministers, we want to empower her to continue to lead and we need her wisdom and experience in church leadership.
What would Leia’s title be?
We would ordain Leia as a UU Minister. Leia’s title would be our Minister of Faith Development, Reverend Leia Durland Jones.
Does the UUA support this kind of ordination?
Yes. The task force has consulted and interviewed many key UU and UUA leaders. There are two kinds of ordained ministers in Unitarian Universalist congregations:
• Fellowshipped ministers who obtain a master’s degree in divinity, meet the criteria listed by the UUA and are ordained by a congregation.
• Ministers ordained to the ministry of a particular congregation and not part of the UU Minister’s Association.
We would ordain Leia as the second kind of minister.
Would Leia’s role in our church change? Would her job description change?
Leia already serves as one of our ministers: teaching, preaching,
providing administration and pastoral care. Her job description would be updated to match what she is already doing and to reflect that she would be one of our ordained clergy.
Leia would continue to do the things she already does for and with us.
Leia would still lead our Lifespan Faith Development program as she has done for 27 years, so we will not be adding another staff member. She would still provide pastoral care, participate in all strategic and programmatic planning, and support volunteers in various aspects of church life. Leia is a skilled worship leader and would weave worship and preach on Sunday’s that are not multigenerational services. As one of our ordained ministers she would continue as a minister in our church and her ministerial role would be formalized.
What financial planning comes with ordaining Leia?
The UUA Fair Compensation Salary Recommendations for Leia as our Director of Faith Development with 27 years of experience are similar to those for an Assistant Minister. Sadly, all our staff are paid significantly less than the recommendations and Leia is paid nearly $10K less than the Fair Compensation salary recommendation. In recent years, we have not prioritized staff salary and benefits. We do not meet the UUA Fair Compensation Recommendations for any of our staff.
We are committed to providing all our staff with equitable pay and benefits, and our plans to move out of our current financial stress will reflect that goal.
Are we considering ordaining Leia as our Settled Minister?
No. Reverend Linda Olson Peebles is our interim minister while we prepare for a search for a settled minister.
Are we endorsing a collaborative leadership model with this action?
Ordaining Leia is not the same as determining the structure of leadership in our church.
We envision a leadership model in which all staff work cooperatively with each other, contributing their expertise and experience to the mission of the church. Our ministry would be based on professional collaboration instead of a traditional hierarchical model.
We expect that our ministers will be steadfast in their commitment to all areas of functioning of the church. We trust that our ministers will work as the professionals that they are. Leia maintains very high professional standards. She has worked extremely hard over the many decades of service to our church to lead collaboratively and with integrity.
What does ordaining Leia bring to our church?
Ordaining Leia bonds us to the leadership of our longest-serving, incredibly dedicated, and very effective minister. It promises us that we, and our children, will be able to experience Leia’s ministry, undiluted, unmoderated and even amplified. It sets the stage for bringing in a settled minister whose skills complement Leia’s and whose success will be substantially magnified by having Leia’s leadership, experience, and relationship with our congregation. It places our church in the forefront of organizing and operating in the way we want the world to be.
Additional information is available through the News and Views posts.
https://uucharlottesville.org/tag/ordainingleia/
Task Force Members: Lorie Craddock, Elizabeth Breeden, Larry Moulis, Dawn Dirks, Laura Horn, Elaine Chapman, Karen Prairie, Mary Rose Curtis (honorary member) and Pam McIntire (Chair)