As we close out the year, the UUFR Lead Minister Search Team wants to pause and reflect with deep gratitude on the extraordinary amount of care, time, and participation that has gone into our shared search for our next settled minister.
This year has been defined by listening; listening to one another, to our hopes and concerns, to our values, and to what this congregation most needs in its next chapter. None of this work happens without the collective effort of a congregation willing to show up thoughtfully and honestly. And show up you did!
One of the first major milestones in our search process was the Congregational Survey. Members of the search team spent many hours thoughtfully crafting and refining questions designed to invite honest reflection and meaningful feedback. We invited congregants to participate through conversations at coffee hour, announcements from the pulpit, notes in the Chalice, and personal encouragement across our community. Congregants met that invitation with openness and trust, sharing perspectives that helped shape the next steps of our work.
338 people completed the survey, offering insights into our strengths, our challenges, and our aspirations for ministry. Those responses became a cornerstone of our work, grounding the search process in the lived experiences of our community.
Building on the survey, we hosted Searching Circles (small-group listening sessions designed to go deeper.) Over the course of this phase, the search team facilitated 31 Searching Circles, listening carefully to congregants ranging from middle school youth through long-time adult members.
210 people participated, sharing their time, stories, and perspectives. With the Committee on Ministry supporting the process by taking notes, Search Team members were able to focus fully on listening and later reflecting on themes that emerged across generations and experiences. These circles highlighted the care, thoughtfulness, and commitment congregants bring to shaping UUFR’s future.
In November, many members of the congregation took part in the Break Barriers, Build Beliefs (B4) Workshop, led by Rev. Patrice K. Curtis of the UUA. This workshop invited us to reflect on our identities, unconscious bias, and how those dynamics can shape a ministerial search.
Nearly 80 people attended the workshop, and many more participated through the accompanying B4 survey. This work asked us to stretch, reflect, and grow. These efforts demonstrate to potential candidates that UUFR is committed to fairness, inclusion, and self-reflection as we seek a new lead minister.
All of this listening, reflection, and participation culminated in the creation of our Congregational Record! This is the document ministerial candidates read to discern whether UUFR might be a good match for their gifts and call.
The search team spent many hours synthesizing survey results, Searching Circle themes, and workshop insights into a record that is honest, nuanced, and truly reflective of who we are. Because of the time and care the congregation put into this process, the record tells a story that is rich, authentic, and grounded in shared experience.
We submitted the Congregational Record in November, and it was officially published for candidates to review on December 2.
The Search Team will learn the names of ministers who have expressed interest in UUFR on Friday, January 2. Please note that a key agreement within the search process is confidentiality. We will interview and evaluate applicants over the coming months, however we cannot divulge any details about them. We will present our final selected candidate to the congregation in April. Thanks to the great inputs from the congregation, we enter that next phase with excitement and confidence. Candidates reviewing our materials will see a congregation that is engaged, reflective, and eager to welcome a minister who can support its needs and nurture its future.
As we close out the year, we want to say THANK YOU!!! to every person who filled out a survey, attended a Searching Circle, participated in the B4 workshop, shared their thoughts, asked hard questions, and trusted the process. This has truly been congregational work, and we are deeply grateful to be doing it together.
To learn more about what we heard, including reports from the Congregational Survey and Searching Circles, please visit “UUFR Lead Minister Search – Fall 2025 Reports.”
With gratitude and anticipation,
UUFR Lead Minister Search Team
