UCR Community Meeting Notes, October 14, 2018

WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT QUALITIES FOR THE NEXT MINISTER?

  • Enthusiasm
  • Effective speaker – spontaneous, well-prepared, etc.
  • Metaphysical interpretation/real life practical application of the lesson for today and the week ahead.
  • Younger person with children, to attract younger crowd
  • Dealing effectively and listening to many different points of view
  • Least important – administrative!
  • Sense of belonging
  • Outreach, to grow ministry size
  • Aware of technical presence
  • Good presenter
  • Leadership
  • An equipping minister
  • Approachable/available
  • Ask candidate what their passion/strength is
  • Maintain confidentiality
  • Personality – outgoing – likes people
  • Flexibility
  • Strong immunity – healthy
  • Empathetic – meet people where they are
  • Effective speaker, presenter – relatable to daily life
  • Effective communicator, including new technology skills
  • (Significant Other that cooks)
  • Effective leader – team player (vision planning is for the board)
  • Pastoral care, counseling – can be delegated, but if so, then must be certified to reduce UCR liability
  • Magnetic personality – attract people
  • Celebrity personality – charismatic
  • Relates to younger generation
  • Presenter, Interpersonal Communication, Administration, Visionary, Leadership

WHAT SHOULD UCR ACCOMPLISH IN THE NEXT 3-5 YEARS?

  • Build up community to involve more diverse age groups.
  • Programming to attract younger congregants.
  • Relationship-building groups
  • Put out on live stream a variety of groups available
  • Bring in scheduled guest speakers from UWM, etc – to give senior minister a break more often
  • Congregation access to specifics in contract—how many guest speakers, scheduled vacations, conferences, volunteer time, sabbatical or spiritual retreat, etc., so it is not all a surprise “gone again for 2 weeks”.
  • Sustainable building property
  • Increased prosperity
  • Increase membership
  • Multiple generations
  • Financial stability – realistic
  • Mission/vision current – review it periodically
  • Recruit big attraction
  • Better outreach
  • Gender balance on board
  • Reconsider land footprint – reduce land?
  • Systemic GLUR /day prayer; participation visible in UWM community
  • Advertise facility use and rental
  • Minister has community/academic outreach
  • Media presence (not in the Gazette)
  • Free coverage
  • Social media ads participation
  • Vacation bible school
  • More attractive to young families
  • Pave parking lot
  • Younger congregation
  • Strong youth program so parents can fill their own bucket
  • Grow the congregation’s knowledge base – layman classes, SEE classes, etc.
  • Increase attendance to UCR activities (e.g. Prayerathon, guest speakers, craft shows, social activities)
  • Have events and promote them outside UCR
  • More people to spread the volunteer workload
  • Outreach – improve name recognition – often confused with Unitarians
  • Get information from visitors – have them leave it in the pew or basket or something so we get their
    feedback
  • Ask people why they haven’t come back. Invite them to come 3 times before they change their mind.
  • Keep a YouTube presence so people can check us out ahead of time.
  • Grow our congregation, we need a dynamic leader who we can grow our visions with together
  • A leader who attracts new people
  • How to make it “stick”, keep people around–retention is important!
  • A male energy would be nice for a change (male minister)
  • Would like the Board to share their visions with congregation first, to give us some direction