Winchester Unitarian Society is searching for a new minister. In the spring of 2025, seven church members were chosen to lead the search for our next minister as part of our Ministerial Search committee. See below for our bios and a timeline of search activities for the coming year. You can reach ALL of us at search.committee@winchesteruu.org

While much of our work is confidential, we wanted to share with you the timeline and what to expect during the search process.

Ministerial Search Timeline

STEP 1: Getting our Footing (May to August)

• Search Team formed
  • Slate approved Annual Meeting
• UUA Guidance
  • The Search Team attends a UUA workshop with other congregations in search. Search Team retreat with programming led by a UUA transitions facilitator. Create a covenant, assign roles, explore documents and deadlines

STEP 2: Looking for Input (September to November)

• Congregational Survey
  • Search Team administers UUA Congregational Assessment, which informs how the Search Team fills out the Congregational Record 
  • A summary of responses will be submitted with documents packet for ministerial review
• Break Barriers, Build Beliefs (B4) Workshop
  • This workshop is designed to help congregations in the ministerial search process identify and counter systemic and personal biases. It addresses issues around race/ethnicity, gender/gender identity, visible and invisible disabilities and health concerns, and sexual orientation. All congregants are encouraged to attend.
  • There will be a separate B4 survey prior to the workshop and followup afterwards
• Cottage Meetings and Focus Groups
  • The Search Committee will also hold a series of small group “cottage” meetings and focus groups to learn about members’ hopes and needs for the new ministry and to better inform our search

STEP 3: Describing WUS to our Ministerial Candidates (Early December)

• Congregational Record and Documents Packet
  • Our search team will compile all the information we have gathered through our workshops, surveys and small group meetings to complete the congregational record and documents packet, which we will then publish on the UUA search portal along with a draft contract developed by the negotiating team.

STEP 4: Applications roll in (January)

• Applications
  • The Search Team will receive and review applications, conduct video interviews, preliminary background checks and extend offers to up to three pre-candidates to visit Winchester

STEP 5: Pre-Candidates (February – March)

• Pre-Candidates
  • Up to three pre-candidating weekends will occur, during which potential ministers will visit Winchester. During these weekends, they will tour the area and the church building, and have a more extensive in-person interview with the Search Team. The UUA no longer has ministerial pre-candidates preach at a neutral pulpit; instead, they will preach a vespers-style service for the Search Team at a private location. To maintain ministerial privacy, ministers will not meet with congregants or staff during this visit and their identities will remain undisclosed.

STEP 6: Discernment and Matches (Late March)

• Matches
  • Congregations and ministers will submit a ranked yes/no/maybe list of their pre-candidates to the UUA transitions team, who then review matches and notify parties accordingly. 
  • If a match is made, an offer can be extended and accepted, and a contract is then negotiated.

STEP 7: A Ministerial Candidate (April/Early May)

• Candidate Announcement
  • If a match is made, our Ministerial Candidate is announced! The congregation can begin learning about their potential new minister
• Candidating Week
  • The potential minister again travels to Winchester and will have the opportunity to preach from the pulpit on two Sundays, meet with staff and congregants and generally get to know us and our community. At the end of the week, a congregational vote is taken to call the new minister

Our Search Committee