Mid-week Message
from our Developmental Lead Minister
Feb. 16, 2021
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” – Alan Watts
A little over six months ago, I arrived at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville to serve as your Developmental Lead Minister. Hard to believe. The pace of change in the world in these past six months has been dizzying. We’ve all been called to strengthen our change muscles in ways we never could have imagined. I’m glad to be part of this dizzying dance with you.
On Sunday, Feb. 21, we will mark a milestone in this developmental ministry. We will be commissioning a Transitions Team, a group appointed by your Board of Directors to help facilitate the work the congregation will undertake during the developmental period. I hope you will be on hand at the 9 a.m. service to affirm and support the commitment of this team.
A developmental minister enters a congregation during a time of change, most often following the retirement or resignation of a settled minister. As a congregation, you prepared yourselves well for the retirement of the Rev. Gail Seavey, who had served with you for 15 years. Part of the preparation was discerning what kind of ministry was needed next. As a congregation, you have some big and challenging goals. Thus, the decision was made to hire a developmental minister to work with you on these goals. Typically, a developmental ministry is a minimum of three years and a maximum of seven, depending on how long it takes to accomplish the goals and do the work of preparing to call your next minister.
As I said, you have some big and challenging goals – revisiting and renewing your mission and vision, creating a governance structure that fits the size of the congregation, and planning and implementing a building/renovation project. These goals are bigger than any one of us alone, but working together, they are achievable.
The following people have agreed to serve on the Transitions Team for the next 18 months: Christopher Cotton, Jessica Himmelreich, Jessica Moore-Lucas, Jason Plummer, Gail Sphar, Tom Surface, and Nancy Stott.
I look forward to partnering with them as we engage all of you in the dance of change and transition.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane