RE Minister Discernment Task Force

Coming Steps as UUCPA Considers a Call to Reverend Catherine Boyle

At the behest of the UUCPA Board of Directors, the Religious Education Discernment task force is embarking on a process to better understand the congregation’s current and near-future religious education ministry and if what Rev. Catherine Boyle brings to the church matches those needs.

As many of you know, Rev. Cat Boyle was hired as the Assistant Minister of Religious Education in 2022. What may be less well-known is that Rev. Cat was hired on a contract basis, which is different from being called by the congregation (see section below on those differences).

The expectation when Rev. Cat was hired was that UUCPA could and might want to change Rev. Cat’s status and call her as our minister focusing on religious education. The Unitarian Universalist Association has outlined a contract-to-call process for congregations such as ours to use as a guide. The UUA suggests waiting to call a contract minister until after their second year with the congregation because building a trusting working partnership takes time and is essential for a successful relationship.

Fast-forward to 2025: Rev. Cat is in her third year with us; it is time to consider calling Rev. Cat. The RE Discernment Task Force seeks your participation through facilitated small-group discussions to gather congregational input about what we have and what we are seeking for our children, youth, and adult religious education ministry. We will offer in-person and online groups in April and early May and hope that many of you will participate. 

To learn more, please stop by the task force’s table on the patio after Sunday services beginning April 6, 2025. Or send your questions to rediscernment[at]uucpa.org.

The RE Discernment task force:

Joe Bailey, Greg Becker, Gloria Geller, Edie Keating, and Diane Schweitzer

How do I participate?

Sign up to attend an in-person or online small-group discussion (watch for emails with a link to sign up or visit our table on the patio after Sunday services). Spread the word to others at church and encourage them to sign up! 

What will the discernment process look like?

Starting in April, the RE Discernment task force will host facilitated small-group discussions to gather congregational input about what we have and what we are seeking for our children, youth, and adult religious education ministry. We will offer in-person and online groups. The task force will then synthesize that information and prepare a report to the Board, along with a recommendation on whether there is a 

match between the congregation’s current and future needs and what Rev. Cat brings to us. The Board will then decide whether to accept that recommendation. If a call is determined by the Board and Rev. Cat to be mutually agreeable, the Board will schedule a special congregational meeting for a vote. 

Do I need to be a church member to participate?

We encourage anyone involved in church activities to participate in a small-group discussion. However, only church members are eligible to vote to call Rev. Cat at the special congregational meeting.

What is the difference between a hired contract minister and a called minister?

  • The board, on behalf of the congregation, hires a contract minister. A minister is called through a vote of the congregation at a special congregational meeting, giving the congregation a choice with a significant emotional and spiritual effect. 
  • The search process for a contract minister is usually short by necessity. Before calling a minister, a congregation typically engages in a time of discernment about the ministry in the current moment of congregation life.
  • A contract hire typically has an end date. A called minister leaves only when the minister or the congregation formally acts to end the ministry.

I’d like to know more about calling a minister.

Please view the sermon given on  September 8, 2024, at UUCPA by Dr. Melissa James, UUA Congregational Life Field Staff in the Pacific Western Region, entitled Call, Calling, Called.  Dr. James says: “We are called into community, in love and by one another. Ministry is always a relationship, and when entered into with seriousness and intention, it affirms the congregation’s commitment to its mission.” Link: Call, Calling, Called