Dear Members of the First Unitarian Church of Oakland: We are entering a new phase in the search for our next called minister. To some, this may seem way too early—our parish minister is just starting her sabbatical; on her return, she’ll serve for another full year. But, this is the time!

It takes time to find a minister who fit with our Church as well as we will fit with them. We’ve posted links to timelines, FAQs, and other pertinent documents below.

What’s Next?

The Board of Trustees is forming a Search-Nominating team, and would like you to consider serving on it. The team (with help from the trustees) will contact every current member of the congregation to discuss the search and solicit suggestions for who should best serve on the Search Committee. The full process can also be found at the church website.

If you are interested in serving on the Search Nominating Team, please write to board@uuoakland.org. We’ll ask you a few questions and move on from there to put together the team.

Where Can I Learn More?:

Timeline – A two year Ministerial Transitions time line from UUA, Pacific Western Region

Selecting a Search Committee – the process that will be used to select a Search Committee (yes, there is a congregational vote!)

Who Would Make a Great Search Committee Member? – UUA-PWR “Guidelines for Nominating Committees with Regard to Ministerial Search Committees.”

Also good for all members when considering who can best represent us.

UUA Settlement Handbook – the UUA’s Settlement Handbook for Ministers and Congregations. Published in 2013, some of it is outdated but a very handy and thorough reference.

FAQs – to be published when we get some of your frequently asked questions.