The Road to a Settled Minister: Key Dates & Milestones
As we move forward in our interim period, we want to provide a clear roadmap of the journey toward calling our next settled minister. Over the next 18 months, there will be many opportunities for you to participate, offer feedback, and celebrate our community. Here is the timeline of critical dates and activities for First Parish.
Laying the Groundwork and Forming a Search Team
- Early February: Seeking recommendations! The Parish Committee (ParCom) will release a form for you to recommend members for the Settled Minister Search Committee.
- Feb 22 (Post-Service): All-Church Event. The Transition Team, representatives from ParCom, and the UUA’s regional staff will guide a conversation on what we value most about our community and how the search process can best serve those goals.
- Feb 24: ParCom meets to finalize and vote on the official policy regarding “inside candidates.”
- Feb 26 (evening): An online / virtual version of the 2/22 All-Church event.
- Feb 25 & Mar 25: Community Potlucks! Join the Transition Team and the Music Committee (Feb) and RE Committee (Mar) for fellowship.
- March & April: Look for announcements regarding two additional post-service transition events.
- April: ParCom reviews recommendations and finalizes the Search Committee ballot candidates.
- May 3: Annual Meeting. The congregation votes to elect the Settled Minister Search Committee.
Listening, Gathering, and Posting
- May – June: The newly elected Search Committee begins their orientation and preliminary work.
- Late Spring and Early Fall: The congregation begins the collaborative work of creating a congregation-wide covenant.
- Sept – Nov: Data Gathering. The Search Committee will conduct a workshop, focus groups, and a congregational survey to understand your needs and hopes for a new minister.
- Oct – Dec: The Search Committee creates our “Congregational Record” (packet)—a comprehensive profile of First Parish for prospective applicants.
- December: Our packet is published to prospective lead ministers on the UUA’s Transition Page.
Selection, Candidating, and The Call
- Jan 2027: The UUA releases applicant names to our Search Committee. The team begins reviewing profiles and conducting video screening interviews.
- Feb – Mar 2027: Pre-Candidating. The Search Committee conducts intensive interviews and weekend visits with the top 3 applicants (confidential to the committee).
- March 2027: The Search Team submits their ranked list to the UUA for matching. If a match is made, an offer is extended.
- Late March/Early April 2027: The candidate is announced to the congregation!
- Late April 2027: Candidating Week. The candidate visits Arlington to meet the congregation, followed by a congregational vote to call our new lead minister.
- August 2027: Our new Settled Lead Minister begins their ministry at First Parish Arlington.
This is an exciting time of reimagining and renewal for First Parish. Your voice and participation are the heartbeat of this process, and we look forward to dreaming, planning, and building our future together. Thank you for your commitment to this journey.
