On Sunday, October 29, the congregation of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin will be voting “to affirm the Ministerial Search Committee’s recommendation to call the Rev. Chris Jimmerson as a Settled Minister.” Voting to call a settled minister is one of the most important votes you will cast as a member of this congregation. This is a unique type of vote – it is not the same as an election. You are not being asked to elect Rev. Chris. Instead, you are voting on the following issues:
- whether the Search Process was comprehensive, inclusive, collaborative and transparent,
- whether the congregation was heard and represented accurately by the Search Committee,
- whether the Search Committee sees the qualities and gifts of the candidate are a good match for the congregation’s needs,
- whether the congregation is willing to move into a shared ministry partnership with the candidate, and whether this candidate is best for the whole congregation.
You are NOT voting on:
- what is best for a particular individual within the congregation,
- whether individuals think they would have chosen the candidate who was identified by the search committee on their own, given what they know about the
congregation, - whether individuals think that every sermon the candidate preaches will or will not speak to the hearts and minds of every single member every single time,
- whether there might be a better match out there somewhere, or
- whether the candidate is the perfect minister.
In summary, this vote is not like a political election or popularity contest. Rather, it is the culmination of a process that identifies the church’s needs and asks whether the person we are considering, in this case Rev. Chris, has the qualities and gifts that are a good match for what the congregation needs.
Members of the Board will be available Sundays after each service to answer your questions about this or any other aspect of the Ministerial Transition.
Gretchen Riehl, Board President
