For a variety of reasons, some Ministries find themselves in a position where they are without an onsite Minister. A Minister of Record provides the spiritual support and administrative guidance that a Unity Minister can provide. Ministers of Record also ensure a foundational alignment with the Unity Worldwide Ministries (UWM) requirement that “a Unity Ministry has as its leadership a licensed and ordained Unity Minister or a Leader serving under special dispensation from UWM.” All ministers of record have at least 5 years of experience and are in good standing with UWM.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Building the ministry on the foundational Unity teachings
- Creating an awareness of the services and resources available through UWM
- Helping navigate the business of ministry – this includes attendance at board meetings
- Holding accountability and alignment with UWM’s policies and services
Information For Ministries
We are in a period of significant cultural change, and this change is impacting our ministries. Some are experiencing decline in both attendance and finances which makes employment of a Unity Minister challenging. Sustainability and viability are concerns for some of these ministries, and a Minister of Record could be an alternative in helping the ministry build greater organizational health and in considering new possibilities.
Some specific indications that a Minister of Record might be a good choice are:
• Hiring a part-time Unity Minister could create financial hardship for the ministry
• Attendance has declined to under 25 people
• The ministry is considering dissolving. A Minister of Record may support the ministry in finding new life, considering becoming a discussion/study group, or embracing Unity principles and practices in new ways, or in moving through the process of dissolution.
Ministries should first contact UWM Member Support to determine if a Minister of Record is a good fit for their situation. If so, next steps include:
• Complete a Ministries Request for an MOR packet and return to Rev Glenda Walden, Evolving Ministries and MOR Coordinator.
• The MOR coordinator will then prepare a list of "best matches" for the ministry to interview.
Information For Ministers
• Minister is an Ordained Unity Minister in good standing with UWM
• Minister has 5 years field experience
• Have a current background screening on file with UWM
• Have a current signed Code of Ethics and Sexual Conduct Policy
• If Minister has been out of active ministry for 3 years, they must go through an Employment Assessment process; if they were ordained before 2000, this process would include a psychological assessment
• Potential Ministers of Record complete an application and send their resumes to UWM Ministry Development and go through a peer review interview with the MOR Team.
• Potential Ministers of Record go through UWM’s standard pre-employment process to confirm that all pre-employment checks are up to date, such as Code of Ethics, Sexual Conduct Policy, Continuing Education Credits (CEU’s), and are in good standing.
• Specific UWM contact information will be noted in each MOR posting.
• UWM is recommending that a Minister of Record serve no more than two (2) ministries at a time in order to fully be present to the needs of each ministry.
Additional information on the Minister of Record program can be found on the MOR tab in the Employment Support Part-Time and Unique Opportunities section of the website or reach out directly to Rev. Glenda Walden, Evolving Ministry and MOR Coordinator at evolve@unity.org.