$60,474
for candidates with minimal experience; and this total, like the one above, does
not include allowances for travel and education.For candidates interested in the new Associate Minister for Education position
Congregational Record
Position Title
Associate Minister for Education
Anticipated starting date
Spring/Summer 2002
Total compensation package (sum of salary and housing, pension, insurance, and professional expenses):
$71,648 for candidates with several years’ experience; this total does not include allowances for travel and education.
$60,474
for candidates with minimal experience; and this total, like the one above, does
not include allowances for travel and education.
Is the minister expected to occupy a parsonage?
No
How much of the total compensation package is attributable to rental value?
This amount will be determined by the minister’s choice of housing in the Boston area. The church will separate out salary and housing allowance accordingly.
Number of active adult members in the church: 348
Number of active adult non-members: 129
Number of children in the church school: 172
Total operating budget for 2000-2001: $384,764
Total pledge income for 2000-2001: $303,870
Other sources of income
Interest from endowment, space rentals, loose plate offerings, reimbursements for a share of utilities and the sexton’s salary by the Lincoln Nursery School, which is housed on the lower level of our Parish House.
Describe the character of the surrounding community
Lincoln is a small (population 5,000), attractive town about fifteen miles west of Boston which started as a farming community. Today, a high percentage of Lincoln residents are professionals commuting to Boston and Cambridge, and the community is mostly residential, though there are still several active farms, including a community farm. There is minimum two-acre zoning for residential property. Most of Lincoln’s residents are white, well-educated, well-to-do, and have a liberal streak – at the polls, Lincoln tends to vote Democratic, and with Walden Pond on its border, the people here are committed to conserving woodlands and open space.
There is very little commercial property in town and no manufacturing. There are three churches in town -- a Catholic church, an Episcopal church, and The First Parish. The public library is located across the street from our sanctuary, and the DeCordova Museum is half a mile away. The public schools are excellent; the elementary and middle schools are located in Lincoln itself, and shares a high school with neighboring Sudbury. Lincoln has a robust community life thanks to a very participatory impulse among its residents, and the town is still governed by an annual Town Meeting in which every resident voter is entitled to participate.
How and when was the congregation founded?
The First Parish in Lincoln is the union of the town’s Congregational and Unitarian churches; the vote to join each other and become one church came in 1942, after six years of conversation. The Congregational church building is now our Parish House, with church offices, meeting rooms, an auditorium with a full stage, church school classrooms, and a five-day-a-week nursery. The original Unitarian church, just 100 yards from the Parish House, now serves as our sanctuary.
The Congregational Church dated back to 1747, and the Unitarian Church to 1842. Relations between the two churches were always friendly, despite some intense doctrinal loyalties. By the mid-1930's, these differences had "dimmed," and on May 25, 1942 both churches simultaneously voted themselves out of existence and into the existing framework of The First Parish in Lincoln.
Note the three or four most important events in the congregation’s history
Does the congregation have a mission – not a mission statement, but a glowing coal at its center – and if so, what is it?
The congregation takes its covenant very seriously: "In the love of truth and in the spirit of Jesus, we unite for the worship of God and the service of all." When the Unitarian and Congregational congregations in Lincoln united to become one church in 1942, this covenant became the cornerstone of our unity. Since then, the congregation has repeatedly chosen to be inclusive, even of contradictory views – to welcome and support people at whatever stage they may be in their own spiritual formation, not only in the Sunday service, but in classes, small groups, and one-to-one time with the ministers. One measure of the impact of this has had is that Lincoln, a town of 5,000, has only three churches (the other two are Roman Catholic and Episcopalian). Members of The First Parish would much rather seek the truth in a large and lively group of friends, even if it sometimes involves saying the prayers, singing the hymns, and hearing the sermons of those with whom they disagree.
Congregational Strengths
Congregational Weaknesses
What congregational issues are most likely to be pressing within the next couple of years?...
...over the next ten years
What congregational issues may never be resolved?
Anything to do with theology. (And we don’t care.)
To what degree does the congregation possess a dominant theology?
We celebrate Winter Solstice as a pagan holiday and both Christmas and Easter as Christian holidays, and most of our members enjoy (or at least tolerate) rituals and imagery which may not appeal to them out of respect for those to whom it does appeal. The congregation is more theistic than humanist, and the story of Jesus as prophet and moral leader is important to a strong majority, but these are more like accent marks than a "dominant theology" in our spiritual life as a congregation.
Describe the role of music and the arts in the life of the congregation.
Music is central to worship. A strong (23-member) volunteer choir led by a professional director of music and plenty of enthusiastic congregational singing characterize most services. The most common artistic talent in the congregation is writing, with painting a close second. Over two dozen members have published books. Prayers, published reflections, and an annual Lenten Booklet written by members are all significant and ongoing features of our parish life. We have over a dozen members whose paintings or photographs are displayed in Boston-area galleries and, in some cases, internationally.
Describe the religious education program for children, youth, and adults.
Children: There are now 172 children registered in our church school (pre-school through eighth grade); attendance is typically just over half that number – and not usually the same half, though some children are very regular. On most Sundays, the children in grades one through six start in the sanctuary with their parents and hear a "children’s reflection" before leaving for their classes. Our seventh and eighth graders meet as "the Breakfast Club," preparing breakfast together in the Parish House kitchen and then sitting together for open discussions about various real life issues. Volunteer members of the parish, of all ages, teach our classes.
The curriculum is continually being evaluated and revised to reflect the diverse beliefs and needs of the congregation. At present, most of the church school curriculum is drawn from UUA sources. The story of Jesus is very important in our congregational life -- there is, for example, an annual Christmas Pageant; but so far we’ve found UCC materials to be too traditionally and aggressively Christian for us, both in language and approach. The church school program is currently overseen by an ordained UUA minister who is serving as a one-year interim.
Our classes include bible stories, lessons in values, explorations of other faiths, and images of God. Our fourth graders receive their own bible at the end of their fourth grade year in recognition of their studies.
Youth: Our ninth graders meet twice a month throughout their ninth grade year for dinner with the senior minister. We call it "the Minister’s Class." In a traditional UCC church, this would be the confirmation class; in many UUA churches, it would be the Coming of Age program. Here it is meant to be a hybrid of the two, with plenty of discussion time for the kids’ own issues. This year’s group has sixteen members. As for grades 10-12, we’ve had very few high schoolers in the church over the past few years because of a demographic blip. That’s now changing, with large groups in every grade coming up through the church school. We have just hired a retired teacher to spend time with our tenth-to-twelfth graders and learn from them what they need from us.
Adults: Over the past several years we have offered adult education classes in bible study (Genesis and Mark), ethics, world religions, prayer, and this spring, on spiritual formation. We are also about to launch a "small group ministry" program – open discussion groups of no more than ten, facilitated by parishoners, who meet monthly with the minister to learn from each other. The primary purpose of these groups is to give people a way to connect more personally with the church by having a place to tell their stories.
LAY LEADERSHIP
In practice, are responsibilities for governance widely shared or confided among relatively few members? Give examples.
Responsibilities for governance are widely shared. The Parish Committee (nine members) serves in a "trustee" role, overseeing the budget, financial considerations, and the overall direction of the parish. The Deacons (nine members) are responsible for the spiritual life and direction of the parish. The Youth Programs Committee (nine members) oversees the church school. The Social Concerns Committee is charged with determining most of the social outreach giving of the parish -- about $60,000 annually. The Stewardship Committee is formed each year to guide and direct the annual stewardship campaign. There are also standing committees for weekly tasks involving congregational life, such as flowers for the sanctuary, the narthex, and the common room adjacent to the sanctuary; and hospitality after the Sunday service. A Music Committee meets regularly to discuss the role of music in the life of the congregation. There are several once-a-year special projects, the Touch of Christmas Fair, and the bi-annual May Market, that involve large numbers of people. This is a very participatory and involved.
Describe the process you used to complete this form.
The Search Committee discussed the questions and arrived at consensus for their responses. The committee also feels that a 1996 Church Profile, created for the search which resulted in the call to our current minister, is still a valuable and accurate picture of the parish. The ‘96 Profile was based on eleven focus group meetings and a survey to which 204 members responded; an updated copy will be mailed to interested candidates.
COMMITTEES:
name the committees that have recently had the greatest success.
All of our committees have been doing strong, effective work this year:
...been the most challenged.
These committees are also doing good work this year, and have faced some real challenges:
MINISTRY
Describe the process by which the minister will be called:
The Search Committee will review profiles as they arrive, send each candidate more information about the church and the position, speak to candidates by phone, and check references. The committee will then select pre-candidates and invite each one individually for an interview and a tour of the community and the church. One or two committee members will also want to hear each pre-candidate preach. After meeting with all pre-candidates, the committee will select one to recommend to the congregation. The candidate will be invited to meet with leaders and members of the congregation and to deliver a sermon at the regular Sunday service. The congregation will then be asked to vote on a motion to call him/her as our new Associate Minister for Education.
Describe the process by which the Search Committee was chosen:
The Search Committee was appointed by the Parish Committee, who made sure that the committee members represented both children’s and adult education interests in the parish.
Assess the capacity of the congregation to exercise forbearance and nurture in assisting a minister’s development.
The church has a long history of nurturing student and intern ministers and has ordained several former students and interns in recent years. This does not mean that the congregation is not highly opinionated – expect feedback!
What expectations, however, silent, may there be about the minister’s family and personal life?
Our new Associate Minister for Education would be free to live in a location of his/her own choosing and would, in any circumstances, be close to a very cosmopolitan Boston area which would offer the opportunity for a wide variety of personal choices. It would be fair to say, however, that personal connections would be easier to make if the Associate Minister could enjoy the informal, family-based social habits of a community that consists overwhelmingly of married couples who are currently raising, or have raised, children.
Describe the worst mistake your new minister could make.
To promote a doctrinaire, "one way" (or "best way") theology that lacks a respect for other faith stances. To do this would be to mistake a remarkable degree of tolerance in the congregation as a form of spiritual mushiness, rather than what it is: an array of widely divergent and strongly-held personal convictions.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
Associate Minister for Education
This is a new full-time ministry for us with an absorbing challenge at its core: how to create and carry out a vibrant education program for children and adults in a church whose membership ranges spiritually from strong humanists to orthodox Christians. With 172 children registered in our church school and many of our adult members interested in their own spiritual formation, we need a minister to help us create a stimulating, non-doctrinaire curriculum for the church school. S/he will also partner with the Senior Minister to create and teach adult ed programs, will preach regularly, and will participate often in the Sunday service. We are considering a part-time assistant (approx. 12-15 hours a week) to help with the church school.
Youth Programs (two-thirds to three-quarters time, September-early June)
Adult Programs
General Ministry
Professional Development
Qualifications and Accountability
An ordained UCC or UUA minister, or ministers with privilege of call in either the UCC or the UUA, with several years’ experience and a special interest in the religious and spiritual education of children and adults. We will also consider profiles from candidates for ordination in either denomination and from candidates with less experience, with the understanding that the salary would be adjusted accordingly.
The Associate Minister for Education will be supervised by the Senior Minister and will be accountable to both the Youth Programs Committee (for the children’s education portion of the position) and to the Deacons (for the adult education portion). The terms "supervision" and "accountability" need to be understood in the context of this church's highly participative, collaborative and team-oriented decision making and operating style.
Salary:
$58,500 - base salary and housing allowance for candidates with several years’ experience; $49,300 for candidates with more limited experience
Pension & Health:
$8,190 - (or $6,803 for candidates with more limited experience -- 13.8% of salary); you can divide this amount between a health plan and pension payments in whatever way best serves your own needs and priorities.
Social Sec. "Offset":
$4,475 - the church will add this amount to your base salary and housing allowance to offset the amount the church would normally pay FICA
Disability:
$600 - can be paid directly to a carrier or will be reimbursed to the minister for disability insurance coverage s/he pays for independently.
Travel:
Travel expenses, whether they are local car travel, public transportation, or air travel for church-related purposes, will be reimbursed up to a cap set by the Parish Committee each year.
Education:
Education expenses such as attending conferences, workshops, and book purchases will be reimbursed up to a cap set by the Parish Committee.
Vacation & Educ. Leave:
4 weeks paid vacation each year; 2 weeks paid educational leave each year.
Sabbatical:
3 months at full pay every five years
Interested candidates should ask the UCC or UUA ministerial settlement offices to send your profile to:
Dwight Gertz, Chair, Search Committee
The First Parish in Lincoln
P.O. Box 6218
Lincoln, MA 01773.
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