{"id":615,"date":"2006-09-05T22:21:47","date_gmt":"2006-09-06T02:21:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/blog\/?p=615"},"modified":"2007-03-02T15:49:20","modified_gmt":"2007-03-02T20:49:20","slug":"if-youre-in-search","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/blog\/?p=615","title":{"rendered":"If you’re in search…"},"content":{"rendered":"

This afternoon, I got a telephone call from another minister. She had heard from a mutual minister friend that I was a good person to ask about going into search for a new congregation. I told her that it was sadly true, I do indeed know a great deal about searching for a new congregation because I spent three years in search, made lots of mistakes, got lots of practice, and finally wound up in a great congregation. I gave her some advice, and just for fun I’m listing six pieces of that advice here — for the amusement of other ministers, Search Committees, and those interested laypeople who would like an insider’s view of the current search process in the Unitarian Universalist Association.<\/p>\n

1. Sell yourself.<\/em><\/p>\n

The settlement process for Unitarian Universalist ministers is now totally open and transparent. That’s a polite way of saying that the settlement process is basically a open marketplace. In a marketplace, you have to sell yourself. That doesn’t mean you have to use high-pressure, dishonest sales tactics — when I worked in sales, I found low-key relationship-building to be my best sales tool — but I don’t care how good a minister you are, if you don’t sell yourself, these days you’re unlikely to get a good job.<\/p>\n

Everything else I say follows from this first premise.<\/p>\n

2. Check out the congregations that other ministers are ignoring.<\/em><\/p>\n

This year, as is true every year, there will be a few congregations that are considered desirable by lots of ministers in search. If it’s considered a “prominent” congregation, i.e., medium-big or large with a substantial salary package near a desirable metropolitan area, you’ll be competing with thirty or forty other ministers for the vacant position. But remember that many of these “prominent” congregations are more dysfunctional and soul-destroying than the less “prominent” congregations. When I was in sales, I looked for the markets other salespeople were ignoring — they snickered at me, but I wound up being top gross and top net in my department. Go thou and do likewise. Check your ego at the door and look for a less “prominent” congregation where you can do some good ministry. The brass ring is not a “prominent” congregation, it’s a congregation where you will grow and thrive and have a good time.<\/p>\n

3. Look at congregations in the Midwest.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Midwest is one of those markets the others are ignoring. Yet from personal experience, I can tell you that ministers are not respected and religion is culturally unimportant on the West Coast, and in the Northeast people often take their churches and ministers for granted — whereas in the Midwest ministers are held in relatively high respect in the surrounding culture. Sure, there are anti-clerical and dysfunctional congregations in the Midwest, but on average people just care<\/em> about churches and ministers in the Midwest in a way that never happens in New England or California. (I am told this is also true for the Southern United States.)<\/p>\n

4. The materials you produce at each stage of the search process function as different kinds of sales tools.<\/em><\/p>\n

Of course you should always be scrupulously honest about yourself and your goals for your ministry. Having said that, here’s my take on how to sell yourself at different stages of the search process:<\/p>\n