At first, I had my mind set on this coming fall. When I crossed the threshold back from sabbatical, I dove in and started putting together a congregational profile and looking through all the materials for getting on the list of internship sites. As I did so, I realized I had to revise my sense of timeline. In my excitement, I also charged a little bit ahead of collaborative relationship.  

I loved the reflections shared on Sunday by some of our younger community members. Especially the pieces about learning more deeply what Unitarian Universalism really is by being engaged in Unitarian Universalism, here in our congregation and also in broader UU spaces. Being a covenantal religion—without a defining doctrine or creed—is truly only possible in trusted relationship with other human beings. I’m not sure how one would grow a deeper sense of covenant without engaging in relationships where covenant matters.

And in that sense, we are all continually growing and learning. Having a philosophy about love is one thing. It’s another thing entirely to be committed to a community where we offer and receive love and care from one another. And a community that is committed to continually learning more and more deeply how to be the embodiment of our values in the world is the kind of place where I would want someone in ministerial formation to spend a bit of time.

Over the past two years, I’ve been honored to serve as a mentor or remote supervisor for a couple of ministerial candidates. I find that the conversations keep my own sense of ministry fresh, and we wrestle together with some of the places where our Unitarian Universalist theologies conflict with the cultures of our communities. We each deepen our definition of spiritual leadership through that mentoring relationship. So, I feel energized and hopeful about our congregation inviting a ministerial candidate to spend time with us as an intern.

But that invitation is not mine to make alone. By taking things at a slower pace, we can take time as a community to prepare for the opportunity and honor to help raise a minister. We can collectively affirm mutual understanding about what it means to be a teaching and learning community. And, on the practical side, I can invite partnership with an internship committee—five congregants who will not only collaborate on the application and interview process, but who will also meet with a ministerial intern monthly and hold their formation in care. The work begins over the summer, with some conversation about how our partnership will be shaped and creating a congregational profile on the UUA’s internship clearinghouse.    

I’m excited that we already have one committed member on the internship committee! And I’ll be reaching out to a few of you specifically in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, though, if you have a passion for being a meaningful part of a UU minister’s formation journey, I encourage you to reach out so we can talk in more detail about what’s involved. 

No one is Unitarian Universalist alone. We are all formed and transformed by our relationships. Covenantal community can’t work any other way. Thank you all for being a place where we get to learn together what interdependence really means. And for being a community that can continue to shape the future of Unitarian Universalist ministry.