Master Vigil
Well-Known Member
In my other thread, Davidium discussed that he is in seminary to become a UU minister. I wonder... What does it take to become a UU minister?
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UU Ministry?
- Thread starter Master Vigil
- Start date
Green Gaia
Veteran Member
David would be the best to tell you about it, but I remembered an old thread that Runt had started: The Ministry
Master Vigil
Well-Known Member
Thank you maize, that helped whole heaps!
Davidium
Active Member
I knew I had written on this here before... so I went back and found that post... but when I read it there were a few small places where I was wrong or unclear, so instead of just link you to the old post, I will edit it here to show my fullest understanding as of now.
Here is the edited post...
The first step is to become a Unitarian Universalist. This is not hard... just find a UU congregation that fits you, and become a member. It is required that you not only be a Unitarian Universalist, but that a congregation sponsor you (write a letter saying they support your call) to the UU Ministry.
There are then two separate processes that you must go through to become a UU minister... and both can and need to be conducted at the same time. I have a third process, as my goal is to become a U.S. Army Chaplain.
The UUA has probably one of the most demanding set of requirements for those who seek to become a minister. In most denominations, you can complete the requirements in under 3 years. In the UUA, it is more like a 5 year process.
The first process is the "Master's of Divinity". Now, this is a full Master's degree... and as such a Bachelor's degree is usually required first. You can attend any accredited Theological School, but if you do not attend a UU Seminary, then the UUA has a list of additional courses that UU ministerial students are required to take. (UU Seminaries already teach them). Master's of Divinity degrees that are acceptable are between 72 and 96 credit hours long. Mine will be 96 hours from a UU seminary... but it will involve some of the requirements from the other required process, so it is not as bad as it sounds.
Part of this Master's of Divinity is a "Clinical Pastoral Education" course. This is a semester (or summer) working in a hospital as a Chaplain trainee.
Courses in UU History, UU Theology, Social Action, Pastoral Care, Churchbuilding, etc... are all part of the requirement, on top of normal ones like preaching, counseling, etc...
Generally an acceptable Masters of Divinity will cost around $40,000 to $60,000 depending on the school. There is financial aid available, but it primarily goes to those attending UU Seminaries. (of which there are two).
The second process is what is commonly known as "Fellowship" and called within the UUA as the "Ministerial Fellowship Process". Just finishing a Master's of Divinity does not make you a minister. The process begins with an introduction letter sent to a Regional Sub-committee on Candidacy (RSCC). Upon receipt of this letter, and an initial conversation, you receive the status of "Ministerial Applicant".
You then are required to send in alot of paperwork on yourself, your past, some on finances, and other such documents. You also then have to go through two interviews, the first with a UU Minister, and the second with a member of the UU District Staff. All of these individuals are looking to determine if you are a suitable candidate for UU ministry.
You must also show that you have been admitted to a Seminary for your Master's of Divinity.
If you get good reviews on all those interviews, and all your paperwork is submitted, you then are awarded "Ministerial Aspirant" status. At this level, you become elegible for UU Financial Aid and scholarships. During this time, you complete your first year of Seminary, you go through a series of psychological testing (about 3 days worth, costs 1,200 dollars, but there is financial aid for that as well), begin a reading list required above and beyond your Master's of Divinity, submit more essays and paperwork, and attend a conference or two.
At the end of that year, your Seminary sends the RSCC a report on your performance, your UU Congregation sends an endorsement of you (saying you would make a good UU minister, at the least), and you appear before the RSCC for a Committee style interview.
If you pass all that, then you are awarded "Ministerial Candidate" status. At this level, you are passed from the RSCC to the National level Ministerial Fellowship Committee. You continue your Master's of Divinity, and submit more paperwork. You go through a rather extensive background investigation, and respond to any concerns the MFC might have. You spend 6-9months as an intern under a UU minister who is settled in a UU Church. You complete the reading list, and Graduate from your Masters of Divinity program.
Near the end of all of this process, you appear before the Ministerial Fellowship Committee. You preach a sermon of your own writing, and then you have an hour long interview in front of a committee of about 7 people, ministers and lay members alike. They can ask anything they want to, and they test your knowledge, your understanding of yourself and your faith, your call, and so much more. They have just about your whole life before them in packets they have studied for over a month.
If you pass that, then you are Fellowshipped by the UUA in preliminary Fellowship. Ordination will occur in the first church you serve, or in a covenented agreement with in the case of a community minister or a chaplain. Once you receive Preliminary Fellowship, you are a UU Minister.
At this time, you are assigned a "Mentor" senior minister, and you continue your education in whatever role you take. Your parish/congregation has input over the next few years, and you have three separate reviews by the MFC. After 3-9 years in preliminary fellowship (three successfull reviews), you are then brought into Full Fellowship within the UUA.
It is an amazingly huge and daunting process, and if I didnt know some UU ministers myself, I would swear it was impossible.
But, I will give it a go....
As if this were not enough, I have a third process because of my desire to become a Military Chaplain. I have to go through the same requriements and process of anyone who wishes to become a U.S. Army Officer... send in a packet, appear before a board,a military Physical, Fitness testing, and then, if that all succeeds, a Top Secret/Sensitive compartmented Information clearance investigation, and a 12 week Chaplains Officers Basic Course.
You have to really feel the calling to do what I am going to attempt... else you would be absolutely crazy to even consider it.
Through most of this, you wont have time to work a Full time job. There is much financial aid, but students end up taking on alot of student loans. I am lucky in that the Army will pay for much of this. But most UU ministers begin preliminary Fellowship 40-60 thousand dollars in debt.
However, there are ways around some of these problems, if you are willing to take longer. Schools such as mine (Meadville Lombard Theological School) offer a Modified Residency Program that will allow you to work your normal job, but it does take longer to finish your degree (5-7years). You can also attend seminary part time in your local community, and take online classes from Starr King School for the Ministry. Meadville Lombard will even be offering online classes in the next year or so.
But, the Modified Residency program takes longer and is more expensive. So it is a trade off.
I hope that answers your question, becasue my fingers now hurt....
I stand ready to answer any more questions you might have .
Yours in Faith,
David
Here is the edited post...
The first step is to become a Unitarian Universalist. This is not hard... just find a UU congregation that fits you, and become a member. It is required that you not only be a Unitarian Universalist, but that a congregation sponsor you (write a letter saying they support your call) to the UU Ministry.
There are then two separate processes that you must go through to become a UU minister... and both can and need to be conducted at the same time. I have a third process, as my goal is to become a U.S. Army Chaplain.
The UUA has probably one of the most demanding set of requirements for those who seek to become a minister. In most denominations, you can complete the requirements in under 3 years. In the UUA, it is more like a 5 year process.
The first process is the "Master's of Divinity". Now, this is a full Master's degree... and as such a Bachelor's degree is usually required first. You can attend any accredited Theological School, but if you do not attend a UU Seminary, then the UUA has a list of additional courses that UU ministerial students are required to take. (UU Seminaries already teach them). Master's of Divinity degrees that are acceptable are between 72 and 96 credit hours long. Mine will be 96 hours from a UU seminary... but it will involve some of the requirements from the other required process, so it is not as bad as it sounds.
Part of this Master's of Divinity is a "Clinical Pastoral Education" course. This is a semester (or summer) working in a hospital as a Chaplain trainee.
Courses in UU History, UU Theology, Social Action, Pastoral Care, Churchbuilding, etc... are all part of the requirement, on top of normal ones like preaching, counseling, etc...
Generally an acceptable Masters of Divinity will cost around $40,000 to $60,000 depending on the school. There is financial aid available, but it primarily goes to those attending UU Seminaries. (of which there are two).
The second process is what is commonly known as "Fellowship" and called within the UUA as the "Ministerial Fellowship Process". Just finishing a Master's of Divinity does not make you a minister. The process begins with an introduction letter sent to a Regional Sub-committee on Candidacy (RSCC). Upon receipt of this letter, and an initial conversation, you receive the status of "Ministerial Applicant".
You then are required to send in alot of paperwork on yourself, your past, some on finances, and other such documents. You also then have to go through two interviews, the first with a UU Minister, and the second with a member of the UU District Staff. All of these individuals are looking to determine if you are a suitable candidate for UU ministry.
You must also show that you have been admitted to a Seminary for your Master's of Divinity.
If you get good reviews on all those interviews, and all your paperwork is submitted, you then are awarded "Ministerial Aspirant" status. At this level, you become elegible for UU Financial Aid and scholarships. During this time, you complete your first year of Seminary, you go through a series of psychological testing (about 3 days worth, costs 1,200 dollars, but there is financial aid for that as well), begin a reading list required above and beyond your Master's of Divinity, submit more essays and paperwork, and attend a conference or two.
At the end of that year, your Seminary sends the RSCC a report on your performance, your UU Congregation sends an endorsement of you (saying you would make a good UU minister, at the least), and you appear before the RSCC for a Committee style interview.
If you pass all that, then you are awarded "Ministerial Candidate" status. At this level, you are passed from the RSCC to the National level Ministerial Fellowship Committee. You continue your Master's of Divinity, and submit more paperwork. You go through a rather extensive background investigation, and respond to any concerns the MFC might have. You spend 6-9months as an intern under a UU minister who is settled in a UU Church. You complete the reading list, and Graduate from your Masters of Divinity program.
Near the end of all of this process, you appear before the Ministerial Fellowship Committee. You preach a sermon of your own writing, and then you have an hour long interview in front of a committee of about 7 people, ministers and lay members alike. They can ask anything they want to, and they test your knowledge, your understanding of yourself and your faith, your call, and so much more. They have just about your whole life before them in packets they have studied for over a month.
If you pass that, then you are Fellowshipped by the UUA in preliminary Fellowship. Ordination will occur in the first church you serve, or in a covenented agreement with in the case of a community minister or a chaplain. Once you receive Preliminary Fellowship, you are a UU Minister.
At this time, you are assigned a "Mentor" senior minister, and you continue your education in whatever role you take. Your parish/congregation has input over the next few years, and you have three separate reviews by the MFC. After 3-9 years in preliminary fellowship (three successfull reviews), you are then brought into Full Fellowship within the UUA.
It is an amazingly huge and daunting process, and if I didnt know some UU ministers myself, I would swear it was impossible.
As if this were not enough, I have a third process because of my desire to become a Military Chaplain. I have to go through the same requriements and process of anyone who wishes to become a U.S. Army Officer... send in a packet, appear before a board,a military Physical, Fitness testing, and then, if that all succeeds, a Top Secret/Sensitive compartmented Information clearance investigation, and a 12 week Chaplains Officers Basic Course.
You have to really feel the calling to do what I am going to attempt... else you would be absolutely crazy to even consider it.
Through most of this, you wont have time to work a Full time job. There is much financial aid, but students end up taking on alot of student loans. I am lucky in that the Army will pay for much of this. But most UU ministers begin preliminary Fellowship 40-60 thousand dollars in debt.
However, there are ways around some of these problems, if you are willing to take longer. Schools such as mine (Meadville Lombard Theological School) offer a Modified Residency Program that will allow you to work your normal job, but it does take longer to finish your degree (5-7years). You can also attend seminary part time in your local community, and take online classes from Starr King School for the Ministry. Meadville Lombard will even be offering online classes in the next year or so.
But, the Modified Residency program takes longer and is more expensive. So it is a trade off.
I hope that answers your question, becasue my fingers now hurt....
Yours in Faith,
David
Master Vigil
Well-Known Member
Thank you David, that answered almost all of my questions. (I say almost because I know I will have more, just not now. 
). In all, it actually seems simpler than going for Catholic priesthood, so that's cool. I have much meditating to do, thank you oh so much.
Dan
). In all, it actually seems simpler than going for Catholic priesthood, so that's cool. I have much meditating to do, thank you oh so much.Dan