"The General Minister and President, who shall be an Ordained Minister of the United Church of Christ or a person with ordained ministerial partner standing, is called to ministry in and on behalf of the United Church of Christ upon election by the General Synod."   (UCC Constitution and Bylaws paragraph 209)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In June of 2009 the United Church of Christ will be electing a new General Minister and President.

This will be a wonderful and challenging opportunity in ministry for someone with courage, vision, humility and patience.  The General Minister and President (GMP) is expected to be pastor, prophet, priest and administrator:  one who can lead and follow, inspire and reflect, encourage and be bold in representing the gospel in the public arena and the ecumenical community, where the voice of the United Church of Christ is important.

As a search committee we are now beginning the process of discernment to find the one whom we feel God is preparing and equipping for this important role in the life of our denominational family.  We are looking for a leader who is firmly based in faith in God, bold enough to walk in the Spirit and who proclaims Jesus Christ as the head of the Church.  We need a visionary who can guide the long-range planning for the United Church of Christ.  We need a person with spiritual maturity and a collegial style who also has the ability to be the chief administrator of the church.  We need someone with integrity who inspires trust and is flexible. 

The General Minister and President should be someone with broad leadership experience in the UCC; one who knows and respects the history, traditions and covenants which have shaped and sustained the United Church of Christ.  It is also important that the person in this role embraces the denomination as a multi-racial, multi-cultural, accessible to all, open and affirming, peace with justice church.

For those interested in applying, an application and contact information are linked here. 
If you know of someone whom you think would be an excellent candidate, please encourage them to apply. 

The UCC is an Equal Opportunity Employer, we hope for, encourage, are committed to and expect a pool of candidates that reflects the diversity of God's people.

Questions may be addressed to:  gmpsearch@aol.com

Prayerfully, with anticipation and hope,

The Rev. Dr. Henry T. Simmons
Chair, General Minister and President Search Committee 

A Progress Report of the Work of the General Minister and President Search Committee

Early in 2008, the General Minister and President Search Committee met together in Cleveland to begin its work.  At the outset, we expressed a deep appreciation for the leadership of the current General Minister and President, John H. Thomas.   We were tremendously aware of the enormity of the task before us. Our work was grounded in worship and prayer.

In that meeting, we reviewed the General Minister and President position description and proposed revisions to it to the Executive Council and subsequently to Office of General Ministries Personnel Committee.  We also made critical decisions about the application process and the documents that would be required of those applying.

In the ensuing months, we have done our work by conference call and email. We have worked diligently to surface and to cultivate a broad pool of candidates.  The position was advertised in United Church of Christ publications and in other places where readers might possess the necessary gifts. Contacts were made, more than 100 letters sent to leaders across the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  These letters either invited persons to consider applying themselves, or to suggest worthy candidates.  In addition, we also had personal conversations with many people to invite them to consider applying for the position.  The pool of those contacted was deep and wide.  Many of these leaders spent significant time in discernment before deciding whether or not to apply or suggest another candidate thoughtfully.

As a search committee we were pleased that the September 2 deadline produced a diverse candidate pool.  We are currently evaluating the materials that were submitted and are engaged in the process of moving toward telephone interviews in November and face-to-face interviews in February.  We anticipate having a candidate to present to Executive Council in March 2009.

Please hold us in your prayers.