The United Church of Christ is a diverse theological community comprising over a million church members, gathered into approximately 5,500 local churches. Those congregations covenant with one another through local associations and conferences of the United Church of Christ. At its national setting, the United Church of Christ strives to equip church members, churches, associations, conferences and affiliated bodies to effectively fulfill their mission and ministries.
The Ministerial Excellence, Support & Authorization Ministry Team (MESA), located within the Local Church Ministries Covenanted Ministry of the UCC, focuses specifically on supporting authorized ministers in the United Church of Christ. According to the Constitution and By-laws of the UCC, authorization includes Ordination, Commissioning, and Licensure. The sanctioning of authorization is housed in local associations or in conferences acting as associations. The process of determining authorization and subsequent standing is housed in Committees on Ministry. Therefore, the Ministerial Excellence, Support & Authorization team has as its primary constituents: persons pursuing the pathway to authorization in the UCC, authorized ministers, and Committees on Ministry. Associations and Conferences are integral to these covenants and play appropriate roles in all procedures.
The Ministerial Excellence, Support & Authorization team works in a collaborative model to meet the needs of these constituents. Duties and responsibilities of each MESA team member are included below. Also included are lists of ministerial partners within the United Church of Christ with whom MESA team members work in order to fulfill their duties and responsibilities. The lists of ministerial partners are not designed to be exhaustive and will evolve and change over time.
Team Job Descriptions
Ministers seeking a call in the United Church of Christ
Churches and organizations seeking United Church of Christ leadership
Those
considering
ministry in the United Church of Christ
For those considering
their vocation and a possible call to authorized ministry
For ministers of other traditions considering service in
the United Church of Christ
For congregations considering ministry with the United
Church of Christ
Committees on the Ministry and
Conference and Association leaders
Local
church leaders and ministers
Ministers
in varied organizational settings (chaplains
and other specialized ministry)
Undergraduate
or seminary students and applicants
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Results from the "On-Line Survey for Search and Call"
The United Church of Christ is currently engaged in revising the Search and Call process. Four major aspects of the process are being looked at; the Employment Opportunities listing, the Searchable Ministerial Profiles Database (accessed only by Conference Staff), the Ministerial Profile and the Local Church Profile. Long-range visioning is also taking place. Surveys were developed to gather information from the wider church.
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"The gifts Christ gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ." - Ephesians 4:11-12
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Save the Date: Authorizing Ministry for the 21st Century: AM21 (the event formally known as Search and Call) will be held December 4th-7th 2012 in New Orleans. This event is specifically for conference staff of the United Church of Christ.
