Ministry settings are as diverse as our ministers: Supporting Ministers in Specialized Settings – May 2025 Featured COMma Article

Ministry settings are as diverse as our ministers: Supporting Ministers in Specialized Settings

Committee on Ministry members have a perspective of our ministers that many in Associations and Conferences do not have. COMs interface not only with ministers in churches, but also those who are called to minister in specialized settings in the wider community. Inspired by a call to ministry through their experience in local churches and beyond, ministers in specialized settings serve in medical centers, the military, mental health, community ministries, nonprofits, educational settings, as parish nurses, in Conference/Association Offices, national ministries and more. A blessing to our churches and communities, these ministers serve in ways that we may not always see, but they are there serving in the name of God and on behalf of the United Church of Christ.

In the 2024 end of year review of data from the UCC Database and Directories (DAD, formerly the Data Hub), 1,059 clergy across the United Church of Christ are serving, at least part-time, in a specialized setting. That means that 15-20% of our authorized ministers are serving in a specialized setting and that number is increasing. This is a shift in the ministerial landscape of the past. The Minnesota Conference has the largest number of ministers in specialized settings in the UCC with 85 listed in the Database and Directories.

These ministers have specialized gifts that are much needed in the world, and in Conference, Association and Local Church settings. They bring expansive gifts and training, for example: specialized training in diversity, equity and inclusion practices, conflict resolution, community-wide mission development, and degrees in other disciplines. They are uniquely rooted in their community and these strong connections strengthen the work of the church in the world.

Unfortunately, at times these ministers can be left out of Association or Conference opportunities because their ministry settings may not allow time off to attend wider church gatherings or their schedule isn’t that of a Local Church minister. Some are serving in a community where there isn’t a nearby UCC church, or their schedule conflicts with Sunday morning attendance, or a requirement of their ministry is to attend many churches within a given community. For these reasons and more, COMs often need to make a special effort to connect with and support ministers in specialized settings.

Questions for further reflection:

1. Do you have an up-to-date list of Ministers in Specialized Settings serving in your Association/Conference?
2. Do they have Four (or more) Way Covenants? How are they supported in developing their covenants and how often are they renewed?
3. Has your Association or Conference listed Ministers in Specialized Settings in the new Database and Directories (DAD) to reflect their current ministry (the ability to do this is upcoming soon)?
4. What supports are available specifically for those serving in Specialized Settings? Communities of Practice or other kinds of support groups?
5. How can you more deeply connect your clergy in Local Churches with their colleagues in Specialized Settings for support and encouragement that flows in both directions?
6. Are there ways that your COM, Association and Conference could modify gathering practices and schedules to support inclusion of ministers in specialized settings in the wider work of the church?