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In a comprehensive effort to reimagine the transitions system for Unitarian Universalist ministers and dismantle barriers that prevent full inclusion in the religious leadership of the faith, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) launched the Transitions Review Task Force (TRTF) in June 2025.
The UUA helps to connect ministers searching for a position with congregations that want to find a minister. The task force was appointed by Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt, UUA president, to examine transitions practices and systems holistically among settled, contract, interim, and developmental ministries.
The task force is charged with producing a report to the UUA by March 1, 2027, which will allow time for further comments before a final report is presented to the broader UU public as part of General Assembly 2027 in June.
The timeline is also designed to allow for the implementation of recommendations during the 2027–28 ministerial search cycle.
The task force is currently engaged in outreach to a variety of key constituencies, including fellowshipped ministers, congregational leaders, UUA and UU Ministers Association (UUMA) leaders and staff, and others, including through interviews, a survey to ministers and congregations, and more. It has also interviewed leaders from other denominations about their ministerial transitions process.
Key issues the task force is addressing include:
- How the transitions process should balance competing needs and priorities between ministers and congregations;
- Exploring current barriers to settled ministry both for ministers and congregations;
- How the process can better support ministers from identity groups that have historically been underserved or harmed by being in search to match with and sustain thriving ministries.
“As we continue to implement the recommendations from the Widening the Circle of Concern report, it is time to take a serious look at the work to dismantle the barriers that are preventing full inclusion in the religious leadership of our faith,” the task force states. One of its core commitments is ensuring that transition systems are transparent and equitable, especially for the most marginalized communities.
“We have had a tremendous response to our request to interview people about their stories and ideas,” said Rev. Roger Bertschausen, developmental lead minister at Unity Temple UU Congregation in Oak Park, Illinois, who co-chairs the task force with Rev. Connie Simon, interim minister of River Road UU Congregation in Bethesda, Maryland. As the task force gathers input from key constituents, “We continue to prioritize reaching out to groups and organizations of ministers who hold identities that have been historically marginalized,” Bertschausen added.
Others on the task force are Rev. Christe Lunsford, Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Stevens, Rev. Latifah Griffin, Rev. Krista Taves, Rev. Katie Romano Griffin, Rev. Shari Quan, and Rev. Luke Stevens-Royer.
Its report will include analysis of how current and previous transitions processes and systems have served the needs of both congregations and ministers, with special attention to how ministers from particular groups (including BIPOC ministers, trans and nonbinary ministers, and new ministers) have been underserved or harmed by past practices.
It will offer concrete recommendations, if applicable, about needed repairs for past harm, and concrete recommendations developed with key UUA staff that detail an approach that serves the needs and realities of both ministers and congregations.
Related Business Resolutions Voted at GA
The online gathering marked the first half of this year’s ‘Everywhere GA.’
General Assembly 2026, Meet the Moment: Together Everywhere, June 14–21, included two business items related to ministerial matters, both proposed by Ed Klein of First Parish Brewster UU in Brewster, Massachusetts.
The first asked the UUA to charge a task force with recommending updates to Ministerial Fellowship Committee (MFC) policies and rules for interim and developmental ministers. It passed with 70.4 percent of delegates in support and 29.6 percent opposed.
According to the UUA’s Ministry Search Handbook, interim ministry helps congregations process transition, address unproductive practices, and prepare for new leadership, while developmental ministry serves congregations with repeated short ministries, chronic conflict, or systemic issues, requiring more time to make structural or cultural changes.
The other business item sought to amend UUA bylaws and rules to limit the authority to place a minister on hold from settlement, interim, or contract searches to the UUA Ministerial Fellowship Committee or Board of Trustees. The proposed amendment was not adopted, with 85.3 percent against and 14.7 percent in favor.