UU fellowships in Amsterdam, Geneva and Basel
The first year as an Intern Minister was a creative and ambitious plan to serve three separate UU fellowships. They are all lay-led, less than 50 active members and geographically very distant from one another. The reason for this was that, since the fellowships only meet for worship once a month, having more than one site would allow me more opportunities for regular preaching and engagement. Aside from the inherent challenges of regular traveling, this experience showed me how seemingly similar systems can have very different characteristics, demographics, cultures, rhythms challenges and strengths. I learned how to balance time between the three congregations, planning worship in different formats with different teams, structures and even theological focus.
As there had never been a regular ministry presence at any of the locations, I was able to provide much-needed pastoral care, ceremonies and rituals, and help to create programs using a lens of ‘right-sizing/capacity’ in program development decisions in important ways, and to help congregations understand the difference between technical and adaptive issues. These were the key leadership issues for program development with the three Fellowships rather than on designing/developing/evaluating.
Though there is no paid staff, I brought pastoral care and conflict management skills to a number of volunteer leadership issues in each of the Fellowships which I expect will be remembered with positivity over the long-term. All three Fellowships struggle with powerful dreams that compete with real capacity issues. I helped the volunteers to see how what they bring is already incredibly valuable. Recognising the complexities of moving from a Lay-person into ministerial leadership and authority, I brought strong boundaries and complex understanding to Fellowship relationships with local ordained clergy in a skillful way, so as not to negatively impact existing relationships.
All told, this one year of Intern Ministry experience was an intensive package of multi-faceted learning, and had a lasting impact on me as well as the congregations I was fortunate to serve. I am pleased to still be able to engage with them occasionally as a visiting minister and see how they continue to develop.
Photo above: Keizersgracht Church, Amsterdam, where Netherlands UU fellowship meets.
As there had never been a regular ministry presence at any of the locations, I was able to provide much-needed pastoral care, ceremonies and rituals, and help to create programs using a lens of ‘right-sizing/capacity’ in program development decisions in important ways, and to help congregations understand the difference between technical and adaptive issues. These were the key leadership issues for program development with the three Fellowships rather than on designing/developing/evaluating.
Though there is no paid staff, I brought pastoral care and conflict management skills to a number of volunteer leadership issues in each of the Fellowships which I expect will be remembered with positivity over the long-term. All three Fellowships struggle with powerful dreams that compete with real capacity issues. I helped the volunteers to see how what they bring is already incredibly valuable. Recognising the complexities of moving from a Lay-person into ministerial leadership and authority, I brought strong boundaries and complex understanding to Fellowship relationships with local ordained clergy in a skillful way, so as not to negatively impact existing relationships.
All told, this one year of Intern Ministry experience was an intensive package of multi-faceted learning, and had a lasting impact on me as well as the congregations I was fortunate to serve. I am pleased to still be able to engage with them occasionally as a visiting minister and see how they continue to develop.
Photo above: Keizersgracht Church, Amsterdam, where Netherlands UU fellowship meets.