By Kirk Bogue, Southern Region Communications Task Force
The Elder Model is part of The Work of growing Unitarian Universalism that the UUA’s Southern Region began earnestly in December 2010. UUA Southern Region district boards, working with UUA Trustees, UUA Administration, and professional staff deemed then that there needed to be a more effective way to serve member congregations and covenanted communities, the larger UU faith, and the world around us than the current district structure. It was then that they aligned and committed to The Work they would undertake to implement more effective and impactful ways of being together. The Elder Model is one component of The Work envisioned to be implemented with formal support from congregations at District Annual Assemblies across the Southern Region in April 2015.
Imagine that your congregation begins formally recognizing Elders in your congregation and that it supports some of them to serve beyond your congregation’s walls as Regional Elders. The Congregational Elders you support could be youth, young adults, or people of any other age. Elders are trusted and influential members of your congregation, who are able to articulate and teach the UU faith, have demonstrated that they understand and embody the shared covenant of the UU faith, and are able to call people back to covenant. Regional Elders are Congregational Elders sponsored by their congregation to serve the larger UUA more broadly - they stay in right relations with their home congregation, live UU values daily, and have a good relationship with other UU congregations or covenanted UU communities their congregation collaborates with. Their role is to serve the faith in a regional capacity, to represent the larger UUA at events to include building dedications, ordinations, installations, anniversaries, or other events that could occur. Additionally, they’d join one strong body of Regional Elders of all ministry types, such as ministers, professional staff and lay leaders. It’s expected that Elders would both understand and appreciate the honor and responsibility conveyed to them.
If there were a sermon just prior to a ceremony in which a congregation formalized its support of particular members as Elders, it would likely discuss the spiritual and practical responsibilities a UU congregation has to develop and recognize leaders within its own walls and to sponsor some of them to serve their faith beyond the boundaries of the congregation. The message about this sacred responsibility would be simple. “It’s not enough that a congregation’s only involvement with other congregations is with The UUA when a vote is held at its annual General Assembly. The world will have more love, peace and justice when congregations work collaboratively with each other on selected causes where the combined force of their effort can make a colossal difference.”
If the application of the Unitarian Universalism is essential to lifting up and solving complex issues society faces, doesn’t our faith call us individually and collectively to bring that kind of leadership and organization to bear?
The Southern Region Communications Task Force includes Margie Manning (Florida District), Carrie Stewart (SWUUC), Kirk Bogue (MidSouth), and Chris Reid (Florida), working in shared ministry with Kathy McGowan (Congregational Life Staff member), and Christine Purcell (Communications/IT Specialist).
