Cottage Meetings Summary

The Ministerial Search Committee held twelve open meetings in addition to five focus groups with the choir, Humanists/Freethinkers, staff, Women’s Alliance, and young adult group, as a way to gather information about our congregation and allow congregants to more fully participate in the search process. The meeting agenda and facilitator tools allowed for deep listening and exchange of thoughts in a group format. See the full agenda here. One hundred thirty-nine (139) members of our community participated in Cottage Meetings or Focus Groups (some may have participated more than once and have been double-counted). The findings from these meetings have helped us to form a clear picture of who we are, our experiences, and aspirations for the future. This information will help guide the committee in choosing our next settled minister.

Value words

We started each meeting by asking attendees to share, in one word, something that they value about our congregation. We have created a word cloud based on these responses. The size of the font is proportional to the number of times the term was mentioned.

Who are we?

Many of us feel a strong sense of community at UUCB, and we find comfort and joy in our relationships here. Words like ‘community’, ‘friendship’, and ‘comfort’ were mentioned more than 45 times. Our liberal UU values are an important part of what binds us together. Forty-three (43) attendees shared the sentiment that our church is a safe and welcoming place, accepting of different beliefs and open to exchange of new ideas. Thirty-nine (39) people mentioned our energy and action around social justice and activism in the community, and 23 more mentioned programming for members, or the greater Bloomington community. Chalice circles and religious education offerings were mentioned by 23 people, and nearly 20 more specifically mentioned our music program. Nine (9) people mentioned valuing children and youth. Five (5) more said they value our ability to respectfully disagree. The Search Committee noticed much unity and positivity around what was precious and good here, while there was more variety and discussion around our struggles and shortcomings.

Around 30 attendees mentioned that a lack of a clear decision-making process and transparency from leadership, poor communication, inability to deal with conflict, and need for better resolutions around our past organizational traumas are causing us to struggle. Fourteen (14) people specifically mentioned concern around the organization and retention of staff roles. Thirty-two (32) people said that we fall short of our desire to be welcoming to newcomers, families with young children, or those with disabilities.Twenty-five (25) people expressed disappointment around opportunities for children, youth, and young adults. Twelve (12) people suggested that we are losing our identity, resting on our laurels, or are stuck in our old ways of doing things without a clear mission to guide us into the future. Eleven (11) people mentioned seeing a lack of diversity within the congregation, and 5 attendees used specific behavioral labels like ‘tokenism’ and ‘white savior complex’. Additionally, 10 people mentioned there has been low attendance and involvement after covid, and that those who volunteer regularly are spread too thin. Seven (7) people mentioned a lack of connection or visibility in the greater Bloomington community, and 6 more mentioned being concerned about the church’s financial stability and overall sustainability for future generations. We disagree about the ideal amount of intellectual, cultural, spiritual, and inspirational content in services (about 2-5 mentions per category), and 6 people mentioned wanting to see more member involvement in services. Other mentions (fewer than 5 each) included: silos (especially in social justice), pastoral care, and poor outreach, among others.

What are our aspirations

Thirty-nine (39) attendees mentioned embracing the idea of different kinds of services where we can be excited, moved, intellectually challenged, inspired to act on our values, learn and grow. Eight (8) attendees mentioned interest in holding services on different days of the week, at different times of day, in different languages, or with innovative use of music and technology. Six (6) people mentioned being interested in seeing more services that are led by guests to our church or lay-leaders, including UUCB youth.

Thirty-seven (37) people said they want to see more families, young adults, youth, and children, drawn in and retained with plentiful high-quality programming. Thirty-five (35) people said they want us to be a welcoming community overall, with high levels of racial, cultural, economic, and LGBTQIA+ diversity. Twenty-nine (29) people said they want us to have a strong presence out in the community, serving as a role model for social justice work and inclusivity for other religions and cultures.

Nine (9) people mentioned wanting an active building and grounds with sufficient parking and unique amenities open to the community. Eight (8) participants expressed a desire to see more involvement from members in the workings of the church, and 7 mentioned wanting financial stability for the long-term. Other mentions (less than 5 each) in discussing our aspirations: comprehensive staffing (including dedicated positions for children/families and campus outreach), strong leadership, more social activities, and our national role, among other topics.

What do we want and need in a settled minister?

To help us become the congregation that we want to be, 38 attendees mentioned wanting a minister who unites us and helps focus our energy through strong organizational leadership; who communicates, manages, delegates, and handles conflict with confidence and maturity.Twenty-five (25) people mentioned that as the face of our church, we would like for them to have an approachable, dynamic presence in the community and be someone that people want to follow, who is able to connect with many different kinds of people. Attendees also mentioned wanting this person to have lots of energy (more than 20 mentions), a passion for social justice work (just under 20 mentions), and a sense of humor (12 mentions).

Twenty (20) people mentioned wanting to see a minister who is creative in their preparation of services, allowing for moments that are inspirational (17 mentions), spiritual/emotional (10 mentions), or educational (7 mentions), while doing their best to remain accessible and inclusive for all people, regardless of age, intellectual background, or economic status. Fourteen (14) people specifically mentioned wanting strong sermons and preaching; our ideas vary on what makes for good preaching, but it's clear that it's a valued skill.

More than 20 people mentioned a desire for specific personality traits or social skills, such as wanting them to be humble, genuine and sincere, ideally with the ability to make deeper personal connections with individual members, including our children and elders. More than 20 more mentioned wanting this person to have high emotional intelligence, work well with others, and be open to collaboration and personal growth opportunities. Other recurring mentions were a desire for fostering intergenerational relationships (12 mentions) and a connection with the Bloomington community (9 mentions), among others.

Final Thoughts…

Our congregation is large, with diverse opinions, passions, interests, and needs. We recognize that no one person is able to check all the boxes and meet all the needs all the time. While we do have high expectations, we understand that ministers are humans, and no human is perfect. We are excited to welcome a human minister who has strengths and weaknesses, and we are preparing ourselves for the inevitable ‘gap’ that will need to be filled by our own members’ talents, skills, and energy. We welcome the impending opportunities to collaborate with our next minister to create what we wish to see here, and we are excited for the challenge and push towards deeper learning and growth that will be involved.