How are Unitarian Universalist ministers selected and trained?
Technically, UU congregations are free to call whomever they wish to be ministers of their religious communities. However, most all UU churches or societies or fellowships select from a group of ministers that have been approved by the Ministerial Fellowship Committee of the UUA. To obtain approval from this committee, ministers must have earned a Masters of Divinity degree from an accredited theological school, completed a year of supervised internship, read materials from a required reading list, completed a course of clinical training in pastoral care, and met other requirements before interviewing in front of the committee itself.
There are two specifically Unitarian Universalist seminaries in the United States: Meadville/Lombard Theological School in Chicago, IL and Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, CA. Many UU ministers are graduates of these schools, but there also are many who graduate from other seminaries that are non-denominational.
