Vision of Shared Ministry for 2025 – 2026
Post Authors
Rev. Diana Smith, Minister and Sarah Ross, Board of Trustees President
Each summer the Board of Trustees, with input from staff and teams, develops a Vision of Shared Ministry for the coming congregational year. The annual Vision of Shared Ministry provides direction and high-level goals to the minister, staff, and lay leaders as they develop programs and initiatives that are in line with the overall UUS mission and vision. It builds on conversations from many areas of the congregation about emerging trends and needs that we’re recognizing in the congregation and wider community. It is intended to serve as a framework to guide and inspire the congregation rather than being a checklist of todo items.
We’re excited to share with you our Vision of Shared Ministry for August 2025 – July 2026. The Board developed this vision in July based on input gathered from staff and ministry team leads in June and July.
This year’s Vision of Shared Ministry continues building on many of the themes from the last few years but also reflects how we’ve been growing as a congregation and the challenging times we find ourselves in.We hope that you’ll join us in engaging with this vision over the coming congregational year in a variety of ways.
In Community,
Rev. Diana Smith, Minister
Sarah Ross, Board of Trustees President
We will nurture our capacity to live out our mission and values.
We will focus our efforts, develop clear priorities, and respect limits to staff and volunteer time and energy. We will cultivate leaders and encourage cycles of rest and renewal. We will reduce barriers to participation, helping new and existing members and friends engage more easily with the shared life, work, and spiritual development of the congregation. We will creatively and compassionately engage in difficult conversations and conflict as we lean into our covenantal tradition. We will continue our anti-oppression work by practicing patience, resisting perfectionism, and cultivating open-mindedness together.
We will help meet critical needs of our neighbors.
We will provide a beacon and a sanctuary for those seeking meaningful connections or a refuge from social or political oppression. We will build bonds with allied groups in our surrounding community, helping develop coalitions of faith communities and other allied organizations. We will be visible in the public sphere. We will use our building to enhance our mission and partnerships. Given needs we are aware of, and capacities we already have in place, we will support families with children, finding out about and attending to gaps in the state and our local community (e.g., child care, limits on topics for education).
We will continue to build our financial sustainability.
We will continue to work to balance our budget. We will refine and develop our annual stewardship and fundraising. We will grow our long-term stewardship through the endowment, planned giving, and other strategies. We will be good ancestors.
