Assigning Ministers

It is extremely important to match ministers with the right congregations. The United Brethren church has traditionally used a "stationing committee" to do this. In earlier years, the stationing committee had full authority to move ministers from church to church, and could do this without consulting the minister or the church. This was not a good way to do things, but it seems to have been common in an earlier era.

Today, we still have a stationing committee, which consists of these persons:

• The Bishop.
• The cluster leader or his designate.
• A member of the Pastoral Ministries Leadership Team.
• The chairperson of the local Personnel Relations Commission.

The stationing committee still has the final say in assignments. However, the stationing committee works closely with the churches and ministers. We have moved much closer to a "call" system, where churches are responsible for finding their own minister. But the stationing committee still has the last word.

A variety of materials are available here to help churches and ministers through the assigment process.

The Assignment Process

• Philosophical statements about the process.
• Who can initiate a pastoral change?
• Senior Pastors
• Associate Staff
• Non-UB Ministers
• Other Assignments and Considerations

Agreement of Understanding

It's imporant that a new minister and the congregation understand the expectations and conditions of employment. Too often, clashes occur after a minister has already started serving a church because of conflicting expecations. The "Agreement of Understanding" is intended to prevent such problems.