Search Committee -- Nominating Guidelines

Notes on Gathering A Search Committee
Illinois Conference, United Church of Christ

Seek to have people who understand that the search is a discernment process and not a “hiring” or “corporate hiring” process. Both the conference and the candidate are seeking to discern God’s will and hear God’s call. Committee members need to be open to God’s Spirit.

Find people who can and will dedicate the amount of time needed to do the task correctly. In the formation period this would likely be a meeting once every 6 weeks.

Always choose the best people. Don’t accept volunteers.

The search committee needs to include someone who is skilled at taking minutes. At least one person on the search committee should be a member of the Conference Council, and there should be a reasonable expectation that person will remain on Conference Council through the search process.

Persons need to be able to maintain confidentiality, as this is of uppermost importance. It is critical members of the search committee leave all progress reports and, indeed, all other pronouncements to the chair of the search committee.

Persons need to be of good will and willing to respect the opinions of others, and they need to be willing to express their own opinions.

A chaplain and secretary will be selected at the first meeting of the Search Committee.

Key tasks of the Search Committee are
Establishing the Conference Profile
Learning the conference’s history
Learning the qualities and characteristics of the conference
Coming to terms with the recent past
Become familiar with UCC polity
To receive and review candidate profiles with the best interest of the
To give regular progress reports to the Conference Council
To offer a call and to recommend the candidate to Conference Council

Members of the search committee will be willing:

To make a commitment of time and energy that may be required over the next twelve to twenty four months
To determine the meeting schedule
To plan 100% attendance at scheduled meetings

The search committee should be representative of and embody the rich diversity of the conference.

Search Committee Formation

Search Committee
Conference Minister, Illinois Conference,
United Church of Christ


At the February 16, 2008 meeting the Conference Council of the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ established a process for calling a conference minister search committee.

The search committee will be called as follows: One each from Eastern, Western, Prairie, and Fox Valley associations, and 2 from the Chicago Metropolitan Association.

To assure diversity (age, gender, laity/ordained, racial, ethnicity, sexual orientation), Conference Council will select 6 additional members of the search committee from a pool Conference Council will create.

Important Dates

Candidates recommended by Conference Council
Email to the conference president at h.harmison@sbcglobal.net
March 15, 2008

Candidates recommended by the association
Email to the conference president at h.harmison@sbcglobal.net
March 22, 2008

Conference Council will begin the selection process on March 29, 2008.

It is the intent to commission the conference minister search committee at the annual meeting of the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ

If there are questions, please don’t hesitate to address them to me at h.harmison@sbcglobal.net

Peace,

Harold Harmison
President, Illinois Conference, United Church of Christ

January News -- Interim Conference Minister Search

The Interim Conference Minister Search Committee, called in accordance with the Illinois Conference constitution includes the following members/associations. Please note that two members were added to the committee in order to have each Association represented:

Harold Harmison, Conference President, Eastern Association
Rev. Wanda Seydel, Conference Vice president, Western Association
Sammie Dortch, Personnel Committee Chair, Chicago Metropolitan Association
Carol Holden, moderator, Fox Valley Association
Rev. Judy Harris, Associate Pastor. First Congregational United Church of Christ in DeKalb, Prairie Association. Rev. Harris was selected by the Prairie Association to replace Rev. Rita Root who resigned to assume the call to be CMA's interim Co-Minister.

Although the Committee meets with Lorin Cope, Minister of Conference Relations, National Church Office, his role is strictly advisory in that he gathers profiles and answers process questions. The selection of the interim Conference Minister is the committee's responsibility.

We will continue to communicate with you as this process moves forward. Please, include us in your prayers.

The Interim Conference Minister Search Committee