Visioning Task Force Proposal

Questions and Ideas
Members of the congregation have been sharing questions and constructive ideas via e-mail with our Board and visioning task force representatives. We’re sharing a collected list of those questions and comments related to the below visioning team proposal here. If you have additional questions and ideas, please send them to Rev. Megan, and she will update the list weekly.

Visioning Task Force Proposal
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Kern County
&
Unitarian Universalists of Santa Clarita Valley
July 30, 2022

1. Background
The Visioning Task Force met on July 30, 2022 from 10am to 2pm at El Tejon Middle School, 4337 Lebec Rd, Lebec, CA 93243, in the staff lounge.
In attendance were:
Bakersfield Team: Jeannie Parent, John Means, Mark Hodson
Santa Clarita Team: Eric Klatt, Louise Klatt, Ken Brown, Beth Jenkins

Facilitators: The Reverend Rick Hoyt-McDaniels (Bakersfield) and Melissa James (UUA Congregational Life Staff).
Absent: Rev. Megan Visser (Santa Clarita Minister), and Karen Kuckreja (Bakersfield).
Melissa and Rick led the group through an agenda of telling our stories, as individuals, and as congregations, and then working to create a shared story that would include both congregations. Melissa shared the concept of the two congregations as circles overlapping as in a Venn diagram with the work of the Task Force to define how much to overlap.
The Task Force reviewed the Resolution passed by both congregations, and following the charge of that resolution prepared this proposal.

2. What does a Full Time Minister Cost?
The Task Force began by exploring the actual cost of a fairly compensated full-time minister.

Item                                                   Geo Index 5                  Geo Index 4
Salary and Housing                               73,500                            69,500
In Lieu of FICA (7.65%)                           5.662                              5,317
Medical Insurance (80%)                       12,000                            12,000
Other Insurance (Life, LTD)                     1,000                              1,000
Retirement Contribution (5%)                  3,675                              3,475
Professional Expenses                            4,000                              4,000

Total                                                       99,837                             95,292

Santa Clarita is pegged at Geo Index 5 for the UUA Salary Recommendations. Bakersfield is in Geo Index 4. The Salary and Housing numbers noted above are the midpoints of the respective ranges for a Lead Minister of a small congregation (less than 150 members). The Salary and Housing ranges stretch from $59,100 as the minimum of the range in Geo Index 4 to $88,300 at the maximum of the range for Geo Index 5.
While there is some flexibility in the compensation the congregations might eventually choose to offer, a budget of $100,000 seems appropriate, meaning $50,000 for each congregation.

3. Can We Afford a Full Time Minister?
$50,000 per year would be a stretch for both congregations and would require deficit funding with the gap made up by drawing down from existing reserve accounts.
Last year, Bakersfield employed a half time minister with a total compensation of about $55,000 per year. This includes a travel budget of about $10,000 a year to accommodate a long commute and overnight stays at a hotel. Bakersfield’s current budget includes a $36,000 deficit. Bakersfield has a reserve of approximately $350,000.
Santa Clarita currently employs a third-time minister with a deficit of approximately $14,000. Increasing to a half time minister would increase the deficit to approximately $30,000 annually. Santa Clarita has a reserve of approximately $90,000
In Santa Clarita’s case they could float the deficit for about three years before something in the circumstances would need to change. Bakersfield, with a larger reserve, could afford to cover the deficit longer and could conceivably cover a larger share of the minister’s compensation if necessary and if the partnership continued to seem worthwhile.
The Task Force concluded that using their current reserves in this way was an appropriate and worthy investment in the future of their congregations as part of a strategy of growth.
The Task Force Proposes that the congregations plan to use existing reserves to cover the budget deficit entailed by fairly compensating a full-time minister.

4. How Do We Share a Minister?
The Task Force discussed a few specific questions, with further considerations still to be resolved.
Worship
Full-Time ministers typically preach 36 Sundays per year. Using Zoom, or other streaming technology, our minister could preach to both congregations simultaneously, in person in one location and streaming in the other. The Task Force proposes that the minister be expected to preach 36 Sundays per year with all 36 services shared with both congregations.
Although the minister would only be in person in either congregation 18 Sundays per year, this scheme would allow the congregations to enjoy significantly more worship time with their minister than they would get from a typical half-time minister schedule.
Employment
For purposes of payroll, The Task Force proposes that one congregation employ the minister and the other congregation contribute their share of the minister’s compensation to that congregation.
Committee on Ministry
The Task Force proposes that the two congregations create a joint Committee on Ministry. The Committee would include two representatives from each congregation.
While a Committee on Ministry is always valuable, to consult with the minister, to problem-solve, and to guide, the Task Force recognizes that in this circumstance the work of the Committee on Ministry will be even more necessary to help resolve issues of sharing the minister’s time.

5. What Do We Do Next?
The Task Force discussed several next steps.
A Proposal
Rick Hoyt-McDaniels volunteered to write up a proposal that the Task Force representatives could take back to their respective Boards for review and further action by the congregations. That proposal is included below.
Continued work for the Task Force
The Task Force feels that they have further work they could do to define the partnership vision, such as setting priorities for the minister’s work and expectations of attendance at meetings and considering other potential areas of partnership such as RE and administration. Melissa agreed to continue to work with the Task Force and we assume that Rev. Megan Visser would also be available. Eric Klatt agreed to set-up a Zoom meeting for the Task Force for August 20, 10am to Noon.
Search Committee
Melissa James presented an outline of the schedule for a search year with the UUA (see Addendum). The first deadline is November 30 when Search Committees need to submit their congregational packet, for ministers to review in December. In order to meet the November 30 deadline our congregations need to form a Search Committee within the next month and a half, or so, and allow them to start working.
We recommend that the two congregations each schedule a congregational meeting for September 11, 2022 at which meeting the congregations will vote to approve the following proposal and elect representatives to a joint Search Committee.

6. Proposal
That the congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Kern County and the Unitarian Universalists of the Santa Clarita Valley work together during the 2022-2023 church year to search for and call a full-time settled minister, who will reside in the area and will serve both congregations, on roughly a half-time basis with each congregation.
To that end the two congregations will form a Ministerial Search Committee comprised of three elected representatives from each congregation. The Ministerial Search Committee will follow the accepted UUA process and timeline for conducting a ministerial search, with a candidate presented to the congregations for their vote to call in spring of 2023 and to begin work with the congregations in the summer of 2023.
We further propose:
That the congregations plan to use existing reserves to cover the budget deficit entailed by fairly compensating a full-time minister.
That the minister be expected to preach 36 Sundays per year with all 36 services shared with both congregations.
That one congregation employ the minister and the other congregation contribute their share of the minister’s compensation to that congregation.
That the two congregations create a joint Committee on Ministry. The Committee would include two representatives from each congregation.

7. Addendum: General Settled Search Timeline

Summer/Fall – create search committee. Self study. Beyond Categorical Thinking. Packet prep.
Nov. 30 – Packet and application submitted
Jan. – identify pre-candidates (3 or 4)
Jan – Feb – pre-candidating
April – Offer
April-May – Candidating week and congregational vote
Aug – Sept – New minister starts.