tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28809213.post1797562173080287870..comments2023-05-16T08:21:43.605-06:00Comments on iMinister: What Would I Do About Credentialing?Christine Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02291622244158872449noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28809213.post-10412337771266360412009-12-26T23:02:04.667-07:002009-12-26T23:02:04.667-07:00Hey Christine, thanks for your thoughts on ministe...Hey Christine, thanks for your thoughts on ministerial credentialing. An interesting approach to the issue of credentialing might be for the UUA to start applying ISO 9000 standards (Wikipedia has a good overview of ISO 9000 here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_9000)<br /><br />ISO 9000 applies what we used to call "total quality management" to organizations. Of specific interest in the credentialing issue are that compliance with ISO 9000 means regularly monitoring output, and regularly monitoring processes. This is basically what you are talking about -- are we getting the outputs that we desire? are we continually improving? and are our processes working the way we say we want them to work? <br /><br />Since so many businesses and nonprofits are now ISO 9000 compliant, that means that there is plenty of expertise out there -- we wouldn't be starting from scratch, but instead could draw on lots of existing wisdom. I hate seeing us trying to reinvent the wheel...<br /><br />Just my $.02 worth.Dan Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03250484049882575283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28809213.post-50118231580349969692009-12-25T15:07:27.475-07:002009-12-25T15:07:27.475-07:00I am an aspiring UU minister, scheduled to graduat...I am an aspiring UU minister, scheduled to graduate with a MDiv from Starr King School for the Ministry in May 2010. When I entered seminary at the age of 50, I wasn't interested in changing my life: I am a weekly community newspaper publisher and the Consulting Minister of a small UU fellowship in a rural enclave in the Southern Tier of New York. It was to get a theological education and develop the language to fully imbibe my work in the community where I have lived for my entire adult life with UU values and identity.<br /><br />I am moving slowly through the credentialing process and am often dismayed how focused it seems to be on corporate "professional" parish ministry.<br /><br />I believe that the future of UUism is supporting and developing people who are willing to "minister" to the communities where they live. It has such great potential to piggy-back off of lifetime commitments and long-time trusting relationships. So far the only inquiries I get about how it could be helpful to the future of UUism is the question of whether I know that it doesn't fit in and breaks all the rules.<br /><br />Believe you me, I know that well. <br /><br />I so appreciate your questions.Laurie Stuarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02993205062620048505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28809213.post-20556819889734185982009-12-25T09:50:20.818-07:002009-12-25T09:50:20.818-07:00Merry Christmas, and thanks to iMinister and ogre ...Merry Christmas, and thanks to iMinister and ogre for these thoughts. <br /><br />My apologies for my tardiness in commenting on this post. Please see my comments at http://callingministers.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-credentialing.htmlRev. Earl W. Koteenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10005561101579907650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28809213.post-39459998274566983822009-12-17T17:55:28.367-07:002009-12-17T17:55:28.367-07:00Re: Point #1--I see that a whole new competency ha...Re: Point #1--I see that a whole new competency has been added to the list of competencies that those seeing the MFC starting one year from now (Dec 2010). The point that things are consistently added has been made. The baseline for being competent to *begin* ministry keeps being moved. It's not that things are changed (I'd expect that, to some degree), it's that there is a single direction to the process; MORE.<br /><br />We already know that our process is an expensive burden, one for which there is very little financial support. Adding more time -- which is what adding a competency is inevitably doing -- means adding cost. The proposition that this isn't creating an institutional oppression (those of lower economic standing are increasingly unable to afford--or to justify affording--going into ministry) is absurd.<br /><br />The irony is that it's incredibly easy to justify the desirability of given competencies. One would wish that ministers are fully informed, engaged and up to speed--as well as competent and enthusiastic--about all these things. But then, we also know that search committees default to a *baseline* of minister must walk on water.... What would be desirable isn't and shouldn't be the starting point.ogrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15910505029382522110noreply@blogger.com