Minister Profile

Position Profile: 3/4 Part Time 30 hours per week One ordained or diaconal minister employed at CMUC Vacancy to be filled as soon as possible

Position Summary: Carleton Memorial United Church is an urban congregation of 66 families and 135 members, children, and/or adherents. We are seeking a collegial and engaging minister who will lead and work with our congregation in a 3/4 time position. We have on average 22 to 26 people attending our Sunday services. Ten people take part actively on our Council at our monthly meetings, and our M and P is active and supportive.

Autonomy in Decision-Making: Our Minister chooses the topics for sermons/messages supported by the Lectionary. Hymns are chosen from Voices United and/or More Voices United in consultation with our Music Director at monthly or quarterly planning meetings. We have a traditional Order of Service but have aways been open to suggestions for alternative styles. The Minister will have the allowance for books and materials as laid out by the United Church of Canada ($1685 for 2025). A phone allowance is also provided.

We encourage our new Minister to bring their own device (BYOD). We have Internet access and phones and the ability to port the Church Phone # onto the Minister‘s cell phone. An email address is provided.

All expenditures are authorized through Council according to our annual budget. Receipts are required for reimbursements to be considered. The successful candidate will work with our 12 hour per week (off-site) office administrator and our 4 hour per week Music Director. Our Minister will be assigned a staff liaison from our M and P Committee.

Principal Areas of Responsibility and Associated Duties: Communion will be celebrated five times per year. Our in-coming Minister will be expected to take the time to partake of our after service coffee hour (closer to 30 minutes) each Sunday and be available for informal conversations.

Our suggested time management breakdown for our incoming Minister over 30 hours per week is as follows:

• 33% Worship and preparation (10 hours)
• 10-17% Pastoral Care Support and Relationship Meeting and Team Building (3-5 hours)
• 10% Christian Education for Adults (e.g. Bible study, short term workshops) (3 hours)
• 10% Administration (3 hours) 10% Outreach/Office-hours appointments (3 hours)
• 10% Professional Development/Spiritual Growth (3 hours)
• 10% Wider Church meetings and initiatives (3 hours)

Administration: We have Council consisting of ten members. We meet the second Tuesday of each month except July and August. The meetings are approximately 2 hours in length and held in the evening via Zoom. Our Minister provides a report each month as per the Council agenda.

We have a paid part-time office administrator who works 12 hours per week remotely. The office administrator prepares the slides for the Sunday worship based on information provided by the Minister, responds to incoming inquiries, books space rental, arranges for Zoom meetings of Council, prepares publicity and materials such as posters and our weekly e-newsletter. She refreshes and maintains the church web site and ensures copyright licenses are kept current. She collects/updates data, orders materials and supplies and prepares the Annual Report.

Community Outreach and Social Justice: The Minister will work collegially with the Carleton Memorial Day Care Corporation which is housed in the church facility and operates regular daytime hours, Monday to Friday. The Day Care is a registered not for profit with its own Board of Directors accountable to the Church congregation The Minister is invited to all Day Care Board Meetings which occur at least 4 times a year and are one hour in length.

Continuing Education: The Minister pursues personal, vocational, and professional goals for continuing education in consultation with the M and P Committee. $1685 is provided for books and learning materials in 2025 as per the United Church Handbook.

Denomination and Communities: We would encourage our Minister to be connected to the wider church and work with neighbouring faith communities and partners. We have a good relationship with a local synagogue and its rabbi, Debra Dynes Family House, the local city councillor, and our own Day Care.

Faith Formation and Christian Education: Our Minister will provide Bible study groups at times when interested parties are available on topics of interest. These would be for adults as we do not have any children currently attending our church.

Leadership: Depending on how Sunday services are scheduled and led by our Minister, if an LLWL is available and used, the Minister will provide leadership in the topic for the message/sermon and Bible readings for the day. The Minister will meet at least quarterly with the Music Director to choose cooperatively the hymns for the coming services. The Music Director chooses the prelude and postlude for each week. A collegial work environment is required at Carleton Memorial with our staff and with our congregation. Our in-coming Minister will motivate, encourage, and support others to share their own gifts for the ministry. The Minster will not be afraid to take risks, to try new things and learn by successes and mistakes.

Pastoral Care: The Minister enjoys meeting, praying with and interacting with all age groups. Experience and training in pastoral care and/or palliative/end of life care are assets.

Self-Care: The Minister sets goals for on-going self-care by maintaining a healthy balance of their own physical, emotional and spiritual well-being to include rest, recreation, and professional development. The Minister collaborates with the M and P Committee to meet goals.

Worship: One Sunday service per week will be provided, depending upon the agreed schedule (e.g. 3 weeks out of 4 at 10:30 am). Services are to be thought-provoking and have a contemporary theme or relate to current world and/or social issues to the teachings from the Bible. Sermons would be concise and planned, 20 minutes in length. With the support of our part-time Office Administrator, the in-coming Minister will demonstrate ease and skill or a willingness to learn with regard to our church’s technology (words for hymns and songs are projected via computer and projector; weekly e-newsletters are prepared by the Office Administrator; an ear/clip-on microphone is provided for the Sunday Service). Our congregation appreciates opportunities to explore new worship styles and welcomes all who wish to worship with us. We are an Affirming congregation.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: We would welcome a United Church of Canada ordained or diaconal minister to our church. The Minister will provide welcoming support to our congregants. The Minister would be prepared to provide a children’s talk ad hoc should young families come to worship. We do not have a Sunday School, and no young children currently attend.

Our incoming Minister will demonstrate strong positive people skills and be welcoming to all who wish to attend. The Minister will work closely and co-operatively with our group of volunteers to provide pastoral care and support to members of our congregation, particularly those who are alone, unwell, or unable to attend worship services.

Our church and community were initially built by veterans and with our incoming Minister, we will continue to honour them and their legacy of peace-making. Our Sunday service for Remembrance Day is especially important for our church and is to be led by our in-coming Minister.