Sabbatical Leave Pulpit Supply
The Massachusetts Bay District of UU Churches and the District chapter of the UU Ministers Association facilitate a program of sabbatical leave pulpit supply. If a congregation and its minister(s) wish to participate, we ask that they register using this form: SLPS Registration Form. If a congregation settles a new or additional minister, it should update and renew its registration with the same form.
Sabbaticals are important to our clergy but often a source of concern to church leadership. Membership will entitle your congregation to up to six pulpit guests for a traditional sabbatical (other arrangements may be made). In return, the ministers of participating congregations agree to be available to fill district pulpits at least once per year. We encourage congregations and ministers to join the program several years in advance of an anticipated sabbatical leave. The process is a reciprocal agreement to be kept up to date by you and the UUMA Sabbatical Leave Coordinators.
Please inform us of a planned sabbatical at least six months and preferably one year in advance.
To further aid in your planning, a handbook on sabbatical leaves is available from the UUMA for $15, contact the UUMA Administrator. The Mass Bay District office also maintains a list of supply preachers and people available for emergency pastoral support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How do we qualify for pulpit supply preachers during a minister’s sabbatical?
A. The congregation – not the minister(s) – registers for the program. If your congregation is not on the MBD UUMA Pulpit Supply Program list then they and you are not officially registered. You automatically qualify as soon as you have registered.
Q. How do we register? Or, how do we know if we are registered?
A. To register, fill out the form SLPS Registration Form, have the congregational leader and minister(s) sign it, and return it to the district office as indicated on the registration form. To determine if your congregation has already registered, check the Registration List online or by contacting the MBD district office. Send Email
Q. We think we are registered but have had no requests to fill a pulpit this year.
A. In all likelihood, you have not had a request this year, because we have had no requests for sabbatical leave pulpit supply or because all requests have already been filled. In short, and happily, supply often exceeds demand. That means that you get credit for this year without having to preach somewhere. However, it is possible that we will have last-minute requests and you may receive a request to serve if we do.
Q. How many guest ministers can we count on when a minister goes on sabbatical?
A. The spirit of the program is to "bank" your pulpit supply earnings by preaching when asked. Then you "earn" up to six guest preachers when you are on sabbatical. You may use fewer or ask for an alternative arrangement that will be considered if it is possible to accommodate your request. However, six guests is the maximum for any one congregation in a given year.
Q. I’m a minister who has participated in this program since forever. I’ve just been called to a new congregation and they have never participated. Do I have to start all over again?
A. In effect, yes. We encourage your congregation to register for the program as soon as possible. However, if you find, when planning a sabbatical leave, that your congregation has never registered, we will fill the requests of registrants first and then make a sincere attempt to accommodate the requests of our other colleagues. Understandably, we cannot guarantee pulpit supply to congregations who are not registered and willing to participate in this program.
Q. When do you need to know when the minister will be on sabbatical?
A. Please let the MBD office know as soon as you know that you are a) taking a sabbatical or b) moving to a different congregation (this necessitates registering that congregation if it is not already registered) or c) you discover that your congregation is not on the list in error.
Q. What do you need to know from us to get the ball rolling?
A. We need to know the exact dates that you wish to fill the pulpit with an MBD UUMA colleague. Please remember, if you are planning a fall sabbatical leave, let us know as early the previous spring as you can (March is not too early). Your colleagues will be making up their own preaching schedules in the spring and can more easily volunteer with this kind of advance notice. (Besides, sometimes colleagues are difficult to reach during the summer.) For a winter-spring sabbatical, the previous spring (May-June) is ideal, but very early fall will work too.
Q. What if I am asked to preach and I am not available?
A. The coordinator will make every effort to match you with a date that accommodates your schedule. If no date works, s/he will seek other colleagues who are registered with the program to help fill open pulpits. In the worst case scenario (which is very unlikely) you may be asked to find a ministerial colleague to fill the pulpit for you.
Q. Does it have to be me who preaches or can I send our student intern?
A. If your congregation is registered, you may send any of the following people to fulfill your obligation (this may not be an exhaustive list of titles): Senior Minister, Minister of Religious Education, Associate Minister, Assistant Minister, affiliated Community Minister or Student Intern.