[Fuusm-l] The Human Drama of Searching for a Minister

[Ted Goertzel]

With Reverend Hawbaker's resignation, our church may be going through the
search process for a new minister. (I say "may" because it isn't clear that
our budget will allow us to offer an attractive position.)  As we consider
this process, I would like to recommend a book,* Search: A Novel
<https://www.amazon.com/s?k=search+a+novel+by+michelle+huneven&crid=2FHRQL7MLC0HU&sprefix=search+a+novel%2Caps%2C279&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_14>*
by Michelle Huneven. It is set in a Unitarian Church and describes the
human dynamics in the search for a new minister. I know some of the women
in the congregation have read it because it was the topic of the UU+
Women's Book Group last month.  I recommend it to the men as well.  It's
only $4.99 in Kindle format and used copies are available. Libraries also
have it.

In the October 2023 Confluence I did a review of a social science
book, *Preachers
in Purgatory*
<https://www.amazon.com/Preachers-purgatory-reference-ministers-situations/dp/B0007DTP1U/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2UE1Z7TRBB8V0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.9brhmXkMWpwDdcLCmnm8amSwFsif0uG4zicJH8kWHA7zS99EHlJEXWJ2sKs4_5iInbaczexMsUmB31aeVqSbNphUYELOMYVrCzBqPcWvqGM.o4M3-9FqZ174UQakYfufj-vkV1QGdMTzL1xwhkWTMi4&dib_tag=se&keywords=Preachers+in+Purgatory+book&qid=1728563994&sprefix=preachers+in+purgatory+book%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-1>,
that covers much the same ground with a lot of reports from real UU
congregations. It is less entertaining, but I have a copy if anyone
would like to borrow it.  Also available used on Amazon.

I'll reprint my review from last year here:

Preachers in Purgatory by Lester Mondale

reviewed by Ted Goertzel


I bought this book in 2011, but didn’t finish it then because of the
writing style which the Kirkus reviewer described as “pontifical.” But this
is a Unitarian book, written by a UU minister, published by Beacon, the UU
press, and based on reports from over 100 UU churches reporting on crisis
situations. The dust jacket is well written: “Within the self-defined
island of brotherly love, the local church, there smolders a potential for
searing personal conflict which is seldom openly admitted—yet which erupts
into crisis with a periodicity which approaches the seasonal. The focus of
the crisis is a challenge of the minister’s leadership by a segment of the
congregation, but its real significance is far more complex—and its
solution is seldom achieved by the obvious device of removing the minister.”

As I understand his argument, churches have members with different
expectations from a minister. When a minister is new, everybody hopes to
get what they want, but with time, some are bound to be disappointed. It’s
similar to a president of a country who gets a honeymoon period followed by
disillusionment. A faction emerges which pressures the minister to resign.
If the minister doesn’t slink away quietly, it goes to the Congregational
Meeting where there is a split. Purging the minister doesn’t solve the
problem, the cycle just repeats.

This classic book was published in 1966, but the same problem is described
in a best selling 2022 novel, Search
<https://www.amazon.com/Search-Novel-Michelle-Huneven-ebook/dp/B09B8XMWRF/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2BGM9AGZME5T7&keywords=search+a+novel+by+michelle+huneven&qid=1694613497&sprefix=search+huneven%2Caps%2C815&sr=8-1>
by Michelle Huneven, set in a Unitarian Church. She focuses on how the
conflicts get even worse when the minister leaves and the church has to
search for a replacement.

   The problem may be even worse in other churches. In Departure: Why I
Left the Church
<https://www.restorativefaith.org/post/departure-why-i-left-the-church>,”
Presbyterian Rev. Alexander Lang, says: “As a pastor, you know you’re not
going to be able to please everyone. You know that some people are going to
dislike what you do. You expect to bring new people through the door who
identify with your preaching, while others will leave who disagree or don’t
like your style. But when you see that there is a group of people whose
sole goal is to dismantle your career, that is an entirely different beast
that no one expects, particularly from people who supposedly label
themselves Christians.”

If anyone wants to borrow Preachers in Purgatory
<https://www.amazon.com/Preachers-purgatory-reference-ministers-situations/dp/B0007DTP1U/ref=sr_1_1?crid=12TP7GQYR4ZHI&keywords=preachers+in+purgatory&qid=1695219837&sprefix=preachers+in+purgatory%2Caps%2C450&sr=8-1>,
I have a copy. Search: A Novel
<https://www.amazon.com/Search-Novel-Michelle-Huneven-ebook/dp/B09B8XMWRF/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2BGM9AGZME5T7&keywords=search+a+novel+by+michelle+huneven&qid=1694613497&sprefix=search+huneven%2Caps%2C815&sr=8-1>
is
much more amusing and available on Kindle for $4.99 or $14.99 hardcover, or
from the public library.  Departure: Why I Left the Church
<https://www.restorativefaith.org/post/departure-why-i-left-the-church> is
a free blog post. A related story from Christianity Today is The Pastors
Aren’t All Right: 38% Consider Leaving the Ministry
<https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/november/pastor-burnout-pandemic-barna-consider-leaving-ministry.html>
.
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