UCC opens search for two Associate General Minister positions

Applications are now open for the Associate General Minister of Love of Church and the Associate General Minister of Love of Neighbor.

A search committee has been formed for each position, and they are beginning the process of discernment to identify the people called to these roles, in accordance with the UCC Bylaws.

Both positions serve as part of the senior leadership of the UCC National Ministries, contributing to visioning and planning, communications, development and management of budgets, development and leadership of staff, and implementation of policies adopted by the General Synod and the United Church of Christ Board (UCCB).

“Each of the Associate General Ministers handles a valuable portfolio of work in concert with the General Minister and President to serve all of the different aspects of church, discipleship, mission, and ministry throughout the wider church and throughout the world,” said Julia Gaughan, UCCB chair. “The importance of these positions is really the importance of the UCC – to be a prophetic, progressive voice for people of faith and for people who seek a better world, a just world for all.”

Associate General Minister – Love of Church

The Associate General Minister (AGM) of Love of Church is responsible for overseeing the UCC’s Love of Church Ministries, as directed by the General Minister and President and CEO.

Love of Church Ministries includes Ministerial Excellence, Support and Authorization (MESA), Faith INFO (Faith Education, Innovation and Formation), Education and Faithful Action Ministries, Faith-Forming Publications and The Pilgrim Press, and the Center for Analytics, Research, Development and Data (CARDD).

The search committee for AGM of Love of Church is chaired by the Rev. Jasmine Coleman Quinerly, UCCB vice chair and minister of missions at Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ in Houston, Texas.

More information about the position, process, and search committee members is available here. The job description and application are available here.

Associate General Minister – Love of Neighbor

The AGM of Love of Neighbor is responsible for overseeing the UCC’s Love of Neighbor Ministries, as directed by the General Minister and President and CEO. They also work in collaboration with the Co-Executive colleague of the Division of Overseas Ministries of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to carry out the work of Global Ministries with international partners through five area offices.

Love of Neighbor includes Global Ministries, Global H.O.P.E., Gender & Sexuality Justice Ministries, and the Office of Public Policy & Advocacy in Washington, D.C.

The search committee for AGM of Love of Neighbor is chaired by UCCB member Joyce Bathke, who serves as the current co-chair of the Common Global Ministries Board and is a member of Faith United Church of Christ in Wentzville, Missouri.

More information about the position, process, and search committee members is available here. The job description and application are available here.

General Synod Election

Applications for both positions will remain open through Nov. 30, and Gaughan said the UCCB hopes this timeframe will offer discernment time for individuals who may feel called to apply.

The search committees will bring their nominees to the UCCB in March 2025, at which point the Board will nominate the proposed officers for consideration and election at General Synod 35 in Kansas City, Missouri, July 11-15, 2025.

Gaughan extended gratitude from the UCCB for the work of the Rev. Shari Prestemon as Acting Associate General Minister – who is eligible to apply for the elected position – and for the leadership of the Rev. Bentley de Bardelaben-Phillips’s as the transitional executive for Love of Church.

“The way we do work as the UCC is sometimes easy to be seen, while other aspects of work include laying groundwork and strengthening relationships,” Gaughan said. “Having the GMP and two AGMs helps us to spread our reach in places where we really need to show leadership, support, and solidarity.”

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