“Is church becoming obsolete?” This question was asked by Unitarian Rev. Anna Garlin Spencer in 1929. Garlin answered her own question. To avoid becoming obsolete, the church must change and grow as modern life changes. Let’s extend Garlin’s question to consider changes in ministry as the role of the church changes. As Unitarian Universalists continue to Widen the Circle, what are the possibilities for ministry going forward, in particular congregations and in liberal faith more broadly?

In her role as a UUA Accredited Interim Minister, creative change is core to the ministry of Rev. Dr. Barbara Coeyman, who currently serves Boulder Valley UU Fellowship in Lafayette, CO. Since completing her ministerial internship here at First Unitarian nearly twenty-five years ago, Barbara has experienced much change in ministry and in her own ministerial growth. One important tool she has added to her interim toolkit is credentialing as a facilitator with the Center for Courage and Renewal, a spiritual practice inspired by Quaker author Parker Palmer. Still, since that internship, one of Barbara’s personal activities has remained constant: her friendships with Portlanders in the English Country Dance community, whose annual Labor Day dance workshop brings her back to the Northwest this weekend.