Co-Ministry Portfolios

Dear Fellowship Members & Friends, 

As you may have heard, our ministers and Governing Board have asked the congregation to engage in discernment about calling Rev. Hannah Roberts Villnave, currently our contract Assistant Minister, as a co-minister with Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy, currently our called Senior Minister. You can learn more about the information we’ve already shared about this process HERE. 

Over the last two years of working together, Revs. Christina and Hannah have learned a great deal about each other’s gifts and growing edges in ministry which has added depth and strength to their ministry partnership. They are excited about a path forward where each of them gets to lean into their strengths and lean on the other’s expertise. 

Since announcing this possible shift to the congregation in June, we have been working hard to figure out exactly what this new partnership would look like! There are many dimensions to the change – Revs. Hannah and Christina’s ministry portfolios and our organizational chart, supervisory relationships, the Executive Team’s relationships to one another and the Governing Board, and Revs. Hannah and Christina’s collegial partnership. 

We want to share about all of these with you so that you can have a better sense of what co-ministry will mean for our Fellowship! Please look this important information over and consider what questions or feedback you have for us. We have a Q&A about co-ministry and calling Rev. Hannah scheduled for 1:30 pm on Sunday, September 22nd. Please plan to join us and stay afterward for an opportunity to enjoy coffee, dessert, and get to know Rev. Hannah and her wife, Catherine, better. 

There will also be cottage meetings for small group conversations about the ministry of the Fellowship and calling Rev. Hannah on October 19th, October 20th, October 22nd, October 30th, and November 3rd. Please look out for sign-ups coming out starting September 22nd. You can also reach out to us at hannah@fvuuf.org, christina@fvuuf.org, or phyllis@fvuuf.org with any questions or feedback. 


Ministry Portfolios & Supervisory Relationships 

For reference, if you’d like to see the existing organizational chart for the Fellowship, you can find it HERE.

Our hope in creating these new portfolios is that they will better align our ministers' gifts, our congregation’s needs, and an equal balance of responsibility and authority between Revs. Christina and Hannah. The summaries of their new ministry portfolios are below. 

Rev. Christina

New additions to someone’s portfolio are in bold.

[Direct staff reports are noted in italics in brackets.] 

• Worship (shared equally with Rev. Hannah)
  • [AV Technicians, Jonathan Steffen & Jack Mutschler]
  • [Music Director, John Popke]
• Head of Staff (shared equally with Rev. Hannah)
• Pastoral Care
  • While Rev. Christina will take on primary responsibility for this area of ministry, Rev. Hannah will still be available for pastoral care and visits in the way Rev. Christina is now.
• Children’s Religious Education
  • [Director of Religious Education, Kim Hartman]
• Adult Religious Education and Small Groups
• Generosity & Engagement Events
• Fundraising Events
• Leadership Development Committee Programs
• UUA Connections

Rev. Hannah

New additions to someone’s portfolio are in bold. [Direct staff reports are noted in italics in brackets.] 

• Worship (shared equally with Rev. Christina)
• Head of Staff (shared equally with Rev. Christina)
• Justice Ministries
• Outreach and PR
• Governance 
• Generosity & Engagement Ministries
• Leadership Development Committee Nominations 
• Strategic & Organizational Leadership 
  • [Director of Finance and Operations, Phyllis Schmitt]

This is some significant proposed change! Our proposed timeline for the shift in portfolios and roles is January 1, 2025. However, significant work is already happening behind the scenes to make the transition a smooth one. We know that transparency and open communication will be key to making this work well, and we hope that you will engage in this process with any questions or feedback about these changes. We also plan to create more detailed documentation about how we would share responsibilities and look forward to sharing those with the relevant staff and lay leaders. 

 

Executive Team & Governing Board 

 

Our Executive Team (aka our XTeam) is composed of Rev. Christina, Rev. Hannah, and Phyllis Schmitt, our Director of Finance and Operations. We work together on a daily basis to guide the operations and ministries of the congregation in service of our mission and vision and in alignment with our values, policies, by-laws and strategic goals. Our XTeam also works collaboratively with our Governing Board as they fulfill their fiduciary, strategic, and generative leadership role in our congregation. None of that would change with a shift to a co-ministry model! 

 

However, there would be some behind-the-scenes shifts as Rev. Hannah transitions from her position as a contract Assistant Minister supervised by Rev. Christina to a co-equal called minister who is accountable directly to the congregation (via the Governing Board). The XTeam and Governing Board have had conversations about how such a shift might impact our approaches to working together, and we’re looking forward to continuing the collaborative relationship between the XTeam and Board with these new dimensions. While many of these shifts might be invisible to many in our congregation, we are working through them with intention and care. 

Revs. Christina and Hannah’s Ministry Partnership 

 

Any time ministers work together in a congregation, their relationship needs a foundation of trust, mutual respect, and collaboration. Revs. Hannah and Christina have spent the last two years building this foundation and are looking forward to continuing to deepen it under a co-ministry model. They are seeking wisdom from a coach and colleagues with experience as co-ministers as they embark on this journey together. And we hope you will plan to attend services on Sunday, November 10th when they will jointly preach about trust and shared leadership! 

 

Thank you for your thoughtful engagement and discernment about this proposed shift here at the Fellowship. We look forward to more conversation and engagement starting with our Q&A on Sunday, September 22nd at 1:30 pm! 

 

Gratefully, 

 

Your Fellowship XTeam 

 

Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy, Senior Minister 

Phyllis Schmitt, Director of Finance and Operations 

Rev. Hannah Roberts Villnave, Assistant Minister 

 

Important Dates for Calling Rev. Hannah:

- FOX VALLEY UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP -

920.731.0849 / 2600 E. Philip Lane, Appleton

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