The purpose of this document to provide a working document for Unitarian Universalist Congregational leaders and UU Religious Professionals. It should be viewed as a suggestion and a starting point. It is NOT provided as employment law advice, and you should have your own employment specialists review it with an Equity lens benefiting the Religious Professional whenever possible. This is due to the Religious Professional being the lessor holder of power in the congregational hiring model. Healthy congregations have personnel policies in place that benefit the partnership of Congregation and Religious Professional. This template should reflect those policies.

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This template has been created from various sources within Unitarian Universalism including individual agreements, ministerial agreements, religious educator agreements, and other sources. It has been reviewed by multiple religious professionals and congregational lay leaders. No section is copyrighted by any individual or organization to our knowledge.

 

Calledtojustice.org is proud to host the draft as the UUA has declined to provide a Religious Professional Contract template after more than a decade promising it was forthcoming. In 2022, the UUA deemed such a template a “too much of a risk in  providing employment advice.” To be clear the UUA determined they were unwilling to incur that risk for the benefit of non-ordained ministerial religious professionals. It should be noted that the UUA has determined that same risk acceptable in providing Ministerial Employment Contracts as found on the UUA website amongst a plethora of other “employment advice.”

 

Use of this template is at the discretion of the Congregation and Religious Professional. It is NOT provided as employment law advice