For churches:
If you are a church leader at a congregation without a pastor, or where the pastor has announced plans to leave, contact Associate Conference Minister, Rev. Kevin McLemore at mclemore@psec.org or 484-949-8774 ext. 302.
Times of transition can be especially trying for church members. With recent changes to the search process and to the UCC Local Church Profile, whether its been a few years or a few decades since your congregation has gone through a search, this search will need to be structured differently than your last one.
Thanks to your contribution to Our Church’s Wider Mission, the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference can offer you resources to make the transition easier, help connecting with pastoral care (whether it’s interim pastors, bridge pastors, Sunday Supply), guide your Consistory in the logistics of transition, train your Search Committee on how to find a candidate that meets the specific needs of your congregation, and much more.
Visit the Search and Call Resources page for materials to help along the way.
For searching pastors:
Are you being called to…
create new ministries in a small city where the neighborhood has changed faster than the neighborhood church?
bring hope to a town that was built around a coal mine that will never reopen?
guide the adventure for a small church looking to weave together their ministry with a similar church nearby?
minister and mentor to a community that feels they have been abandoned by their denomination as they continue to process the United Church of Christ’s more liberal views?
dream new dreams and provide comfort to a congregation after a beloved pastor’s retirement following three decades in that pulpit?
Nearly a quarter of the conference’s churches are at some point in the search and call process. Additionally, more than half of our churches are being served by a pastor who is currently eligible for retirement or will be in the next five years. Our churches will be looking for new ideas and renewed energy as they advance to new stages in their ministries. For younger clergy looking to permanently settle in one region, Pennsylvania Southeast Conference’s church-dense environment could offer an opportunity to serve several churches over decades within the same region. There are sections of the conference where you can find 30 full-time churches within a 30 minute drive from a central location.
If you are a pastor interested in serving a church in PSEC, please indicate your willingness to serve in Pennsylvania Southeast on the UCC Profiles Portal. Our churches are instructed to accept profiles or equivalent resumes only through our Conference office.
For more information about searching in PSEC, visit our Search and Call Resources page and make sure you read Search and Call Ministry in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
If you have an active UCC profile and have selected Pennsylvania Southeast Conference under your availability, you will receive periodic emails from us about current openings in our conference. The most recent email is included below.
May 10, 2024
Good morning!
We wanted to let you know about new ministry opportunities in the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference. We’ve recently posted several new opportunities and have even more coming soon.
For the most information, including Local Church Profiles, check out our current Ministry Opportunities on the UCC page. Today we wanted to share a few churches with you that might appeal to your specific gifts, skills, and callings. If you’re open to discerning a call to:
- Senior pastor of a vibrant Open and Affirming congregation that continues to heal – think about St. John’s UCC in Lansdale (http://oppsearch.ucc.org/id/6153). The church’s beloved pastor of 42 years died just two months after her retirement in 2022. While grieving continues, the church is also working hard, trying new things – including a Wednesday night worship event – and continues to embrace those looking for a contemporary message in a traditional setting.
- Full-time settled pastor of a union (UCC/ELCA) ministry with an active youth program – consider Salem Belleman’s Church in Mohrsville (http://oppsearch.ucc.org/id/6177). The church is in a rural setting, but close to the small city of Reading and just 1.5-2 hours from Philadelphia and New York. This church is hoping for a pastor willing to stay with them for many years and explore what growth and outreach they can accomplish.
- Full-time intentional interim following the retirement of a long-serving pastor – think about Trinity UCC in Mt. Penn, Reading (http://oppsearch.ucc.org/id/6201). The church is looking for a biblically-focused experienced interim to help the church discern next steps following the retirement of their pastor who had served the church for 40 years.
- Serving an ONA church in suburban Philadelphia, discerning how to continue making a big impact with a small congregation – consider St. James UCC in Havertown (http://oppsearch.ucc.org/id/6104). This congregation is eager to call a new pastor with the goals of cultivating lay leadership and discerning how to continue living into their mission with a half-time pastor.
- Quarter-time ministry in an historic country church – look at Tinicum UCC in Pipersville (http://oppsearch.ucc.org/id/6072). This church is looking for a way to better connect with a more diverse, multigenerational segment of their community.
- Half-time settled Pastor with a proven record of helping their small community in big ways – consider St. Paul’s UCC in Birdsboro (http://oppsearch.ucc.org/id/6056). In 2014, the church started “Mission Trip Birdsboro” which works on homes in the area and community projects (most recently with 151 volunteers working on 48 homes and two community projects!). That ministry has now become its own non-profit. The church is now working to identify causes of isolation and marginalization in the community and a creating mutual aid network.
- Full-time Associate Pastor who will become the senior pastor in a few years – check out Grace-Trinity UCC in Philadelphia (http://oppsearch.ucc.org/id/5960). A large part of the Associate Pastor’s week will be with the Grace-Trinity Academy, a preschool and after school program that serves the community. This church is a multi-racial, multi-generational community that is also affiliated with the Church of South India.
- Continuing momentum with a congregation that just began an outreach/community engagement program – consider First Reformed UCC in Hamburg (http://oppsearch.ucc.org/id/5572). The church is looking for a full-time designated-term pastor to continue discernment and action around community outreach. The congregation was excited by this work that the settled pastor started shortly before he moved to another part of the country. They are looking for a leader to help them take next steps and grow new ministries.
I hope you’ll consider submitting your profile to one or more of our churches. If you’d like your profile sent, please email that request to brea@psec.org. If you’d like to talk about your discernment or our conference, please don’t hesitate to contact me at mclemore@psec.org so that we can set up a meeting.
Blessings on your search,
Rev. Kevin McLemore
