Ministerial Search

The Candidating Schedule has been adjusted in light of COVID exposure. Reverend Kit and Reverend Nate will co-lead worship on ZOOM on May 8th. All other candidating week activities will take place between May 16 and May 22. Please join us for a Special Congregational Meeting and Vote of Call on May 22.

CLICK HERE to view all Candidating events.

About our Search Process

First Parish in Lincoln is searching for a full-time settled Senior Minister, to begin ministry in August 2022. We are an interdenominational church, affiliated with both the UUA and the UCC, but open to all, serving a wide range of faith backgrounds. We will be pleased to consider applicants through either denomination, and we also welcome letters of interest from ordained ministers who are not currently affiliated with either denomination or not presently serving in a pastoral position. If you are not affiliated with the UUA or UCC, and would like to be considered for this position, please send an email to search@fplincoln.org along with a letter of interest and your resume by December 10, 2021. Since we don’t fit neatly into any denomination, we ask that all candidates include 2-3 paragraphs describing why they are particularly interested in serving First Parish in Lincoln. Interviews with candidates will be scheduled for February and March 2022 in anticipation calling a settled minister in April or May.

We seek a minister who is a substantive and inspiring speaker, a dedicated and caring pastor, and an energetic collaborator responsive to the long tradition of active lay leadership that has creatively sustained and engaged our congregation throughout the pandemic; and who is willing to take an active part in community life, to nurture growth and diversity in our membership, and to support our social justice and action initiatives in our region and beyond.

We have published our profiles with both the UCC and the UUA. UCC and UUA Candidates can express interest in this position through the respective denominations. Our UCC Church Profile can be found in the Important Documents, below.

The Search Committee

The First Parish in Lincoln, formed by the union of two neighboring churches (Congregational and Unitarian) in 1942, enjoys a long history intertwined with the history of the town itself. At this moment, we are poised to welcome a new settled minister and eager to move into our next chapter of impact and growth. We yearn to deepen our connection to our local communities and expand our reach to serve more diverse communities.

The relatively brief tenure of our last settled minister, combined with events in our community and the wider world, have catalyzed self-reflection and a renewed sense of purpose and engagement. During the four-year Interim Ministry of the Reverend Jenny Rankin (extended due to COVID), a lay-led Transition Team has facilitated an exploration and restatement of our Values, Mission & Vision. The Racial Justice Advocates are now facilitating a year-long Racial Justice Journey for our whole congregation, and our FPL Green Committee has been engaging our parishioners in projects to address climate change. A recently formed Strategic Planning Committee is facilitating the development of a long range Strategic Plan.

COVID brought us the opportunity to innovate and in many ways brought us closer together as a community; Zoom services widened our community by drawing former members back to our worship services and other events. We look forward to welcoming a new minister who can encourage and lead our continued learning, growth and impact. For this search, we have adopted the symbol of a nautilus to reflect our commitment to renewal. Read more about the nautilus here.

We are an active church (even during COVID). We meet every Sunday from September through June. We enjoy a beloved music program (led by a world-class musician), vibrant offerings for adults, including community and spiritual development programming, and a creative youth religious education program.  First Parish Outreach and Social Action works to affirm each person’s dignity and cherish the living earth through service, education, advocacy, and financial support to those in need.

The town’s agricultural heritage is visible in myriad backyard gardens (some with chickens or goats), and celebrated by Codman Community Farms, which runs educational programming, a thriving farm store, and community gardens. The farm also raises poultry and livestock on town-owned fields. At Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary visitors can see a working farm in action, and wildlife in their native habitat. The world-class DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum attracts art enthusiasts, while history buffs enjoy Minuteman National Historic Park, Walden Pond and other historic sites based in neighboring Concord and Lexington.

A small supermarket, art gallery, gift shop, cafe and post office anchor the town’s small commercial center. A new energy-efficient (net zero!)  K-8 school will be completed in the summer of 2022 and students attend Lincoln-Sudbury Regional for high school. Three churches serve the community (including some participants from residents of neighboring towns): St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal church, St. Joseph Parish (Catholic), and The First Parish of Lincoln. 

For all its small town and rural character, the commercial, culinary, and cultural attractions of Boston and Cambridge are easily accessible by a commuter rail that passes through the town center, or by a 20 minute drive (without traffic). The vibrant, multicultural city of Waltham borders Lincoln to the south. Many residents work outside of Lincoln – in Waltham, Boston, Cambridge, or along the I-95/Route 128 beltway around Boston.

Important documents will be linked here as our work progresses.