The EUU Policy Manual …

Section 11.  EUU Affiliated Ministers 

A. Purpose

To establish an official process for Unitarian Universalist, Unitarian, and Universalist ministers to affiliate with the European Unitarian Universalists (EUU).

B. Definition of an Affiliated Minister of the EUU

An Affiliated Minister is a Unitarian Universalist, Unitarian, or Universalist minister who agrees to be in a covenantal relationship with the EUU as described in section C below, and has been vetted and confirmed by the EUU Coordinating Council based on the criteria and process described in section D below.

A Unitarian Universalist, Unitarian, or Universalist minister is a person who: 

1. Has been ordained or commissioned by a recognized Unitarian Universalist, Unitarian, or Universalist religious body or ordaining organization. Upholds a code of ethical and moral conduct as described in Attachment A, below.
2. Offers counsel and comfort, helping people connect in order to encourage and support one another.
3. Is responsible and capable of leading public worship, nurturing spiritual growth, and cultivating strong communities.
4. Is trained to provide a professional standard of:
   a.  worship;
   b. preaching;
   c. religious leadership;
   d. pastoral care and counseling;
   e. rites of passage;
   f. religious education (adults and children);
   g. small group ministry;
   h. theological reflection;
   i. social witness, concern, and action;
   j. right relationships and community building.

 C. Privileges and Responsibilities of an Affiliated Minister to the EUU

1. To be officially recognized by the EUU as an Affiliated Minister.
2. To agree to be in covenant with the EUU and to abide by the following ministerial guidelines (see Attachment A), as well as remain in good standing with their own credentialing or ordaining organization.
3. To be listed on the EUU website as an Affiliated Minister.
4. To be available to the EUU and its communities as a general contact and to provide ministry services on independently agreed terms.
5. To serve as a representative of the EUU to other Unitarian Universalist, Unitarian, or Universalist bodies as designated by the CC leadership.

D. Vetting Criteria and Process

1. Oversight: The CC appoints a team of three to oversee requests for affiliation.

• The team will receive written requests for affiliation from applicants.
• The team will verify the applicant’s references (i.e., make contact with the references, confirm the existence and credibility of the referring organizations, etc.)
• When the team agrees that the applicant qualifies, they will submit a written recommendation to the CC for final approval.
• The CC will review and vote on recommendations during its next face-to-face or virtual meeting.

2. Criteria: Any minister who wishes to be officially affiliated with the EUU must fulfill the following criteria:

The applicant must be credentialed, recognized, or affiliated as a minister by a recognized Unitarian Universalist, Unitarian, or Universalist (or affiliated) organization.

Documentation: To apply to be an Affiliated Minister to the EUU, the applicant must provide the following documentation:

• A written explanation of their desire to be affiliated. 
• Proof of credentials, recognition, or affiliation with a recognized Unitarian Universalist, Unitarian, or Universalist (or affiliated) organization.
• A letter of recommendation from a recognized Unitarian Universalist, Unitarian, or Universalist minister, congregant, or organization that the candidate is or has been associated with, including the writer’s contact information; and if the minister is currently employed by a Unitarian Universalist, Unitarian, or Universalist organization, an additional letter from that organization confirming their status and recommending the applicant, including the writer’s contact information.
• A letter of recommendation from one or two members of the EUU, with the writer’s contact information.
• An EUU Affiliated Minister must submit a biennial request for renewal using a provided form. The form would update contact information and status.
• A minister’s affiliation with the EUU ends when the minister (1) resigns, (2) fails to submit required status forms or renew their affiliation, or (3) is found guilty of serious misconduct.

SECTION 11. ATTACHMENT A. Covenant and Code of Conduct

Covenant

United in the call to serve the spirit of love and justice through the vocation of ministry in the liberal religious tradition, I covenant, as an Affiliated Minister of the European Unitarian Universalists (EUU), to:

• Conduct myself with integrity, honoring the trust placed in me by the EUU, its Coordinating Council, fellowships, members-at-large, and all those who recognize me as an Affiliated Minister of the EUU;
• Embody in my life the values that we proclaim on behalf of our faith;
• Support fellow EUU Affiliated Ministers in collegial respect, care, understanding, and in honoring the diversity within the EUU;
• Hold myself accountable to the guidelines of my credentialing or affirming ministerial organization for the competent exercise of my ministerial vocation;
• Use my power as a minister constructively and with intention, mindful of the potential to unconsciously perpetuate systems of oppression;
• Seek justice and right relations according to the evolving collective wisdom of fellow Unitarian Universalist, Unitarian, and Universalist ministers and the EUU, and to refrain from all abuse or exploitation;
• Cultivate practices of deepening awareness, understanding, humility, and commitment to the ideals advocated by Unitarian Universalists, Unitarians, Universalists, and the EUU;
• Labor earnestly for the well-being of my fellow Affiliated Ministers, the EUU, our congregations, fellowships, at-large membership, and the progress of our faith;
• Through fidelity to this covenant and the codes of professional conduct to which I am bound, I aspire to grow in wholeness and bring hope and healing to the world.

Code of Conduct

• I will be honest and diligent in my work to fulfill the offices of ministry according to the stipulations of my call or employment and my best professional judgment. 
• I will not misappropriate from their intended purpose the money, assets, or property of the congregations, fellowships, agencies, or enterprises I serve, or of their members, staff, clients, or of their donors. 
• Within the limitations of law, I will respect the confidentiality of private communications and confidences from those to whom I minister. 
• I will honor the intellectual property of others, assuring that appropriate attribution is given to avoid intentionally creating the impression that the work of others is my own. 
• I will demonstrate respect and compassion without discrimination based on race, color, class, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, physical or mental ability, or ethnicity. Such equitable treatment shall be extended to all to whom I minister, regardless of position in the organization, including to those who may disagree with me. 
• I will work to confront attitudes and practices of unjust discrimination based on race, color, class, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, physical or mental ability, or ethnicity, and to challenge them within myself and in individuals, congregations, fellowships, and groups I serve. 
• I will not engage in public words or actions that degrade the vocation of ministry or diminish among us the esteem of our calling.
• I will not engage in sexual contact, sexualized behavior, or a sexual relationship with any person I serve as a minister, and I undertake never to commit any act which may be likely to harm my honor or integrity as well as that of the Unitarian Universalists, Unitarians, Universalists, and the EUU.