A Message from Rev. Colin
Dear Members and Friends:
Kinsey Shackleford resigned as Director of Religious Exploration on Wednesday. This is an unexpected change. I know it may be unsettling, especially for families with children in RE. The Board leadership, staff, and I are committed to making certain that this transition is as smooth as possible for everyone involved.
In a sudden transition like this this there are always three kinds of questions that arise: What are we doing immediately? What we will do in the future? Are there any systemic issues that need to be addressed?
In the short-term our staff and volunteers will be able to ensure that we continue to have a high quality religious exploration program. Kinsey was scheduled to co-lead the UBarU family camp this weekend with Rev. Scott. He has made arrangements to ensure that all of Kinsey’s responsibilities for the camp will be covered, and has recruited his talented husband Conrad, who has extensive religious exploration experience, to help with the games and activities. This week, Sunday religious exploration will otherwise proceed as planned. In addition, there will be a time on April 5th for children and parents to process Kinsey’s departure.
Next week I will be meeting with the Transitioning Religious Exploration Knowledge team that was established last year to help onboard the new Director of Religious Exploration. Prior to her retirement, Carol Burrus had worked with them to create a plan for Religious Exploration for the balance of the 2025-2026 program year. I will be working with them to figure out what needs to be done to follow through on that plan.
At the same time, I will begin the process of constituting a team to open the search for our next Director of Religious Exploration. I anticipate that the search will take about three months. I am confident that it will result in us finding an excellent candidate for the position.
This is the third staff transition in relatively short period of time. Given First Unitarian Universalist’s history of staff challenges I recognize this number of departures among our small staff is a cause for concern. In the next months, I will be working with the staff and Board leadership to identify if there are any underlying issues that need to be addressed to ensure that First Unitarian Universalist is a healthy and productive work environment. The steps that I have identified include hiring a consultant who specializes in personnel matters for large congregations, continuing education on personnel management for those staff members with significant supervisory roles (Tawanna, our next Assistant Minister, and me), and creating a staff covenant to help clarify staff norms and expectations.
We wish Kinsey well in her future endeavors. Because this is a personnel matter, I am unable to provide more information about the circumstances of her resignation. If you have other concerns about the transition, please bring them to me.
I will continue to share information as more becomes available. In the meantime, I have faith that First Unitarian Universalist will move through this transition in a manner that empowers us to continue to widen love’s circle. I am grateful, as always, to be on the journey of building the Beloved Community with you.
love,
Rev. Colin
Kinsey Shackleford resigned as Director of Religious Exploration on Wednesday. This is an unexpected change. I know it may be unsettling, especially for families with children in RE. The Board leadership, staff, and I are committed to making certain that this transition is as smooth as possible for everyone involved.
In a sudden transition like this this there are always three kinds of questions that arise: What are we doing immediately? What we will do in the future? Are there any systemic issues that need to be addressed?
In the short-term our staff and volunteers will be able to ensure that we continue to have a high quality religious exploration program. Kinsey was scheduled to co-lead the UBarU family camp this weekend with Rev. Scott. He has made arrangements to ensure that all of Kinsey’s responsibilities for the camp will be covered, and has recruited his talented husband Conrad, who has extensive religious exploration experience, to help with the games and activities. This week, Sunday religious exploration will otherwise proceed as planned. In addition, there will be a time on April 5th for children and parents to process Kinsey’s departure.
Next week I will be meeting with the Transitioning Religious Exploration Knowledge team that was established last year to help onboard the new Director of Religious Exploration. Prior to her retirement, Carol Burrus had worked with them to create a plan for Religious Exploration for the balance of the 2025-2026 program year. I will be working with them to figure out what needs to be done to follow through on that plan.
At the same time, I will begin the process of constituting a team to open the search for our next Director of Religious Exploration. I anticipate that the search will take about three months. I am confident that it will result in us finding an excellent candidate for the position.
This is the third staff transition in relatively short period of time. Given First Unitarian Universalist’s history of staff challenges I recognize this number of departures among our small staff is a cause for concern. In the next months, I will be working with the staff and Board leadership to identify if there are any underlying issues that need to be addressed to ensure that First Unitarian Universalist is a healthy and productive work environment. The steps that I have identified include hiring a consultant who specializes in personnel matters for large congregations, continuing education on personnel management for those staff members with significant supervisory roles (Tawanna, our next Assistant Minister, and me), and creating a staff covenant to help clarify staff norms and expectations.
We wish Kinsey well in her future endeavors. Because this is a personnel matter, I am unable to provide more information about the circumstances of her resignation. If you have other concerns about the transition, please bring them to me.
I will continue to share information as more becomes available. In the meantime, I have faith that First Unitarian Universalist will move through this transition in a manner that empowers us to continue to widen love’s circle. I am grateful, as always, to be on the journey of building the Beloved Community with you.
love,
Rev. Colin
