Greetings from the Congregational Ministry Review Board (aka CMRB). I am really excited to share with you a strategic change CMRB and I have been studying and discussing this year. It’s a different model of what CMRB does called a Pastoral Relations Committee.

Before we dig in, though, you might be wondering what CMRB does. To quote from our bylaws, CMRB “acts as liaison between the congregation and the ministry team, discusses issues of mutual concern, helps define objectives and goals for the ministers and for the congregation, coaches the ministerial team, and provides the necessary review of ministerial staff…” In other words, we support the ministers in their ministry, provide a way for congregants to communicate concerns with the ministers, and evaluate the ministers.

So, what is a Pastoral Relations Committee and how is it different? According to the UCC resource A Sure Foundation, “The Pastoral Relations Committee is a standing committee in a congregation, with the purpose of supporting a healthy relationship between the pastor and congregants in order to enhance the effectiveness of the church’s ministry.” It is “an advisory group to the pastor: sharing ideas, dreams, expectations, and concerns of the congregation with the pastor” and “a support group for the pastor’s leadership: interpreting roles, functions, boundaries, opportunities, and needs of the pastor to the congregation.”

To my mind, this sounds a lot like what CRMB does with one very crucial difference. A PRC does not evaluate the ministers.  This role is taken by a human relations board. The main reason a PRC doesn’t evaluate is because evaluation is seen as in tension with the roles of support and advice. I have myself felt this tension in my year and a half with CMRB. The PRC model avoids this tension by dividing the roles up in a way that at least to me, makes a lot of sense.

Last month, Rev. Talia, Lindsey Telg and I attended a webinar from the UCC Florida Conference about pastoral relations committees hosted by Rev. Nayiri Karjian. It was an amazing opportunity to learn more about PRCs. It also reminded me that in considering this model, we are not alone! We have a phenomenal resource in our state conference. I have provided a link to recording below for anyone who is interested.

The CMRB has been discussing the model for many months and we feel strongly that it is the direction we want to go in. With a search committee for a settled ministry just formed, we feel this is an especially vital time to consider this change. PRCs are the norm in our conference and will be an asset in attracting candidates to our shared ministry. We look forward to presenting this to the congregation and getting your feedback.

 

In grateful service,

Beth Hinrichs, chair, and CMRB

 

Resources on PRCs from the UCC Florida Conference:

Zoominar Recording: https://zoom.us/rec/share/4W_qOvcIwHRCoJohEdcBzpSX4fYy6uXItL-Gx60NwB1U9EX5VomOWSseD0NCy2cy.VpDq3g6c0tFli5hf

Passcode: @@5FcVwy

Job description of members of a PRC: https://www.uccfla.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Pastoral-Relations-Committee-Job-Description.pdf

Pastoral relations committee: https://www.uccfla.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/A-Sure-Foundation-–-Pastoral-Relations-.pdf