INSTALLATIONS

We have six installations this year between our congregations and the ministers they have chosen to call. What is an installation? How does it differ from an ordination? Why do we have them?

An ordination is the re-ceiving into the larger min-istry a person who has been called to, prepared for and been granted the privilege of that role by a congrega-tion. In our system of polity, congregations are the bodies that ordain ministers to this role and vocation. Ordination is not a call to be in a ministerial relationship with a particular congregation, but an official recognition of a person’s entry into the stream of all ministers who have gone before as well as those who currently serve. It asks that these ministers hold the vision of love, justice, hope and community in their hearts and hands. It asks those who take up its mantle that they preach from a place of freedom to help lead us into the realization of the beloved community. It tells those who are called, that we will give them access to the most sacred, vulnerable place in our lives and we charge them to hold that trust at the heart of who they are. It is not a call to a job, but to a way of being human in the heart of those who would come together to build a community that is stronger, more loving, more just, more inspiring, more humble and empowering than we dare to hope is possible.

When a congregation calls a particular minister and asks them to serve, they are inviting the ordained person into their community as the spiritual guardian of the most precious and cherished dreams they have for their community. The public declaration of the dreams and hopes; the commitments and responsibilities; the vision and mission and the promises they each make to assure the success of the relationship, are critical and important. It is a public declaration of the intent of the people and their minister to walk together, toward the same goals. They will not walk the same path, for their roles in the fulfillment of the goals are not the same, but both are critical to the success of the common ministry they will share. It names those differences, as well.

The installation is also a time for the larger Unitarian Universalist community to celebrate and honor the new relationship that is lifted up when you call your minister. It is a time for them to hear the commitments you are making to each other, and to offer not only good wishes, but support for the journey that lies ahead. It is a formal time when the focus can shift from the past to the hopes of the future time together. It often represents the most talent, joy, good feeling, openness, vulnerability and passion I witness.

If the congregation of your neighboring UU church is celebrating an Installation soon, I encourage you to attend. It will give you time to reflect on your own relationships, as well as offer support to those who would fulfill the common goals of this diverse faith.

— REV. MARY CHULAK HIGGINS

Florida District Installations: 1999-2000