Your minister is leaving. 
You've been told it will take 
at least 12-18 months before 
your new minister arrives. 
What do you do now?

You are in an Interim Time -- by definition a period of transition.  One chapter of your congregation’s life is ending (or has ended) and the next will soon begin.   The time between is a “liminal” period, not-quite-this, not-yet-that, rich with opportunities for deeper understanding and creative approaches to congregational issues.   Your liminal time can be a positive transition, where seeds are planted, hopes are voiced, visions articulated and positive energy nurtured. 

Working with an accredited interim minister is one path to positive transition. 

 ·        An interim minister can companion you in grieving, honor your history, facilitate needed conversations, and lift challenges gently into the light. 

·     She or he can view your congregation with clear eyes, giving you an honest assessment of your strengths and an appreciation of areas where you may choose to change.

·       She or he can provide a thread of continuity in a time of change, a tangible connection to the wider fabric of our movement and our collective ministry.  

·        She or he can help you nurture and enrich your worshiping and working community during the transition period, and help you prepare for the next chapter of your collective ministry. 

*    She or he can walk with you on the path of expanding your congregation's perceptions and identity as together you seek to live out UU principles in creating a just and inclusive world.

     These are part of what we might accomplish together during a period of interim ministry.  Then, at the end of the appointed time, an interim minister will join you in celebrating your opportunities – and with respect and caring, she will move on.  For that is the nature of an interim time – it comes to an end when the next chapter is ready to begin. 

 

 

Greetings from Rev. Killoran
Curriculum vitae and references  (please click here to request a password)
A selection of sermons
Samples of other aspects of Rev. Killoran's work

Rev. Dr. Maureen Killoran is an accredited interim minister in the Unitarian Universalist tradition. She brings 20 years' experience in parish ministry, training in transition coaching and proven success in facilitating congregational healing and change.  Maureen's education includes master's degrees in divinity and family sociology and a D.Min. in congregational systems as well as graduate level training in transition coaching and positive psychology.  She holds accreditation in interim ministry through both the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Interim Ministry Network.

With experience in leading congregations as large as 700 and as intimate as 40, Maureen Killoran brings a wealth of understanding of congregational size dynamics, growth issues and the sensitive complications and conflicts often found in transition times.  At the same time, she understands that the life of the congregation is ongoing.  Its joys, sorrows, playfulness and struggles continue, and you rightfully expect your interim minister to walk with you in the full dimensions of congregational life. 

UUs who have worked with Rev. Killoran describe her as energetic, competent, caring, and creative.  "She is a dynamite speaker," said one observer.  "She is fully authentic in her sermons, combining both intellectual depth and an understanding heart."   "She accepts the hard task of speaking truths we need to hear," reports another congregant, "and she does it with love."  Rev. Killoran particularly cherishes this comment:  "We don't know how she did it, but after a year of working with Rev. Maureen, our highly conflicted congregation is well on the way to significant healing."