A Letter from the Council: A Season of Transition and Discernment

Hi all!

We hope you all have enjoyed a wonderful summer. This letter is long overdue and will be one of several communications we hope to send out over the coming weeks, covering various topics that we, as a council, have been discerning and praying into.

Some of the topics we hope to cover are:

• Leadership transition and roles
• Building community
• Finances & Stewardship
• Relationships Beyond UChurch
• Gatherings, Home Groups and online

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A Season of Transition and Discernment

The first half of 2026 has been a significant season of transition for UChurch. Following Brant's transition from the senior pastor role, the Council and Board have been learning to lead as we temporarily take on more of the leadership responsibilities, while prayerfully discerning God's direction for the church's next season.

We, the Council, Board, and Staff, have recently realized what a poor job we have collectively been doing in communicating what has been happening. Please accept our heartfelt apologies for that. In the midst of this season of encouraging everyone to listen to and follow the Holy Spirit, we have not provided a clear way for communication and feedback to flow back to us.

So… we're making a change.

Going forward, we intend to publish updates from time to time on the UChurch website, creating a central place where everyone can stay informed and have access to a shared calendar. Our hope is that this will allow information to flow more consistently and we will be able to respond to any feedback in a timely manner.

Thank you for your patience and grace as we work to do better in this area. We're grateful to be walking through this season together.

A consistent theme has been "movement with discernment," rather than waiting for complete clarity before acting. We are learning that UChurch can move forward without having every role, structure, or outcome fully defined as we continue to seek God for direction.

The emerging direction is not toward having no structure, but toward light, relational, flexible structures that are fivefold and apostolic in nature.

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Finances and Stewardship

UChurch is not able to meet current financial obligations and, at the time of this writing, we have fallen behind by approximately two months.

Our expenses include staff salaries, insurance, facilities costs, and various operating costs for events. Note that all staff contribute a considerable amount of time beyond their paid time.

UChurch wants to approach finances from a posture of freedom, faith, generosity, and transparency. There is a desire to communicate more openly about the church's financial story and invite people to participate as God leads.

In the coming weeks, we will continue to share more of what we have been processing as a council. It is our hope to gather as a family in person to not only openly discuss what we have been praying into and hearing for our family, but also hear from you. This will take place in a Family Huddle on Sunday, October 18. Save the date, and we will share the time, place, and other details as soon as they are set.

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Sincerely,

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The Council: Tara, Rowena, John, Jan, Bob, Jodie, Erick, Brant, Catharine, Dave, Sandi, Chelm, Barry & Jenna

Staff: Donna, Barb, & Erick

Board: Barb, Brant, Dave, Rob

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