December 9, 2024

Dear Board of Trustees, 

As the Leadership Team of the What’s Next Committee, we first sought to gather information as to the wishes of the members of the church and our possibilities going forward.

During this process, it came to our attention that Reverend Mary was open to a much more gradual process of retirement which would allow our ministerial leadership to have the time and space for a much more grace-filled transfer of Mary’s responsibilities to others.

We were working under the assumption that Rev. Mary was wishing to retire quickly when, in fact, she is very open to continuing on with lessening hours over a longer period of time.

It is the opinion of the What’s Next Leadership Team that more time is needed for the transition to truly serve the congregation as well as honoring Mary as our long-time devoted minister.

This would allow time for the transference of duties to new / current staff persons and congregational members as appropriate, with Mary being available to guide this process. It would also allow for the church to continue to benefit from Mary’s training and experience, including the rewards of the investment we made in Mary by sending her to Integral Ministry training.

We feel that as a Unity Church, we need to make our decisions with faith and trust in possibilities and abundance, remembering that things have a way of working themselves out, when we trust in Divine Order.

We understand that the recommendation for Mary to retire so swiftly came from a real-world concern about the finances of the church. This concern is not to be minimized, and at the same time, the heart of our church is Unity principle. Making sure that there is a continuity in the quality of spiritual guidance and pastoral care is paramount. Having more time will also serve the practical functioning of the church.

The Leadership Team will continue to work with Mary to sort through and delegate the many responsibilities she has fulfilled as minister and de facto office manager—an increase in duties for which she was not compensated. Mary will continue to serve the ministry as a paid staff member, focusing on responsibilities that are mutually determined to benefit both her and the congregation, with appropriate compensation to be established over time.

For these reasons, we recommend that Mary’s salary remain unchanged at this time, with a salary review scheduled for May 1, 2025. This review will be conducted by our Board of Trustees, with input from the What's Next Leadership Team, in accordance with the Board's responsibility under our bylaws to set salaries and compensation for all employees.

We feel this decision would support the continuing evolution of Unity Buffalo.

What follows is a summary of our insights and recommendations:

Overview of Administrative Responsibilities:

• We have compiled a detailed list of administrative responsibilities (spanning over three pages) that Rev. Mary has been handling since the Office Manager role became vacant approximately five years ago.
   
• Despite taking on these additional responsibilities, her salary was not adjusted to reflect the dual roles she has been performing as both Senior Minister and Office Manager.

Current Role Challenges:

• While Rev. Mary continues to find fulfillment in the ministerial aspects of her position, the administrative and office management duties are beyond what she feels she can or wants to continue managing.

Future Role Preferences:

• Rev. Mary would like to focus her ministerial efforts on providing Sunday lessons 2-3 times per month and other usual ministerial duties as described in the Senior Minister job description.
   
• She is also excited about sharing her expertise from the Integral Ministry Program (IMP) and through other trainings by serving as a consultant for churches, primarily Unity of Buffalo, interested in implementing the IMP. 
   
• Rev. Mary has expressed a desire to remain connected to Unity of Buffalo after August 31, 2025 by supporting our ministry if it can be done in a way that aligns with the Unity Worldwide Ministries (UWM) Code of Ethics which states that once a minister retires or departs for any reason, it is considered appropriate and necessary for the minister to "modify their relationship with the ministry." This ensures the incoming leadership can establish itself without interference.
   
• If or when, Unity of Buffalo hires a new minister, Rev. Mary would need to stay separate from the church for one year and could only return if invited by the new leadership.  However, if the church chooses to adopt a different ministerial leadership model—a possibility the Leadership Team, including Rev. Mary is eager to explore—this could include Rev. Mary transitioning to a part-time minister or consultant role, with the specific details to be determined.

Recommendations to Address Current Needs:

Redistribute Administrative Tasks:

• Determine which tasks can be shifted to the Media Specialist (Christie).
   
• Explore hiring Michelle Olandese, a congregational member, for a few hours weekly to assist with administrative duties.
   
• Assess if Christie and Michelle can cover all duties or if more help is needed.

Maintain Rev. Mary’s Salary:

• Keep Rev. Mary’s salary at 100%, with Board approval, to support the transition and redistribution of the administrative responsibilities.
   
• Review her role, time commitment, and salary by May 1, 2025.

Expand Sunday Speaker Pool:

• Arrange a rotation of speakers through May 1, 2025, for Sundays Rev. Mary will not be speaking. Suggested speakers include Dawn Lewandowski, Claudia Stachowski, Lynn Tranchell, and Mary Beth Wollenschlaeger.

Transition Period:

As we plan for the future, Rev. Mary’s potential retirement date of 8/31/25 is not set in stone.

She may continue to serve Unity of Buffalo in some yet-to-be-determined capacity.

The What’s Next Leadership team is committed to supporting both Rev. Mary and the congregation through this transition period, helping sustain our spiritual home as administrative responsibilities are reassigned and new systems are put in place.

In Summary:

We believe these recommendations address the immediate challenges, provide much-needed support to Rev. Mary, and lay the groundwork for a sustainable future for Unity of Buffalo. We recognize that implementing these changes may result in additional expenses, potentially leading the church to run a deficit for this fiscal year. However, we firmly believe these expenses are warranted as an investment in ensuring the long-term health and vitality of our community.  

At the same time, we understand that circumstances may evolve and new information could emerge. Should that happen, we are open to revisiting and adjusting these recommendations to ensure they continue to align with the best interests of our congregation and mission.

We welcome your input and guidance as we move forward.

Yours truly,

What’s Next Leadership Team – Mary Beth Wollenschlaeger & Chris Bush (Team Leaders), Lonny Gibbs, Dawn Lewandowski, Rev Mary Masters, John Michaels, Michelle Olandese, Lynn Tranchell