COMPASS: Supporting Pastoral Leadership Through Community

Strong congregations are led by pastors who are supported, encouraged, and connected. Recognizing this, the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ helped launch a new vision for sustaining pastoral leadership.

In 2012, a steering committee established COMPASS (Communities of Ministerial Practice – A Sustaining Support) to provide ongoing peer learning and support for clergy. Today, COMPASS is part of the national setting of the United Church of Christ and continues to strengthen pastors through collaborative learning and meaningful relationships.

Grounded in the belief that ministry is a shared journey, COMPASS offers pastors opportunities to learn from one another, exchange ideas, and navigate the joys and challenges of ministry together. The program is committed to helping new pastors begin well while providing resources and peer support for clergy at every stage of their vocation.

By fostering connections, sharing best practices, and encouraging lifelong learning, COMPASS equips pastoral leaders to serve their congregations with creativity, resilience, and renewed purpose.

The Southwest Conference has offered Communities of Practice for Clergy (COPs) for two years. Previous COPs have focused on general ministry, specialized ministry and antiracism. As we approach the fall of 2026, we are trying to determine the interest of clergy in continuing this offering. What we need to know:

Would you participate in a COP? (There is a $250.00 fee for joining a COP. The COPs meet once a month for 2 hours with the exception of December.)

Is there a specific area of ministry you would be interested if you joined a COP?

If you are not interested, would you please let us know why this is not an area we should focus on as a conference?

You can respond to these questions by clicking here.

Your assistance will be greatly appreciated as we learn to provide resources to you that meet the needs of our clergy.