Introducing The Reverend Dr. David Keyes
UUA Accredited Interim Minister
Interim Ministry
The interval between settled ministers is good time for congregational growth.
These transition periods allow members of the community to address long-term issues and to strengthen their sense of mission and identity. Religious institutions can benefit from a short-term interim ministry where old hurts or a sense of loss can heal. The traditional ways of operating can be respectfully examined, and new ideas can be tested in safety.
An good interim ministry is a bridge from which all members of the congregation can gather, take stock of where they are, and move toward the future.
The Minister
David Keyes is a leading interim minister who has devoted more than a decade to raising professional standards for interim work and to honing his own skills in consulting with congregations in times of transition. Following two settled ministries early in his career, he found his calling in interim work, completing specialized training, and designing and leading training for other interim ministers.
He believes that one test of an interim minister’s effectiveness is the success of the ministers who are settled in churches following the transition. To date, the larger churches he has served have enjoyed thriving settled ministries following his departure.
Although he values the tools and methods of church organizational development, Rev. Keyes believes his most important qualities are those which bring him closer to members of the congregation, a warmth and pastoral style that truly ministers to those who are troubled or excited about a time of change. He attempts to be available on a human level to those he serves.
The Pulpit
In one of his sermons, Rev. Keyes says this about preaching:
Nearly one thousand times now, I have stood in the pulpit and attempted to say something that would be worth speaking, and worth hearing. Something that might strike a chord and change a life. Nearly one thousand times now, I have confronted the knowledge that I would be challenged to somehow bring some comfort to people who are suffering, usually in silence, from loneliness, loss, rejection, terminal illness, anxiety, depression, setbacks of all sorts, confusion of all magnitudes.
That I have been allowed to try to live up to this challenge sometimes amazes me. It amazes me that I have been given such a chance to, as Reinhold Niebuhr put it, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.
There are times when I think that I am not up to the challenge. There are times when I know I am not being attentive enough in visiting those who are sick; not diligent enough in attending countless committee meetings; and most certainly not skillful and eloquent and authentic enough in constructing and delivering these little spoken events we call sermons.
But he keeps trying.
Some examples of Rev. Keyes' sermons are available on this site.
Religious Education
David Keyes believes that a strong religious education program strengthens
the connection among members of a congregation and deepens individual
satisfaction and commitment to the community. He has nurtured
existing programs — and even brought some dormant ones back to life — during
his interim tenures.
He has experience collaborating with in-place religious education professionals in multi-staffed churches, and he has worked with lay leaders in congregations without a paid educational team.
An example of David's work is the Adult Religious Education program Rev. Keyes designed and led for the Ann Arbor congregation.
Social Action
David Keyes tries to make his actions match his words as he reaches out to the wider community. He has been active in church-based community organizing; with migrant farm worker education; with human rights groups in Romania and India; and with the California Legislative Ministry’s work for marriage rights and marriage equality. In 2004 he took a self-financed sabbatical from the parish to work full-time as religious outreach coordinator in the Kerry-Edwards campaign. As one of the primary campaign spokespersons on religious issues, he was featured and quoted in a number of publications, and on NPR, ABC, CNN, and the BBC.
International Leadership
David Keyes has been called "A major architect of international relations in our movement."
He literally wrote the book on partner church relations with Unitarians in Transylvania, where he has worked and visited annually for the past twelve years. You can read here about his strong support for a world-wide Unitarian Universalist movement, and you can read about the sustainable agriculture organization of which he was the founding president at Project Harvest Hope.
Meet David Keyes
The pages of this web site attempt to introduce Rev. Keyes from professional and personal viewpoints. Information on his Ministerial Record and references are also available in a password-protected area.
If you would like more information about Rev. Keyes or his work for Unitarian Universalist denomination, please contact him.
About this Site
The text and design of this site were developed by Galen Workman (Ozdachs Consulting), a member of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco who has been a friend of David Keyes for 24 years. Rev. Keyes assisted the site's development by providing pictures, reference sources, and guidance.
