Unitarian Universalism as a religious movement - by Peter Morales
From Peter Morales - President of the UUA
We have long defined ourselves as an association of congregations. We need to think of ourselves as a religious movement. The difference is potentially huge. Congregations as local parishes arose in a different era. They arose in a time of limited mobility and communication. Most members lived within a couple of miles of their church.
When Unitarianism and Universalism were in their infancy, no one would think of belonging to a congregation ten miles away. Churches were the centers of community life in a largely agricultural society. (When Channing, Parker and Emerson were in the pulpit, Boston had a population of about 30,000, slightly more than Beacon Hill today.)
To be limited to a traditional parish form of organization in the 21st century is like limiting ourselves to technology that does not require electricity. The implications of thinking of ourselves as a religious movement rather than only a collection of congregations are profound and liberating. Here is an initial list:
- We focus more on connection and less on “membership.” Paying attention to who our ministry serves, how many lives we change and the difference we are making in the world can help us redirect our efforts outward.
- We invite people to connect to our UU movement whether or not they choose to join a congregation. We can reach out to young adults, students, snow birds, people living in foreign countries, linguistic and ethnic minorities, etc. They can all be part of the UU movement.
- We find ways to invite the 500,000 or so people who say they are UUs but are not members of a congregation into our movement.
- We have a way of inspiring people who share our values, want to be part of our movement, but are not ready to join a congregation.
- We have a natural way to engage with groups that were once affiliates—groups like UUs for a Just Economic Community (UUJEC), Latino(a) UU Networking Association (LUUNA), Diverse & Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM), seminarians, etc.
- We continue our efforts to connect with UU college students. We would make clear that they are still a part of our movement.
- We have a good way of taking in people through such portals as Standing on the Side of Love.
What we need
- A new kind of “open source” way for many kinds of people to interact with and inform Unitarian Universalism.
- Uses of social media that are rich and flexible. Technology is critical to connecting people today.
- A great deal more research about those who identify as UUs but are not members of a congregation.
- Face to face opportunities for small groups, etc. These can be held anywhere— homes, coffee shops, university residence halls—not just in church buildings. Think “Meet Up” opportunities for UUs.
- An ability to engage with Unitarian Universalism at a variety of levels of commitment.
- Social justice witness, activism and volunteerism opportunities.
- Scalability. This means an ability to accommodate individuals, small interest groups, local and regional groups, and larger national groups.
A two part strategy
1. Congregations remain the base
Creating ways of engaging people who are not members of our congregations is not a threat to congregations. Quite the opposite is true. We can help lower the walls between our congregations and the larger world. This can help make our congregations stronger. The UUA would continue to do all the important things we do now to support congregational health. That includes credentialing of religious professionals, creating resource materials, consulting with congregations, etc.
2. Focus energy on creating a movement beyond the congregation
I envision a UU movement that is composed of a mix of congregations and a variety of other structures. People should be able to connect to our religious movement in a variety of ways and at different levels of commitment. (They do this in congregations and always have.) Some people would concentrate on spirituality in small groups. Some (a lot, probably) would get involved in justice issues like marriage equality, environmental justice and immigration reform. Others groupings would be “identity based” like Spanish language groups or seminarians and religious professionals of color. We cannot predict the groups that would form or which ones would be the most vital.
The UUA’s role would be to provide the container, the technological foundation, leadership and coordination. We become a resource, a platform and a hub. This is not just about developing a set of programs, but finding a way for us to learn a new way as an institution.
Summary
The central conviction driving this proposal is that our core values appeal to far more people than are attracted to (or likely to be attracted to) our congregations. We have always treated this as a problem to be solved by devising ways to get people to become members of our congregations. But the reality of today’s world is that not everyone who shares our core values will want to become part of a traditional congregation. The fact that so many share our values is an enormous opportunity, not a problem. The future relevance of our faith may well depend on whether we can create a religious movement beyond, as well as within, the parish. I am confident that together we can seize this historic opportunity for our faith.
