Congregations and Beyond

The Credo Forum will meet in the Cottage Library at 9:30am on Sunday, March 4. We will discuss Congregations and Beyond, a controversial new initiative by UUA President Rev. Peter Morales.

The UUA website states:
In Congregations and Beyond, the Rev. Peter Morales, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), offers a vision of the opportunities and challenges that face Unitarian Universalism as an international movement. He presents a strategic direction for Unitarian Universalism consistent with our core values and historic willingness to push beyond pre-determined boundaries. All Unitarian Universalists are encouraged to read, discuss, and share Congregations and Beyond.

The vision statement is available on the UUA website at: http://uua.org/uuagovernance/officers/president/moralespeter/192145.shtml. Here are some links to blogs that appeared soon after the Congregations and Beyond white paper was published.

Our Responsibility to Those Beyond our Walls (1/20/12)
http://celestiallands.org/wayside/?p=781
In his blog Celestial Lands Rev. David Pyle supports the vision of the Congregations and Beyond statement but cautions us to pursue it for the right reasons. "It is time we move away from the circles that are closing us in, and open up our religious movement so that we can transform and engage with as many lives as we possibly can, in any way that we can...But let us do this for the right reason… not because of what we might expect to gain, but because of what we have to give to this wounded, broken, hurting world."

Beyond "Congregations and Beyond" (1/21/12)
http://somaywebe.com/2012/01/21/beyond-congregations-and-beyond/
In his blog So May We Be the Rev. Chip Roush questions the focus of Congregations and Beyond. "I’d like this to be less about making it easy to 'connect' and more about it making it mean something once connected."

Thoughts on "Congregations and Beyond" (1/24/12)
http://revcyn.blogspot.com/2012/01/thoughts-on-congregations-and-beyond.html
Although she thinks Rev. Morales' statement is vague, Rev. Cynthia Landrum is intrigued by his new approach. "But what I think is new about 'Congregations and Beyond' is that Peter Morales is not suggesting we find out why they're not in churches, but, rather, find out what they are interested in doing that would connect them to our movement in other ways. Some people will never be church-goers, he's saying, but that doesn't mean that they can't be part of the UU religious movement."

On "Congregations and Beyond" (1/24/12)
http://boyinthebands.com/archives/on-congregations-and-beyond/
In his blog Boys in the Band the Rev. Scott Wells explains why he finds Congregations and Beyond neither a source for inspiration nor a cause for concern. "Let’s call it head scratching because this is hardly the launch into a brave, new world one would expect from its internal tone, much less the betrayal of congregational polity I’ve heard expressed."

Becoming a Religious Movement (1/25/12)
http://peterboullata.com/2012/01/25/becoming-a-religious-movement/
Rev. Peter Boullatta explores the idea of UUism as a religious movement and the role of the UUA. "If Unitarian Universalism is a religious movement, then the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations is its institutional expression. What is the relationship between movement and institution?"

Beyond Congregations -- What's a Religious Movement (1/30/12)
http://www.tomschade.com/2012/01/beyond-congregations-whats-religious.html
The Rev. Tom Schade does not view Unitarian Universalism as a movement. Instead he believes "Unitarian Universalism is an institution that operates within the Liberal Religious movement, one of many such institutions."

Congregations and Beyond (1/31/12)
http://uuminister.blogspot.com/2012/01/congregations-and-beyond.html
J.F. Crawford writes in the blog The Journey: "One thing I feel quite certain about: if we want to make a significant change in the world, if we want to extend our saving message beyond those who manage to figure out that they’re 'Unitarian Universalists without knowing it,' it is going to require change and an 'all hands on deck' mentality. No more protecting our own little square of real estate or working from models crafted 50 (or 200) years ago."

The Emperor Has No Clothes…or Yet Another View On “Congregations and Beyond” (2/1/12)
http://eastofmidnight.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/the-emperor-has-no-clothes-or-yet-another-view-on-congregations-and-beyond/
Kim Hampton is critical of Peter Morales' statement because "The longer that I’ve sat with 'Congregations and Beyond' the more I get stuck on a question that I don’t think this document even remotely tries to answer–how do you measure success?"

Congregations and Beyond: Consultation (2/14/12)
http://president.blogs.uua.org/ministry/congregations-and-beyond-consultation/
Finally, Rev. Morales reports on a consultation between UUA staff and ministers to explore the ideas in the Congregations and Beyond statement. "The group’s discussion focused on three main areas: congregations reaching out in new ways, a culture change among UUs as we explore new ways of creating religious communities, and new ways of engaging people using rapidly changing technology. Now the hard, but exciting, work begins of translating these visions into practical strategies."