c. 1998 Religion News Service

BOSTON _ The Unitarian Universalist Association believes it is making a statement: At a time when many mainline Protestant denominations have struggled with membership losses, the UUA is experiencing its 16th straight year of growth.

Leaders of the theologically liberal denomination attribute their growing membership to the unique way UUA churches offer spiritual freedom with a socially active twist.

Now the progressive religious denomination, which traces its roots to the Puritan founders of the United States, is undertaking a four-year, comprehensive project of self-evaluation that will culminate in a”recovenanted”denominational statement, the first since the Unitarian and Universalist factions merged in 1961.

At the denomination’s June General Assembly, held in Rochester, N.Y., the four-year”Fulfilling the Promise”project began with the announcement of results from a national survey by the denomination of 8,118 registered UUA members.

Next year, a survey of congregations will be conducted, followed by a survey of mediating structures such as the women’s auxiliary and other district-wide organizations the following year. Finally, in 2001, the denomination will use all of this information to become”recovenanted”in its mission.

A mirror of U.S. democratic principles, the UUA sees itself in line with the American tradition of congregational autonomy, which means each congregation chooses its own minister and makes its policies independently of a national body.

But with 200,000 members and 1,050 congregations in the United States, and given a recent 14 percent spike in membership in Mississippi and similar growth throughout other parts of the South and Midwest, the denomination felt it was time to cohere as it grew.

In quaint New England towns such as Lexington and Concord, UUA churches are housed in monuments to the progressive and revolutionary spirit of the founders of this country. But this spirit is no longer confined to the northeast quadrant of the nation.”Our center of gravity is constantly moving south and west,”said the Rev. John A. Buehrens, president of the Boston-based UUA. This growth, combined with a new religious progressive spirit, necessitates the survey, he said.

The UUA views itself as a home for those who want to be active in their pursuit of spiritually informed social justice. The result has been a renewed sense of visibility and empowerment among congregations.”They are very determined to be visible and to be an alternative,”said Buehrens.

Buehrens and his longtime colleague, the Rev. Forrest Church, senior minister of the 1,500-member Unitarian Church of All Souls in New York City, recently rereleased their 1989 book,”A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism,”as a way to make the denomination more accessible to newcomers.

The book is a collection of essays about the denomination’s history and ideology. It describes the concepts of Unitarianism, which is based on the doctrine of one God who is not understood as a Trinity, and of Universalism, which maintains there are multiple paths to salvation. Buehrens and Church emphasize how both denominations were historically active in progressive causes, such as women’s suffrage and the abolition of slavery.

Church, who began his ministry at First and Second Church in Boston _ founded in 1630 by John Winthrop, first governor of the Massachusetts colony, and other early settlers _ said the denomination has repeatedly changed since colonial days to fit the progressive religious spirit of the times.

He even sees a change since he left his Presbyterian upbringing to become ordained in the church in 1974.”It used to be people in the Unitarian Church came from religious traditions looking for freedom,”he said,”Now, they’re coming from the secular world trying to believe more in order to bond into a redemptive community.” It is this spirit of a community united in values _ though not necessarily in beliefs _ that has long ignited Unitarian activism on issues of social justice.

The findings of the”Fulfilling the Promise”are consistent with the sentiments expressed by Buehrens and Church that Unitarian Universalists are seeking a spiritual community respectful of difference even as it is united in goals of social justice.

Sixty-three percent of those surveyed said to”become a visible and influential force for good in the world”was their”dream for the UU movement.” A diverse membership is an enduring goal of the UUA.

Religiously, 46 percent of UUA members identified themselves as”Humanist,”19 percent as”Earth/Nature Centered,”13 percent as”Theist,”9.5 percent as”Christian,”and smaller percentages as Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, and Muslim.

This religious diversity, combined with the congregational autonomy doctrine, results in wide-ranging church services that observe the Buddha’s Birthday, discuss a Humanist philosophical tract, or use Christian hymns and sermons.

But racially, 98 percent of respondents identified themselves as”European American (white).”And on the question,”What is missing for you in your UU experience?”the most-chosen response _ 30 percent _ was”more racial and cultural diversity and diversity of perspectives.” Buehrens, who was raised Roman Catholic, agrees diversity is a central issue for the denomination. Seven years ago, the UUA launched an initiative on race relations, called”Journey Toward Wholeness,”which Buehrens called”the work of generations.””The challenge for us is to find ourselves reflected in people who are different from ourselves,”he said.

And the recent emphasis on diversity and pluralism shows an important shift from what Buehrens calls”a WASP ethnic religion”of the 19th-century Unitarian church to a more Universalist focus on multiple spiritual truths.”There is good news in this approach to religion,”he said,”And that is what we have in common as humans is always far more important than what we have to divide us.” However, the pluralism of beliefs can lead to a lack of humility sometimes, according to Church. He said Unitarian Universalists too often come to believe their sense of spirituality is entirely correct even though it may be shared by no one.”The greatest problem with Unitarianism is that if you don’t believe in God, it’s not that you believe in nothing, it’s that you can believe in almost anything,”he said,”So Unitarians are tempted to believe in themselves first and foremost, to believe in their thoughts, which is perhaps not as dangerous, but also to have a sense that they know more than is their ability to know.” (OPTIONAL TRIM _ STORY MAY END HERE.)

But Unitarian Universalists also have a sense of humor about their difficulty in remaining humble amid their multitude of beliefs.”What tickles your spiritual funny bone?”was one survey question. The most popular answer _ 31 percent _ was”That UUs claim to be seekers at the same time we act like we have the answers.” Buehrens, who will complete his second four-year term as UUA president in 2001, looks ahead to the next 10 years with optimism and hope for the denomination’s visibility and activity.”It’s never going to be an easy way to be religious,”said Buehrens,”It’s a demanding, relentless exercise in democracy, and democracy means you don’t always get what you want.”

DEA END LEBOWITZ