Use of Church Name Policy

Second Unitarian Church of Omaha, NE

  1. Second Unitarian Church, as an institution, will not endorse individual political candidates, nor take any action to jeopardize the 501(c)(3) status of the Church. This does not prevent individual members and friends from expressing their personal views to each other.
  2. A copy of all correspondence on Church letterhead should be given to the Office Administrator for the Church records.
  3. Individual committees and Church staff may speak for themselves on various issues, but must receive permission from the Board to speak for the Church. To request Board permission, fill out the Application to Speak for or Represent the Church in Public form. The Board should review all requests, and if the appropriateness or inappropriateness of the request is clear, then the Board shall act accordingly.
  4. If, however, the Board is unclear on the appropriateness of a particular use of the Church name, the Board shall seek feedback from the congregation as a whole. This can be done through Town Hall Meetings, surveys, phone calls, or any other means that is appropriate for the case in the Board's judgment.
  5. If the feedback from the congregation on the appropriateness of the use of the Church name is clear, then the Board shall act accordingly. If the feedback from the congregation is not clear, or is significantly divisive among the Church membership, then the Board shall call a Special Congregational Meeting, in accordance with Article 6 of the Church bylaws. The use of the Church name will be on the agenda, and a vote shall be taken. The vote of the congregation will be the final word on the use of the Church's name. The application form asks for an explanation of how the issue, activity, or event is important to the mission of the congregation.