Commission on Appraisal

The next meeting of the Commission on Appraisal will be on April 22-27, 2013. Stay tuned for more details. We hope to see you there!

The Commission on Appraisal (COA) is charged to "review any function or activity of the Association which in its judgment will benefit from an independent review and report its conclusions to a regular General Assembly." The Commission meets four times a year—once at General Assembly, and three working meetings held in Boston and other locations throughout the country. During most of their meetings, they hold open hearings to which they invite local Unitarian Universalists so they can hear as many of the different voices of our movement as possible. Read reports from the COA.

Mission Statement

Grounded in the living tradition of our free and responsible faith, yet charged with acting independently, the Commission’s mission is to provoke deep reflection and to evoke timely, creative transformation of Unitarian Universalism, our congregations, and the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Bylaw Section of the Unitarian Universalist Association pertaining to the Commission

Section 5.8. Commission on Appraisal

The Commission on Appraisal shall consist of nine elected members. A member shall not during the term of office serve as an officer or hold a salaried position in the Association. The Commission on Appraisal shall:

1. review any function or activity of the Association which in its judgment will benefit from an independent review and report its conclusions to a regular General Assembly;
2. study and suggest approaches to issues which may be of concern to the Association; and
3. report to a regular General Assembly at least once every four years on the program and accomplishments of the Association.

Commission Updates

The Commission has recently launched a new study entitled "Who's In Charge Here?—The Complex Relationship between Ministry and Authority." We will undertake deep discernment regarding the very nature of ministry and where any of us—lay or ordained—gets the authority to call what we do ministry. We will also investigate the phenomenon of professional ministries encountering difficulties, and sometimes ending, because of differences with laity over the nature and scope of ministerial authority. Please read more about this new topic by downloading this study summary (PDF).