With this report the Commission invites Unitarian Universalists to embrace a new vision of congregational polity. We have called attention to the paradigm shift in liberal religious thought as a whole-from independence to interdependence, from individualism to relationalism.

Being part of a religious community is a personal commitment that reflects a theological vision-namely, a sense of the fundamentally interdependent, or covenantal, nature of existence. Being in community, then, is not incidental to being a Unitarian Universalist, but intrinsic and inescapable.

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Bylaws (adopted in 1961 and amended since) are a basic document of our community of autonomous churches. Like the founding charter of any community, this document reflects the original vision of the community. It also reflects in the history of its...

The collective personality of any group reflects both conscious and unconscious patterns that express the group's way of being in the world and its relationship with its members.

Social justice work has long been a part of Unitarian Universalism, and for almost as long it has been a source of tension within and among congregations.

Religious leadership at the congregational level is a key area in which different understandings of congregational polity create difficulties within our Association....

Our tradition of congregational polity comes from the Reformation, and the movement of people from Europe to the colonies in America for religious freedom. Our current practices reflect that tradition.

There are some 75 recommendations in the report, all aimed at a new vision of congregational polity one based on the interdependence of our community of autonomous congregations. To achieve a shared vision will require looking at our theology and history, as well as devising specific cooperative relationships.

Our UUA congregations across the continent, and the individuals within them, have a variety of theological foundations.

Our basic description of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) organization is the bylaws. They reflect the ambivalence that we have toward establishing a central organization with any power. Or, you may say, they reflect the balance we have achieved between congregational autonomy and cohesive action.