DRAFT: FOR DISCUSSION PURPOSES

Introduction

There has been much discussion recently regarding “who are the ‘Owners’ of the CUC?” as a result of the CUC Board’s undertaking a systematic overhaul of its policies and procedures.  The Carver Governance model (and, consequently, current Board policies) talks of a “legal ownership” and a “moral ownership” – and the importance of consultation in developing and implementing policy.

While the term “ownership” itself is problematic, the discussion has prompted the Board, our ministers and other leaders to contemplate our respective roles in the stewardship of Unitarianism and Universalism across Canada.

A National Movement?

Some use the term “CUC” as a synonym for “our national movement”; defined strictly (by its by-laws), the CUC (“Canadian Unitarian Council”) is a council of member congregations – i.e., a group of independent religious communities with a national organization that acts primarily as a service provider and national voice for its members.  The CUC works in response to the common interests of the member congregations as a whole, and therefore has no direct responsibility for or authority over individual congregations and their members.

Our “movement” of Canadian Unitarians and Universalists encompasses not only the CUC, but all individuals, congregations and other communities across the country.  Some of these other communities are based on professional roles - as in the case of our ministers and religious educators, some are based on effective social engagement - such as the Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice, “CUSJ”, while others establish a broader spiritual community - such as the UU Buddhist Fellowship, Canadian UU Pagans, etc..

In addition, within our congregations, individuals often belong to a variety of small groups: some focused on spiritual development, some on social action, others on creating a more intimate environment.

A complete definition of our “Canadian UU Movement” therefore umbrellas Canadian Unitarians and Universalists as individuals and in the variety of communities to which we belong: our congregations, our small groups and our regional and national groups – recognizing the rich and varied nature of needs, ways of working, and methods of interacting with each other.

We come together nationally in fellowship and mutual support, affirming and promoting a set of shared values and principles.

Thus, we are a community of communities...

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Questions...

• Who exactly are all the players in Canadian UU Movement?
• What are our collective Mission, Vision and Goals (“Ends”)?

• What are our obligations to each other, community-to-community?  How do we govern ourselves collectively?

• How do we communicate among our communities, and how do we ensure the voices of the individuals who make up our communities are reflected on the national stage? 

Starting a Conversation to find some Answers

In order to start the conversation to explore the above questions, various venues and concepts are being considered: