Table of Contents

Who We Are & How We Govern Ourselves

Canadian UU congregations operate on the congregational model, which means that each congregation is self-governing. There is no national authority residing in a bishop or presbytery, which means that any national body of UUs in Canada has only so much authority as its member congregations collectively agree that it shall have.

The Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) is comprised of a Council of member congregations which have chosen to participate in it together. The Council elects regional representatives to a Board of Trustees. The Board appoints an Executive Director (E.D.) who is the Chief Executive Officer of the organization. The Executive Director hires staff and recruits volunteers in order to undertake the tasks of the CUC.

In 1998 the CUC Board adopted the Carver Policy Governance method to help ensure that the collective goals of the member congregations are being met. Some of the key concepts of this method are described in Appendix I.

Vision

The Vision of the CUC, as endorsed by the Council at the 2002 Annual Conference & Meeting in Kelowna, BC is as follows:

The Canadian Unitarian Council is a strong, respected Canadian voice for a vibrant, liberal faith community, relevant to contemporary life in the twenty-first century. It takes a responsible role in the international community of Unitarians and Universalists and the interfaith community. It respects and affirms diversity both within and among its congregations and within the Canadian mosaic. It connects, nurtures and empowers Canadian Unitarians and Universalists and their congregations, and fosters the growth and outreach of the Unitarian Universalist movement in Canada, particularly in the areas of:

• Lifespan religious education;
• Effective professional and lay ministries and
• Active participation in national social issues.

Mission

The Mission Statement of the CUC, as endorsed by the Council at the 2002 Annual Conference & Meeting in Kelowna, BC is as follows:

The Canadian Unitarian Council is an organization of Unitarian and Unitarian Universalist member congregations and individual members acting to enhance, nurture and promote Unitarian and Unitarian Universalist religion in Canada. The CUC provides tangible support for religious exploration, spiritual growth and social responsibility. It represents our faith in the larger social and religious environments, which can be summarized as: Growing Vital Religious Communities in Canada.

Ends

The CUC Board has adopted the following set of ‘Ends’ as necessary and sufficient for the organization to achieve its stated Vision and Mission. Please note: the Board sees the items below as of equal importance; they are not in a priority order. The first three deal with support for congregations, the next two with congregations working together to create a national presence, and the final one makes explicit the assumption that our organization must achieve its goals in a fiscally responsible manner.