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The Almost Church Revitalized: Envisioning the Future of Unitarian Universalism
This book is about how Unitarian Universalist congregations can become stronger-minded and more effective in achieving their hopes and dreams for the future. This description sounds somewhat grim, but the book is an engaging read. Many interesting ideas and suggestions.
91 pages, Perfect Paperback
Published March 12, 2009
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July 15, 2012
This book came out in 2009 and was instantly all the rage (at least in my seminary circles) but now seems to have all but disappeared. The UUA bookstore isn't even carrying it, as far as I can tell. It may be that Durall's ideas are too radical for some UUs, and perhaps not thoroughly explored enough for those who might be moved to try them. Regardless, I think this is an interesting book, an easy read, and provides good food for thought for many aspects of congregational life.
Durall's themes are pretty straightforward and repeated often:
1) Unitarian Universalist congregations need an outward focus, emphasizing service to the larger world. This sense of mission is critical for revitalizing congregational life, and service is to be understood as an expression of spiritual maturity.
2) Congregational leaders must be bold visionaries, not held back by MOVE (Members Opposed to Virtually Everything). Durall argues for valuing the input of committed, active members over the opinions of uniformed, uninvolved members.
3) Membership is a commitment to be taken seriously, requiring pledging 5-10% of one's income, weekly worship attendance, involvement in small groups, participation in one outreach or mission project a year, and telling others about the church. (This vision is in stark contrast to those in our UU movement who consider "membership" to be an unnecessary framework that should be abandoned.)
4) The annual pledge drive should be abandoned (this is his weakest argument, in my opinion, as he does not flesh out a particularly strong vision of what to do instead).
Durall ends his book with a presentation of five UU "heresies" that he believes are helpful:
1) UU ministers should get out of the intellectual stimulation business (in favor of my heart-focused, spiritual work)
2) Personal freedom and individual autonomy have outlived their usefulness as core values of Unitarian Universalism
3) The democratic process can consign a congregation to the past
4) Mission and vision statements that include vague "feel good" phrases (like "creating beauty," "the free exchange of ideas," and "inward journeys toward truth") hold little value
5) Conducting a congregational survey is a dreadful idea (This is one of his strongest arguments, in my opinion. He notes convincingly that in congregational surveys, "the views of church members who attend services regularly, give generously, and fulfill leadership roles are equal to those who rarely show up, give little, and know the least about the dynamics of the congregation.")
I don't know that I agree with everything Durall says, but I'd still identify this book as a must-read for anyone interested in congregational governance. It's good to have the status quo challenged.
Durall's themes are pretty straightforward and repeated often:
1) Unitarian Universalist congregations need an outward focus, emphasizing service to the larger world. This sense of mission is critical for revitalizing congregational life, and service is to be understood as an expression of spiritual maturity.
2) Congregational leaders must be bold visionaries, not held back by MOVE (Members Opposed to Virtually Everything). Durall argues for valuing the input of committed, active members over the opinions of uniformed, uninvolved members.
3) Membership is a commitment to be taken seriously, requiring pledging 5-10% of one's income, weekly worship attendance, involvement in small groups, participation in one outreach or mission project a year, and telling others about the church. (This vision is in stark contrast to those in our UU movement who consider "membership" to be an unnecessary framework that should be abandoned.)
4) The annual pledge drive should be abandoned (this is his weakest argument, in my opinion, as he does not flesh out a particularly strong vision of what to do instead).
Durall ends his book with a presentation of five UU "heresies" that he believes are helpful:
1) UU ministers should get out of the intellectual stimulation business (in favor of my heart-focused, spiritual work)
2) Personal freedom and individual autonomy have outlived their usefulness as core values of Unitarian Universalism
3) The democratic process can consign a congregation to the past
4) Mission and vision statements that include vague "feel good" phrases (like "creating beauty," "the free exchange of ideas," and "inward journeys toward truth") hold little value
5) Conducting a congregational survey is a dreadful idea (This is one of his strongest arguments, in my opinion. He notes convincingly that in congregational surveys, "the views of church members who attend services regularly, give generously, and fulfill leadership roles are equal to those who rarely show up, give little, and know the least about the dynamics of the congregation.")
I don't know that I agree with everything Durall says, but I'd still identify this book as a must-read for anyone interested in congregational governance. It's good to have the status quo challenged.
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