UUA Congregations aka Unitarian Universalist "Churches" Continue To Drop Of The Map. . .
The Unitarian Universalist Association, formerly known as the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. . . has yet to make public its official count of UUA congregations for 2016, but there are clear indications that Unitarian Universalism continues to decline in North America, not only in terms of overall membership numbers, but also in the numbers of "bricks & mortar" Unitarian Universalist "churches" in the U.S.A.
The number of Unitarian Universalist "churches" provided in official UUA membership statistics seems to be somewhat inflated, since it would appear that the UUA includes non-certified UUA congregations in the number of UUA congregations listed in its official membership statistics.
Currently there are no less than 51 UUA congregations listed as "not certified", i.e. UUA congregations that "did not yet submit membership or financial numbers to the UUA between November 16, 2015 and February 3, 2016 (inclusive)", but many of these "not certified" UUA congregations have been on the "not certified" list for several years now. . . One wonders if these U*U "churches" can be reasonably considered to still be member congregations in the Unitarian Universalist Association (of Congregations) if they have not submitted membership or financial numbers to the UUA for some years now. . .
The current number of certified UUA congregations, including those U*U "churches" that made "no financial contribution" to the UUA between November 16, 2015 and February 3, 2016 (to say nothing of previous years. . .) is 988, which is rather less than the 1000+ congregations the UUA claims to have as members.
I expect that a total of 988 actual congregations is actually much closer to representing the actual number of remaining "bricks & mortar" Unitarian Universalist "churches" that continue to struggle on in the 21st century than the 1,043 congregations that the UUA currently, and I expect optimistically, if not just a tad fraudulently. . . claims to have in its official UUA Membership Statistics, 1961-2015.
This comparatively recent blog post by Rev. Scott Wells titled 'A new church applying to the UUA, but…' gives a pretty good idea of the what is happening with U*U "growth".
For every new UUA congregation that comes into existence, two or three cease to exist. . .
This trend in declining numbers of UUA congregations, to say nothing of declining adult membership and youth enrollment in U*U "religious education", shows that UUA President Rev. Dr. Peter Morales has FAILed quite miserably in implementing his presidential campaign platform which was all about growing Unitarian Universalism from "a tiny, declining, fringe religion" into nothing less than "THE religion for our time."
Not only is Unitarian Universalism nowhere close to being "THE religion for our time", as per Rev. Peter Morales' "optimistic" (to say nothing of megalomaniacal. . .) presidential campaign slogan, but U*Uism is actually a tinier, declinier, and indeed fringier. . . "fringe religion" than it was when Rev. Morales suggested that "The U*U Movement" was "a tiny, declining, fringe religion" in his sermon cum "stump speech" announcing his candidacy for UUA President back in 2008.
Well done Reverend Doctor Peter Morales!
The number of Unitarian Universalist "churches" provided in official UUA membership statistics seems to be somewhat inflated, since it would appear that the UUA includes non-certified UUA congregations in the number of UUA congregations listed in its official membership statistics.
Currently there are no less than 51 UUA congregations listed as "not certified", i.e. UUA congregations that "did not yet submit membership or financial numbers to the UUA between November 16, 2015 and February 3, 2016 (inclusive)", but many of these "not certified" UUA congregations have been on the "not certified" list for several years now. . . One wonders if these U*U "churches" can be reasonably considered to still be member congregations in the Unitarian Universalist Association (of Congregations) if they have not submitted membership or financial numbers to the UUA for some years now. . .
The current number of certified UUA congregations, including those U*U "churches" that made "no financial contribution" to the UUA between November 16, 2015 and February 3, 2016 (to say nothing of previous years. . .) is 988, which is rather less than the 1000+ congregations the UUA claims to have as members.
I expect that a total of 988 actual congregations is actually much closer to representing the actual number of remaining "bricks & mortar" Unitarian Universalist "churches" that continue to struggle on in the 21st century than the 1,043 congregations that the UUA currently, and I expect optimistically, if not just a tad fraudulently. . . claims to have in its official UUA Membership Statistics, 1961-2015.
This comparatively recent blog post by Rev. Scott Wells titled 'A new church applying to the UUA, but…' gives a pretty good idea of the what is happening with U*U "growth".
For every new UUA congregation that comes into existence, two or three cease to exist. . .
This trend in declining numbers of UUA congregations, to say nothing of declining adult membership and youth enrollment in U*U "religious education", shows that UUA President Rev. Dr. Peter Morales has FAILed quite miserably in implementing his presidential campaign platform which was all about growing Unitarian Universalism from "a tiny, declining, fringe religion" into nothing less than "THE religion for our time."
Not only is Unitarian Universalism nowhere close to being "THE religion for our time", as per Rev. Peter Morales' "optimistic" (to say nothing of megalomaniacal. . .) presidential campaign slogan, but U*Uism is actually a tinier, declinier, and indeed fringier. . . "fringe religion" than it was when Rev. Morales suggested that "The U*U Movement" was "a tiny, declining, fringe religion" in his sermon cum "stump speech" announcing his candidacy for UUA President back in 2008.
Well done Reverend Doctor Peter Morales!
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