Advertisement
Don Skinner reports this week on the Open Space conversations that the UUA Board has set up at GA. Don's uuworld.org news story explains how Open Space conversations will address the theme question, “In today's complex world, what is our mission as a faith community?”
Helen Bishop, who is directing the process, explains that the conversations about Unitarian Universalism's mission are part of a larger series of conversations:
“It’s been many years since the UUA as a body has examined its mission and vision statements and thought deeply about how we should position ourselves as a faith community. It’s time to do that. Also, the Board of Trustees is looking at policy governance [a management process in which the board makes policy decisions, delegating the execution of these policies to staff], and the Commission on Appraisal is doing a multiyear examination of the UUA Principles and Purposes, something that is required by our bylaws every few years. There is also a discussion across the UUA about how we should be doing ministry to and with youth.”
“All of these things will be informed by what congregational leaders consider to be important issues,” said Bishop, “and that’s what Open Space can be helpful with. It permits the participants to bring their own concerns to the fore without a framework being imposed by the board. The board will respond to what the participants come up with.”
The story also describes ways that Open Space conversations have been used in other UU contexts.