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However we vote, we put love at the center, unflinching, insistent: this free faith we so cherish reveres the past and trusts the dawning future more. We believe in evolution—unfolding always, not unraveling—and revelation is not sealed.
– Rev. Victoria Safford, in a reflection
before the final pre-vote discussion of Article II at General Assembly
After a democratic process involving thousands of Unitarian Universalists discussing the faith’s values and core theology over the past three-plus years, delegates at General Assembly 2024 voted decisively to approve a new statement of Shared Values and Covenant for Unitarian Universalism.
“This is a historic moment for Unitarian Universalism, as we move our living tradition forward to focus on Shared Values that will help promote liberation, radical inclusion, and communal care both within our church and across society,” said Unitarian Universalist Association President Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt.
“Thousands of UUs put in countless hours of hard work to discern, discuss, and debate the direction of our faith tradition. This work was done carefully, thoughtfully, and thoroughly. And that is something that all UUs can and should be proud of. Additionally, this demonstrates how functioning democratic processes can be used to create change that is just and equitable. Everyone who wanted to be involved had the opportunity to provide input and make their case. This language of Shared Values is all the stronger and more reflective of who Unitarian Universalists are today because it was a shared process. Thank you to all who were a part of this process.”
The faith’s new expression of Shared Values was adopted by a final vote of 2,025 (80.2 percent) to 499 (19.8 percent) with 21 abstaining at General Assembly 2024, held online June 20-23.
The new values are Equity, Generosity, Interdependence, Justice, Pluralism, and Transformation, centered around Love.
A two-thirds vote was required to approve the changes. Four amendments were also voted on, but only one was ultimately incorporated. Two amendments would have added additional Values: "Reason and the Responsible Search for Truth and Meaning” and “Peace as a UU Value,” but were voted down. The other two were proposed edits to the description of the Shared Value of Equity. One would have added “Equity calls us to listen, understand, respect, and respond to one another” but failed to gain enough votes.
The only incorporated amendment changed the Equity description to read, “We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion.”
UUs at congregations across the country engaged with the proposal over the past several years, including through GA workshops, small-group meetings, board workshops, board meetings, and the Amplifying the Charge program, launched in early 2024 to prompt dialogue and intentional study about the proposed bylaws changes. The UUA offered several resources for congregations as they considered what was most vital to the faith.
Recently, you may have heard people mention a “jet pig.” To help young UUs join in the Article II discussion, religious educators began using an acronym of the values centered around Love: JETPIG (Justice, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Interdependence, and Generosity). It caught on, and now UUs of all ages are playfully engaging with the acronym.
Above: Petunia L. JETPIG from First UU Society of Syracuse, New York.
The statement of values reflects changes to Article II of the UUA Bylaws, which include its “Principles and Purposes” as the foundation of all the work of the UUA, its member congregations, and its covenanted communities.
Reviewing core values is a faithful act that expresses Unitarian Universalism as a “living tradition,” said Carey McDonald, executive vice president of the UUA.
The UUA's bylaws mandate that Article II be reviewed every fifteen years. It has been revised numerous times over the history of the UUA, with the last wholesale revision in 1987.
In 2020, the UUA Board of Trustees appointed an Article II Study Commission, which received input from thousands of UUs around the country before presenting, in early 2023, a proposal for changes to Article II. An overwhelming majority of delegates at GA 2023 voted to advance the proposal for more study and reflection by UUs (a simple majority was required under the bylaws) and to create the opportunity for UU congregations to propose amendments to the proposal, before a final vote at GA 2024.
Delegate Gene McKracken from First Unitarian Church of Des Moines, Iowa, spoke against the new Article II during a General Session, in part because he worried the ongoing focus on it was distracting UUs from work that needs to be done in the broader world. When it passed, he said he thinks some healing work is needed after what he characterized as an adversarial process. He also said, “I would hope that this effort does not divert UUs from the wonderful work that many are doing in their communities! There’s work to be done in our denomination, and there’s work to be done in our communities.”
Individual UUs and their congregations are welcome to continue to hold and value the Seven Principles and Six Sources, which were adopted in 1984, as a meaningful part of the faith, just as some have adopted the Eighth Principle on their own, McDonald said. The Eighth Principle specifically calls out antiracism and anti-oppression as central to congregational life and UU values.
How Can My Congregation Think More Deeply About This Change?
- Discuss Rev. Dr. Sheri Prud’homme’s theological reflection on the Shared Values.
- Hold a group read of the collection Love at the Center: Unitarian Universalist Theologies, edited by Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt (Skinner House, 2024). You can start with the excerpt “We Call These Things Love.”
- Explore a collection of congregational resources to help all ages engage with our Shared Values and Covenant.