http://universalistchurch.net About Christian hope in the final restoration of all souls, and those that believe it Sat, 17 Dec 2011 14:35:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 http://universalistchurch.net/universalist-history/1891-universalist-general-convention-governance/universalist-general-convention-model-church-constitution/comment-page-1/#comment-149 Boy in the Bands - Unincorporated churches: the why of UUA polity Sun, 15 Aug 2010 15:31:19 +0000 http://universalistchurch.net/?page_id=132#comment-149 [...] I’ve written at length about the parish-church (or society-church) model of church organizing upon which both Unitarians and Universalists have historically organized, but to recap, a parish or society functions as a legal and fiscal entity which incubate and later holds a church. The parish or society hold the building and the money, is governed by elected officers, is usually incorporated, and could easily look to the outside world as a secular charity, save that it “shared” a minister with “its” church. (Unitarians were fond calling the minister, with respect to the parish, “a public teacher.”)  The church is then a spiritual body, governed by the minister (as pastor) and deacons, provides spiritual support and the ordinances (sacraments) and in the Universalists’ case, often bound its members to some recognition to a theological statement. See this example. [...] [...] I’ve written at length about the parish-church (or society-church) model of church organizing upon which both Unitarians and Universalists have historically organized, but to recap, a parish or society functions as a legal and fiscal entity which incubate and later holds a church. The parish or society hold the building and the money, is governed by elected officers, is usually incorporated, and could easily look to the outside world as a secular charity, save that it “shared” a minister with “its” church. (Unitarians were fond calling the minister, with respect to the parish, “a public teacher.”)  The church is then a spiritual body, governed by the minister (as pastor) and deacons, provides spiritual support and the ordinances (sacraments) and in the Universalists’ case, often bound its members to some recognition to a theological statement. See this example. [...]

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