Our Purpose
Member Support cultivates relationships and a feedback-rich environment with Unity ministries and leaders.
Through leading edge services and resources, we collectively prosper and evolve in spiritual community.
Who We Are and What We Do
We provide a variety of no-cost support services to help members:
- Launch and Grow Ministries: congregation-based, community-based, service-based, and study groups.
- Assess Employment Readiness (for both ministries and ministers)
- Market The Ministry/Market The Credentialed Leader
- Hire New Ministers & Spiritual Leaders/Find New Opportunities
- Craft and Negotiate Employment Contracts, Job Descriptions, Staff Evaluation Process
- Connect Future Spiritual Leaders & Unity Ministers with Resources on Path to Unity Ordination: special dispensation, mentor programs
- Identify Appropriate Resources for Transitions/Gaps: UWM Certified Consultants, Interim Ministers, Transitional Specialists, Minister of Record (MOR)
- Understand, Interpret and Apply UWM Policies and Bylaws
- Resolve Board/Leader Conflicts
- Manage Through Down-sizing, Dissolution, Disaffiliation
- Navigate Related UWM Services and Functions
More information on the above can be found under the Ministry and Spiritual Community Support, Employment Support and Evolving Ministries sections of the Member Resources & Support tab. Information on leader CEU requirements and related trainings can be found on the Education Overview page.
The Member Minute - Timely Topics from Member Support
It's time to finish your 2024 CEUs!
Where has this year gone? It’s hard to believe that it’s already mid-November and there are just a few more weeks of 2024. As a reminder, each year, all Unity credentialed leaders are required to complete continuing education courses: Continuing Education (CEU) Requirements | Unity Worldwide Ministries.
You will be asked to report CEU completion on your annual Credentialed Leader’s Report (CLR) in Q1 of 2025. We know the holidays are an extremely busy time for our leaders, so please plan ahead if you still have some CEU gaps to fill for 2024.
Member Minute Archives
Did you know that recent updates to the Bylaw Template for a Unity Ministry include modifications that stipulate LUTs (now considered to be “independent” under the new UWM Member Model) can serve on a ministry board IF they are not receiving compensation from the ministry in any way? (Article 6, Section 3)
The most current version of the template that contains this and other important updates can be found here.
Questions arose at the Annual Summit regarding the phrase “In Good Standing”. Over the years, the Unity cultural definition of this phrase has evolved. The UWM Membership Model Policy defines this phrase as:
For a Leader. To be in good standing, a Leader will be active (as defined in the Membership Model policy), have a UWM license or ordination that is not suspended or rescinded, properly submitting their yearly Credentialed Leaders Report (CLR), taking all required Continuing Education Units (CEU), living in accordance with the UWM Code of Ethics, Sexual Conduct Policy, Social Media Policy, and fulfilling all Member Leader agreements.
For a Ministry. To be in good standing, ministries will be affiliated with UWM, properly submitting their Annual Ministry Report (AMR), living in accordance with the UWM Code of Ethics, Sexual Conduct Policy, Social Media Policy, and fulfilling all Member Ministry agreements.
For more information please contact membersupport@unity.org.
Regardless of how you feel about social media, (a recent search for “social media blessing or curse?” returned 1,680,000 results!), it is likely a key part of how you communicate with your ministry members, your colleagues, and the rest of the world.
Not surprisingly, expectations for ethical social media behavior from Unity credentialled leaders and leaders of Unity organizations using social media are high.
A new Social Media Policy (referenced in the UWM Membership Model Policy) was recently approved. Please review so you are fully aware of expectations for use of and participation in various social media platforms and forums.
Questions? Please reach out: MemberSupport@Unity.org.
Thank you to everyone who completed their Annual Report! As of May 1, there were 393 ministry reports, and 827 credentialed leader reports submitted. That’s 540 Ordained Unity Ministers, 270 Licensed Teachers, and 17 Licensed Unity Ministers. You can still complete your report and help us compile the most accurate data about our movement. Email us to get your link and be sure to update us with new email addresses in the future.
If you have held or conducted a memorial service for a Unity leader (ministers/LUTs) in the past (as far back as you recollect), please email NEON@Unity.org with their name, transition date and other relevant information. This will allow us to update our records.
Going forward, if you know of someone who has recently transitioned, please message us via NEON@Unity.org so that we can connect with their loved ones. Don’t be concerned that others may have already reached out – we appreciate everyone’s efforts to help us stay connected and up-to-date.
Curious about what bringing Unity SpiritGroups to your ministry can do to engage and energize your membership? If so, then check out the new Member Support information page: SpiritGroups for Member Ministries
Have more questions than what is on the website? Email Indira Huerta at IHuerta@unity.org.
When it’s time to expand your ministry or begin something new, will you affiliate or satellite? In talking with our member ministries, we find that the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but the models are different with distinct governance and benefits. Read here in the congregation-based section to learn more about affiliated and satellite congregation-based ministry models.
For more information please reach out to the Expansion Ministries Coordinator: evolve@unity.org
Did you know the largest percentage of active Unity ministries have less than 30 people in attendance each week? (Small, but impactful!) Would it surprise you to learn that only 1% of ordained Unity ministers are under 50 years old?! Much more than just “fun facts” the information you provide on the annual reports is vital to keeping a pulse on all that is happening across the Unity community. Curious to see more results?
Results from the 2023 Annual Ministry Reports
Results from the 2023 Annual Credentialed Leader Reports
Last month we shared a view of “us” harvested from your responses to the 2023 CLR and AMR reports. This month we’re focused on data about Youth and Family Ministry (YFM) programs. So, what did we learn? South Central region leads the way with over 50% of the reporting ministries affirming an active YFM program! Overall, 36% of the ministries responding to this question have a YFM program presence.
See the full 2023 CLR and AMR composite results here.
Looking to start, expand or re-energize a Youth and Family Ministry Program? If so, come explore some of UWM’s available resources.