American Unitarian Conference Forum

I am new to the AUC. So i want to start an AUC fellowship but i have some questions.

1)What is our ecclessial structure. I know european unitarians have bishops.
2) How many congregations do we have. The website has 3 listed, but one of those seems to have 3 congregation plants. We also have a ton of 'forming' groups listed - have they formed, whats their status?
3) Churches, we all know, run off committees. So what national committees do we have? Do churches, congregations etc appoint/recruit volunteers for the AUC National Communications Committee that runs the website and the newsletter? Do we have a youth committee etc?
4) Have we glanced through the Progressive Christian groups listed on Meet-up.com and asked if they want affiliation with the AUC?

Hello Superfly,

I'd read (and I know by-laws aren't hot material to read, but necessary) the by-laws to understand polity etc. There aren't any committees, rather we rely entirely on volunteers. We also have no set ecclesiastic structure akin to Roman Catholicism, Orthodoxy or Anglicanism. Each congregation is self-governing, calls and dismisses ministers as it chooses democratically, ordains those whom it wishes to, etc. Congregations affiliate with the AUC and the AUC exists to provide congregations and individuals with support, but there aren't any prelates making appointments or decisions. Some groups may even choose to be entirely lay-lead and not call a minister at all.

By-laws can be found here: http://www.americanunitarian.org/Bylaws.htm