Denominations - Protestant

Date Founded:  1961

Membership/Number of Clergy:  221,367/1,773 as of 2009

Headquarters:  24 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02210-1409

Schools & Seminaries:   Meadville Lombard Theological School, Starr King School for the Ministry

Publications:  UU World

Website:  http://www.uua.org

Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest

Core Beliefs: The Seven Principles are:

1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
2. Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
3. Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
4. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
5. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
7. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Short History:  Formed by the 1961 merger of the Universalist Church of America (founded in 1793) and the American Unitarian Association (founded in 1825).  Unitarians believe in the "oneness" of God, not the Trinity.  Universalists believe that all people will be saved by God, not just those of a specific faith or creed. In the United States, the Unitarians mostly arose during the Puritan revival in congegationalist churches in New England.  Universalists were not as geographically centralized and were the more evangelical of the two denominations.  They were also the first denomination to ordain women (1863). 

Local Churches:  There are three congregations in the Louisville area.  The closest to campus is Clifton Unitarian Universalist Church, 2231 Payne St., Louisville, KY 40206. This is a very small church.  First Unitarian Universalist at 809 S 4th St., Louisville, KY 40203-2115  and Thomas Jefferson Unitarian Universalist at 4936 Brownsboro Rd., Louisville, KY 40222-6438 are both larger.  Use the Find a Congregation page to locate congregations in other areas.