Is The ULC Monastery a Church?

• Posted by Jeff Austin December 26, 2009 - 1,101 views

  Is The ULC Monastery a church?

   

  This basic question appears to be unclear to some people.  The simplest answer is absolutely.   It is a religious organization whose primary purpose is to promote ecumenical communication, leaning and understanding across the breath of the religious spectrum.

   

  A writer recently termed the ULC Monastery as pluralist.  This is a good description and explanation, as good as any might be.  Every faith or non-faith is welcome.

   

  One of the most prominent goals is to provide marriage services across the spectrum of faith systems.  Allowing those seeking marriage officiate services to seek them outside of the secular court system and the more conventional denominational system.  In order for this goal to be archived, members must be ordained as members of a ‘church’ or religious organization, ( which is an ecumenical and semantic distinction more than a legal one).  So by definition it is a church and one fulfilling one of the basic religious needs of a community.

   

  There is a board of directors, a Chief Chaplin,a headquarters and a hierarchy.  Is it extensive or as extensive as others ‘church’s’? No.  By the concept of a pluralist church, both directorate and rules are kept to a bare minimum.  Individual minister’s concept of their ministry is left to the loosest possible definition in order for all to explore their visions.  That does not mean there are no rules, or church Canon.  Even in the most open and accepting status, a few rules a necessary for operation of any organization.

   

  Is the ‘Congregation’ of the ULC Monastery differing from conventional churches?  Yes, but that does not exclude it from being a church.  It is unusual as it’s makeup is entirely those whom are ordained by the ULC church (et al) since it’s inception.  That does not preclude it from being a church, rather it makes it one of a more theological and diversity focused and influenced group of members than an average church.

   

  With the ULC Monastery being a church does make your individual ministry, if you have one, an automatic member of the ULC Monastery church.  Not at this time.  I would imagine that if you do not desire it to be a member, it will never be.  A system to charter satellite churches is in the planning and exploring stages now.  It will allow ministers who happily and doctrinally embrace the church’s Canon and precepts to emulate it on a local level.  It will be yet another offering of the ULC Monastery in the interests of promoting ecumenical diversity and inclusiveness.

   

  There are few rules at the ULC Monastery, most of which are common sense things that would apply to any large group of people.  They are more theologically oriented than any general grouping, since the worship or non-worship of a plural group of people religious in character, is it’s membership and purpose.  With so few mostly common sense rules and a (so far) single church Canon/proclamation, it would seem very easy to follow along and adhere to the ‘parent’ body.  The ULC Monastery Minister’s Network and ULC Monastery Forum are both parts and parcel to the parent church.  They are functions of that church, no less than a building full of congregants might be in a more conventional and non-web based church.  They are both always subject to the rules, statues and Canon of the church.

   

  To date, the ULC has been hugely plural and magnanimous concerning whom is ordained and allowed to be ordained.  Basically anyone who seeks ordination in good faith is ordained.  It would be pointless to anticipate a direct change in that policy, unless you were a member of the governing board.

   

  Whether that ordination were ever to be restricted to those who adhere and do not condemn the church’s rules and Canon is ever changed, is beyond anything I have knowledge about.  That being said, those here are ministers of what ever faith they believe and adhere to.  It is both disingenuous and dishonest to be ordained and a participant in a church that you do not believe in it’s most basic values and rules.  As a person answerable to what ever supreme being you believe in, each of us has to ask ourselves if living and functioning in a lie is acceptable.  Those who do not believe, adhere and fully support the rules, tenets and Canon of ULC Monastery are just that, lying to both themselves, those they interact with and the parent church if they maintain an ordination and membership in an organization who’s most basic beliefs, though they may be few, they do not or cannot support.