First, I love that the discussion is still hot (as in cool, not as in angry). Please accept this post (and all others) in this spirit.

I want to say more when I have more time, but I want to make some clarifications about my last post.

1. In saying that the entire movement depends on what I called “congregational” UUs, I was making what I feel to be a factually true statement about the real situation on the ground. Philocrites does a nice job of laying out the legalities of why this is so.

2. My descriptions of other kinds of UUs—cultural, theoretical, conference, and connectional—was also meant to be descriptive, not proscriptive.

I’ll also add this:

3. I’m on the staff of a large congregation as its membership director. I was a member for six years before joining the staff.

4. I am passionate about my job because I believe in this movement and because I noticed (long before I joined staff) that the movement depended, in fact, on #1.

5. I ask our new members to understand their choice to join our congregation as a public and symbolic commitment to the movement, the mission of our congregation, and the individuals in this congregation.

More later. Chutney out.