Name Selection Procedure
A name change is a rare thing for a congregation, occuring once in its life, if at all. Therefore, are no set procedures among congregations, no bylaws, policies or processes already in existence. Despite this, UU congregations do choose to change their church name when they have come to see that the current name doesn’t accurately capture who they are. This is where we are today, seeking a truer name for ourselves, and having to create a procedure to guide us through it.
I have reached out to UUA regional staff and ministers who have lead a name change in the last ten years, to learn from their successes and uncover the pitfalls of name changes. From this research, I have proposed a procedure with the following goal: Engage UUCGV members in a Unitarian Universalist based, openly democratic process to select a new name for our congregation during January 2019.
Through the first quarter of the 2018-19 church year our Board and Program Council have reviewed my proposed procedure and with their adaptations and encouragement it is the process we have adopted as our guide.
I have reached out to UUA regional staff and ministers who have lead a name change in the last ten years, to learn from their successes and uncover the pitfalls of name changes. From this research, I have proposed a procedure with the following goal: Engage UUCGV members in a Unitarian Universalist based, openly democratic process to select a new name for our congregation during January 2019.
Through the first quarter of the 2018-19 church year our Board and Program Council have reviewed my proposed procedure and with their adaptations and encouragement it is the process we have adopted as our guide.
Step I: Organizing
We will gather a small task force to guide our name change process. I envision three or four people who have strong organizational and administrative skills, who will be able to keep track of all of the members participating, and guide our congregation through the our chosen procedure. This task force will work November through the end of January 2018. Task force members must be present at all four Sundays during the month of January.
The task force will also determine the percentages to be used to carry over potential names from week to week during the voting step. These percentages must be determined well in advance and communicated clearly along with the procedure, weeks before the voting step begins.
We will gather a small task force to guide our name change process. I envision three or four people who have strong organizational and administrative skills, who will be able to keep track of all of the members participating, and guide our congregation through the our chosen procedure. This task force will work November through the end of January 2018. Task force members must be present at all four Sundays during the month of January.
The task force will also determine the percentages to be used to carry over potential names from week to week during the voting step. These percentages must be determined well in advance and communicated clearly along with the procedure, weeks before the voting step begins.
Step II: Gathering
During November and December our congregation’s membership will be solicited for potential names. Members of our congregation will be invited to suggest as many potential names as they wish. For each potential name there are two additional pieces of information that members must submit that will accompany their suggested name through the entire process: 1) the members’ full name, 2) an answer to the question, “How is this name significant to those outside of our congregation?” The purpose of these two accompanying pieces of information is to encourage and broaden conversation about a potential name. If a member does not wish to submit this information, their suggested name will not be added to the list of potential names.
We will use our website to both collect and display potential names and accompanying information. A special page will be created to accept submissions and another will be added after two weeks of collecting potential names to display each member’s submission. The task force will create opportunities on Sundays during November and December to share potential names and offer non-electonic methods of submitting a name. Potential names will be grouped according to their similarities, so that members will be able to identify trends and common themes. For example, names with geographical locations will be grouped together, as well as names that have “chalice” in them, etc.
One benefit of this grouping is to address the extensive “wordsmithing” that we UUs enjoy when adopting collaborative changes in writing. Variations of potential names could be seen and worked through members’ submissions during the gathering step, e.g., “The UU Church of Hackensack” and “The Hackensack UU Church.”
During November and December our congregation’s membership will be solicited for potential names. Members of our congregation will be invited to suggest as many potential names as they wish. For each potential name there are two additional pieces of information that members must submit that will accompany their suggested name through the entire process: 1) the members’ full name, 2) an answer to the question, “How is this name significant to those outside of our congregation?” The purpose of these two accompanying pieces of information is to encourage and broaden conversation about a potential name. If a member does not wish to submit this information, their suggested name will not be added to the list of potential names.
We will use our website to both collect and display potential names and accompanying information. A special page will be created to accept submissions and another will be added after two weeks of collecting potential names to display each member’s submission. The task force will create opportunities on Sundays during November and December to share potential names and offer non-electonic methods of submitting a name. Potential names will be grouped according to their similarities, so that members will be able to identify trends and common themes. For example, names with geographical locations will be grouped together, as well as names that have “chalice” in them, etc.
One benefit of this grouping is to address the extensive “wordsmithing” that we UUs enjoy when adopting collaborative changes in writing. Variations of potential names could be seen and worked through members’ submissions during the gathering step, e.g., “The UU Church of Hackensack” and “The Hackensack UU Church.”
Step III: Voting
Starting on the first Sunday of 2019 our congregation will engage in an iterative voting process to select a new name from among all members’ submissions. That first Sunday, January 6, and occuring the next two Sundays, January 13 and 20, members will arrive at church, be offered a ballot, and have their participation recorded by the task force. The first week, a member can vote for three potential names, the second week two, and the third week one.
Time during the service will be alloted to collect that week’s ballot, only ballots collected during the service will be counted. This serves to honor our 5th Principle, “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large” while sanctifying our name change procedure - rather than politicizing it.
Following each Sunday’s vote, the task force will tally the ballots and using the percentages they have determined and clearly communicated to the congregation, create the next week’s ballot. This mean the first week’s ballot will have all potential names, the second week’s ballot will have only the top potential names according to the predetermined percentage, and the third week’s ballot the same (hopefully, with only two or three names).
During the worship on fourth Sunday, January 27th, the new name will be announced. Voting data and materials (with the exception of individual ballots) will be on hand as evidence of the breadth of our member's participation in the process. Due to the open suggestion process and the three weeks of voting, it is anticipated that in total 90% of the congregation will be participating in some step the name change procedure.
Starting on the first Sunday of 2019 our congregation will engage in an iterative voting process to select a new name from among all members’ submissions. That first Sunday, January 6, and occuring the next two Sundays, January 13 and 20, members will arrive at church, be offered a ballot, and have their participation recorded by the task force. The first week, a member can vote for three potential names, the second week two, and the third week one.
Time during the service will be alloted to collect that week’s ballot, only ballots collected during the service will be counted. This serves to honor our 5th Principle, “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large” while sanctifying our name change procedure - rather than politicizing it.
Following each Sunday’s vote, the task force will tally the ballots and using the percentages they have determined and clearly communicated to the congregation, create the next week’s ballot. This mean the first week’s ballot will have all potential names, the second week’s ballot will have only the top potential names according to the predetermined percentage, and the third week’s ballot the same (hopefully, with only two or three names).
During the worship on fourth Sunday, January 27th, the new name will be announced. Voting data and materials (with the exception of individual ballots) will be on hand as evidence of the breadth of our member's participation in the process. Due to the open suggestion process and the three weeks of voting, it is anticipated that in total 90% of the congregation will be participating in some step the name change procedure.
Future Steps
In February and beyond we will adopt and adjust to our selected name. We have no plans to change the name we are incorporated under. We can legally "do business under" the name we have selected, so our work will be oriented to growing into the name we have selected. This will be detailed and time consuming work, but will be carried forward by the enthusiasm I believe this process will generate. Eventually, the need may arise for us to change both our by-laws and policies, and potentially how we are incorporated. Should that time come we will follow the appropriate processes to make those changes.
Respectfully Submitted,
Rev. Matthew Funke Crary
October 2018
In February and beyond we will adopt and adjust to our selected name. We have no plans to change the name we are incorporated under. We can legally "do business under" the name we have selected, so our work will be oriented to growing into the name we have selected. This will be detailed and time consuming work, but will be carried forward by the enthusiasm I believe this process will generate. Eventually, the need may arise for us to change both our by-laws and policies, and potentially how we are incorporated. Should that time come we will follow the appropriate processes to make those changes.
Respectfully Submitted,
Rev. Matthew Funke Crary
October 2018