At the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association on June 21-25 2023, the delegates voted to give preliminary approval to the Article II Study Commission’s proposed revision of Article II of the UUA Bylaws. Article II states the (Seven) Principles and Purposes and (Six) Sources of the Association. The proposed revision to Article II can be found at this link. The vote on this proposal was 1816 (86.3%) yes and 289 (13.7%) no. A simple majority is required to give preliminary approval.

The delegates also approved 5 amendments to this proposal. Those amendments can be found a the following links: #30, adding spiritual development as a Purpose, #13, revising use of inclusive democratic processes as Values, #5, adding transcending mystery and wonder as sources of Inspirations, #26, adding creation of new UU communities as a Purpose, and #52, revising description of interdependence.

The Article II Study Commission is now charged to revise its proposal to include those 5 amendments within six months. The proposed revision of Article II, as amended will be submitted at GA 2024. At that Assembly, both the UUA Board and groups of at least 15 UU congregations may submit further amendments to the proposed revision. Any such further amendments will require approval by at least three-fourths of the delegates voting. Then, the proposed revision, as amended, will be submitted to the delegates for final approval, which will require at least two-thirds of those voting. If that vote is not enough for final approval, then no similar proposal to amend Article II may be submitted to GA for two years.

On October 31, 2023, the UUA’s Article II Study Commission released to the its final version on of the proposed revision of Article II of the UUA’s bylaws. This version will soon be presented to the UUA Board of Trustees for approval and, if approved (as expected), it will then presented at the June 2024 General Assembly for a final vote. A two-thirds vote of congregational delegates will be required for adoption. You can download a PDF version at this website:

Article II Study Commission Completes Its Final Proposed Revision to Article II