Thanks to a new generation of leadership at Unity School of Christianity and its partner organization, the Association of Unity Churches International, the Unity movement is preparing to enter a new era. Read an interview with the two leaders of the organizations as they talk about what led to an important joint decision to pursue deeper collaboration.
For a time, the Unity movement presented two faces to the world. There was the Unity School of Christianity, based at Unity Village, Missouri, and there was the Association of Unity Churches International, often called the Association, based in nearby Lee's Summit.
Each organization has its own role in furthering the Unity movement. Unity School of Christianity, the educational organization founded in the early twentieth century by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, comprises the Silent Unity prayer ministry, the Unity Institute seminary, SpiritPath retreat and event ministry, and a magazine and book publishing house. The Association is an organization whose roots go back to the 1960s, when it formed to support the growing number of Unity ministries, ordain ministers, and develop standards for their licensing.
Among the public, there has been confusion over where one organization begins and the other leaves off. Frequently the organizations were contacted by members of the public on matters that fell under the purview of the partner organization. Switchboard operators at both organizations have the number of their partner organization committed to memory, having so frequently to refer callers to the other number.
The Unity movement, it appeared, needed to be unified.
Last year, the boards of both organizations started the ball rolling with plans to create a joint Web site, and that soon led to other ways the two organizations could collaborate and better serve the Unity movement (see below).
Unity Magazine met with Charlotte Shelton, CEO of Unity School, and James Trapp, CEO of the Association, to discuss their partnership plans and what they mean for the Unity movement.
Unity Magazine: The joint boards of the two organizations have approved six steps that will bring Unity School and the Association closer together and enable them to more effectively promote Unity principles. What led to the decision?
James Trapp: Our goals were to see how Unity School and our Association could work together for the betterment of the movement. Initially, I thought both boards could come together to have a greater understanding of each other—how we operate, our culture— believing that it would lead to even greater effectiveness in working together. It started from that idea. It evolved as time went on to clearer objectives.
Charlotte Shelton: At about the same time, we were having discussions about a joint Web site project. The idea was first birthed in 2007 when the Unity Movement Advisory Council met and realized how powerful a joint presence on the Web would be. That project became a priority at the joint board meeting.
Trapp: We identified staff members from our respective organizations to work on the project. As it turned out, the team went beyond the original idea of building a single landing page to ultimately recommend one integrated Web site. They looked at the options for several months, worked through a lot of issues, and when we had a joint board meeting, our respective boards unanimously adopted that recommendation.
Unity Magazine: Let's talk about the missions of the two organizations and how they complement one another.
Shelton: When Charles and Myrtle Fillmore founded Unity School of Christianity, they saw it as an organization offering educational resources that would support an individual's spiritual development. Unity was to be a supplement to a person's primary spiritual path. It wasn't set up to be its own denomination. So initially there was some resistance to educating ministers and forming centers and churches because it was not the Fillmores' original intention. That dynamic eventually led to separate organizations.
Trapp: At one time Unity School had the Field Minister Department [1919–1965], but after a number of years the churches started growing and developing to the extent that they needed their own organization rather than just to be a department within the school. At Charles R. Fillmore's request, the ministers created their own organization to attend to the business of Unity ministers, Unity centers, and Unity churches. They formed the Association of Unity Churches International. The focus was on the ministers: ordaining, licensing, placing in churches, and setting up governance for ministries. So our focus is on the field ministries and spiritual leaders—ministers, licensed teachers, boards, and lay leaders.
Shelton: Today our missions are compatible, but they're different. Unity School's mission is primarily to educate. The prayer ministry Silent Unity, which has existed since the beginning of the movement, on the surface doesn't seem like an educational function, but affirmative prayer is an educational process; it's a different mode of prayer than most people have been taught in traditional Christianity. So there is an educational component to Silent Unity, and certainly, the Unity Institute ministerial programs, the spiritual enrichment programs, retreats, and publishing all exist to enlighten and educate. I think of Unity School as an educational resource center, not only for Unity congregants, but for all people who want to deepen their spiritual journey.
Unity Magazine: A lot of people don't understand why the Association and Unity School are separate organizations. Can you comment on that?
Trapp: One of the things that led to the need for a separate organization was the different perspectives on the role Unity should play: there's the original intent of Charles and Myrtle Fillmore—that it should be a supplement to a person's existing religious path—but it began to evolve, to where we had churches and centers and leaders. It began to look like a primary way for people on a spiritual path. It appeared more like a denomination that needed its own organization.
Shelton: That's one of the paradoxes that we need to continue to explore, the fact that we are both a primary path for many and a supplemental resource to millions of others who have a different primary path. How we serve both groups equally well is a huge challenge for us, but I know we can do it.
Trapp: It comes down to, What is our transcendent purpose independent of our individual missions, and where do we intersect? That is what we're seeking to find. Where can we collaborate and unify our energies for the betterment of both organizations?
Unity Magazine: It sounds like the organizations are trying to synergize their resources. Is that correct?
Shelton: That's absolutely right. We have increasing evidence that says there's a new window of opportunity for our teachings. People are increasingly frustrated with the narrowness and rigidity of traditional religion. Look at what's happening with the global economy—our prosperity teachings need to be out there!
Trapp: I always believe our purpose is the deepest river that we can dive into. It's bigger than our missions or individual plans. It is the reason that we exist. And that is bigger than any organization. What we're seeking to do is have that guide our operations and our way of being. That should be the guiding force: what's our purpose, why are we here? That's bigger than our denominational/nondenominational conversations.
Unity Magazine: It's oft been said that timing is everything. Can you explain why all this is happening now?
Shelton: The synergy of Unity is happening organically. The only role James and I have played is to keep our agendas flexible so that we can take advantage of the doors of spirit that are opening. That said, the fact that we both came within the same time period [Trapp became CEO of the Association in November 2005; Shelton became CEO of Unity School in July 2006] is important because neither of us has deep history in these roles. There was a freshness and flexibility in having a new leader for each organization.
Trapp:When the time is right, Spirit says “go.” It goes beyond human planning. We are impacted by what is unfolding spiritually. The world is calling for a greater unity. We have an opportunity to model that and demonstrate our teachings.
