By Eugene Harnett

Four years ago, in October 2013, and so-President Dr. Michael Balcomb circulated a "National Lease" for the Family unit Federation for World Peace U.s., which was adopted. It set forth the structure for Local Family churches as well every bit purposes and policies for Districts and the National Quango of FFWPU.

The Family Federation's National Charter in America currently is written using sectarian language. It refers to local bodies equally "churches" and local leaders as "pastors." Thus, it gives definition to our national movement, leaders and members, and provides direction for who nosotros are and how we operate. Without proverb so outright, by default it affirms the Family Federation is a church.

Our organization'due south mission is broad. The language it uses to define its functions and bind its members must also be broad and inclusive to reach out to the family unit of humankind in a welcoming manner. However, nosotros utilize language that shapes the states as a church in the pattern of Christianity, putting us in a sectarian box and making information technology hard to human action and abound beyond our sectarian nature.

Beingness defined every bit a church is a hindrance to the development of our family unit movement in America. Information technology was appropriate for a time in history when we had to restore Christianity'southward failure. That time has passed. In our founder, Rev. Lord's day Myung Moon's words, "The reason I brought an end to our 'church building' and established the Family unit Federation for World Peace and Unification is because the time had come up to focus on the family." (Pyeong Hwa Gyeong, p. 1103)

Further, he stated, "The time for me to lead the Unification Church building has passed. Now is the time for horizontal expansion." (Cheon Seong Gyeong, nine.ane.3.22) Nosotros may empathise this to mean that the vertical responsibleness of faith has been secured by the Unification Church and the Family Federation has a dissimilar mission to limited the dearest of God in the world.

In 1993, Begetter Moon officially inverse the name of the Unification Church to the Family Federation for Globe Peace and Unification. But the church building nomenclature persisted. Thus, Female parent Moon before Foundation Day reemphasized this prior modify: "I am changing the name of the Unification Church to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification." (Cheon Seong Gyeong, 12.4.3.38)

Information technology is time to amend our National Lease to be in alignment with Truthful Parent'south vision for the Unification movement, non to form a church building but to establish one Family under God.

This proposed subpoena to our National Charter removes the sectarian language of "church" and rewrites it in not-sectarian terms. Get-go of all, it does not mean we become less spiritual or religious, nor that we stop teaching Divine Principle. Information technology does not mean all Dominicus services accept to get. We are not talking most changing who we are merely, instead, how we refer to ourselves.

We identify with beingness a church; that is acknowledged. This amendment runs against that grain. Father Moon said, "It is difficult to break a addiction." (Cheon Seong Gyeong, 7.iii.2.31) We habitually, even colloquially, call ourselves a church. It and then becomes important to have a disquisitional await at that habit. Fifty-fifty after True Father established us equally the Family Federation in 1993, he connected to call u.s.a. "church" himself.

Merely did he literally refer to usa as a church? Or did he hateful kyo-hoi in its original meaning as he stated in his autobiography:

"I do not like using the word kyo-hoi in its common usage to hateful church. But I similar its significant from the original Chinese characters. Kyo ways "to teach," and hoi means "gathering." The Korean discussion means, literally, "gathering for education." …When the give-and-take church means a gathering where spiritual fundamentals are taught, it has a skilful meaning. But the pregnant of the word kyo-hoi does non provide any reason for people to share with each other. People in general exercise not use the discussion kyo-hoi with that meaning. I did non desire to identify ourselves in this separatist type of category. My hope was for the rise of a church without a denomination." (As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen, pp. 120-21)

Though we do not call ourselves the "Unification Church building" any longer, we still refer to ourselves as a church. Sometimes we say we are the "Family Church," for instance. Local Family unit Federation chapters may have adopted other names for themselves, yet our National Charter still refers to these local organizations as "churches."

When not-members, new members, and onetime members are asked their religious affiliation, it has become "Unificationism." Thus, nosotros subtly have adopted a Christian denominational mark or the nomenclature of a denomination. It's natural for people to desire to know what to phone call u.s.a.. And nosotros ourselves habitually and now comfortably refer to ourselves equally a church.

If that is the management our Family Federation leadership wants to take, then it needs to be clearly idea out. As we abound, we may take to shake the term at a afterward time; or let others continue to define us, every bit they did originally, calling united states the Unification Church building. Think though, that was not the name Father Moon wanted us to be known as.

"The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity means an clan, not a church building. You lot must empathize this clearly." (God's Will and the Earth, p. 563)

"The world has come to call us the Unification Church in place of our full name." (Pyeong Hwa Gyeong, pp. 266-67)

"My goal was never to build a church." (Pyeong Hwa Gyeong, p. 1064)

The world will define the states as a church building or a denomination, and may even point to our National Charter to affirm it. If it is not True Parent's intention to exist known as founders of a church, and then we need to commencement looking at how we may exist inadvertently attaching that sectarian view to ourselves and True Parents.

The purpose of this charter amendment is not to just start the conversation on this topic only to invigorate our members to think bigger. Many early members joined when we were not called a church in America. They joined what was then called the "Unified Family." They called themselves "Family unit members." This term is immediately welcoming to all people, whether they belong to another church building or non.

The Family Federation has a larger purpose than creating a church building. True Parents accept constantly urged u.s.a. out of the church box to influence the entire society. It is more becoming of the Family Federation to exist a broad organisation, 1 that welcomes, supports and advocates for families in the globe. Of class, we can continue to teach the principles of family life and the original pattern by which God created the states. We can nevertheless teach about the Fall, Restoration, Christology, virtually all of Divine Principle, and the Approval. We do not have to stop or change this aspect of didactics if we remove the vestige of the church nomenclature.

The idea that the Family Federation tin can exist a hub of training and social involvement is central to who we are. This is our strong point. Equally a family-centric, social activist organization, our acceptance in the world will be more thorough than any church can e'er be, fifty-fifty the Mormon Church building or Cosmic Church building. They still retain their religious litmus test to be members. We should not have a religious litmus test for membership.

Nosotros need to find ways to bring our religious path into oneness with the secular path. The terminology of church confines united states. Our message is i of unity or unification. How can we do that with the nomenclature of "church" on the doorposts of our members? As Rev. Moon stated in his autobiography:

"As soon equally a person hangs a sign that says "church," he is making a stardom betwixt church and not church. Taking something that is i and dividing information technology into ii is not right. This was non my dream. It is not the path I chose to travel. If I need to take down that sign to salve the nation or the world, I am ready to do and then at any time." (pp. 120-21)

This may be why a breakdown in our church building motility is occurring. It is not about members refusing to be members of the Family, but that members don't sense the arrangement represents them anymore. Good members do not skip Sunday Services because they dislike us; they skip services because they didn't bring together a church to begin with.

The Inaugural World Convention of the Family Federation for World Peace (FFWP) held in Washington, DC  July xxx – Baronial i, 1996.

The Home Church providence and Tribal Messiah providence is where members may feel more aligned. Each one has their surface area of expertise, their area of influence, where they feel most comfortable. Shall we give them reasons to stay continued to the Family Federation because the Family unit Federation is truly beyond the church level, welcoming all people without imposing religious doctrines? Or shall we give them excuses to stay disassociated because nosotros act like another denominational church building?

It is an eventuality, then, that if our organization tries to be like a Christian type of church, it volition fade abroad. Information technology is not virtually disunity, failure to love Truthful Parents or rebellion. It is the natural course of events, especially because Father'due south many words on the topic. And it is a good affair. We who remain loyal to the Family Federation, even equally it exists as a church body, must applaud the many brothers and sisters who have decided to altitude themselves from this quasi-church of ours. We must as well requite them a reason to participate with us anew in a dynamic way.

The saying goes, "If it walks similar a duck and quacks similar a duck, it probably is a duck." If nosotros act like a church, talk in church language, and refer to ourselves as a church, then no matter how much we say we are trans-denominational and universal in our appeal, we volition still be a church in the minds of many people. This is an quondam habit that will not fall away easily.

If this bulletin strikes a chord within you, you already resonate with many members of the Family Federation who experience the aforementioned. No doubt the proposed amendment to change the linguistic communication of our National Lease will invoke a nod of agreement from many Family Members.

By removing the sectarian language in our national charter, nosotros will more than accurately define the role of Family Federation members and leaders – which is a broad role, not divers solely by sectarian purposes – to be aligned with the vision of building one huge family unit of humankind under God. We will exist an system that attracts people of all faiths, not just Christians. And we volition exist welcomed past all order as a benign, family-centric strength, not just a religious sect.

Here are reasons to change the language of our National Charter:

  1. The term "church building" has connotations. It refers only to religious denominational groups. Though Begetter colloquially oft referred to usa as "church," his definition could more than be in line with the original intent of the word kyo-hoi, which means a place of gathering and pedagogy.
  2. It makes the states compete with other churches. Members of other churches include the adept people we want to recruit; however, they exercise not necessarily look to join another church. We cannot and should not be trying to get them to leave their church to join ours. Secondly, by holding meeting times on Sunday, it makes our piece of work of gathering God'southward children into a contest with other churches.
  3. The term "church" divides. In Begetter's autobiography, he explains that using the term "church" immediately divides people betwixt church and not-church people.
  4. HSA-UWC is an association for uniting Christianity, non another church denomination.
  5. Male parent ended the Unification Church building in 1996.
  6. Female parent removed our Unification Church proper noun in 2013.
  7. Church requires religious adherence and worship. Family unit is built upon dearest and attendance across whatsoever religious conventionalities system. Unification Family members are religious in that we beloved God, dear others and understand religious practice. Information technology has special significant to u.s., since we've practiced information technology so much in our motility until now. To say its time has gone is not simple.
  8. Church is about worship. If you are a church in America, you are expected to pb worship services on Sunday. If we are a "church building," and so that's what'south expected. Still, Begetter didn't emphasize worship of God, but understanding the heart of God. That is so different. We relate amend as Family unit members without focusing on worship of God.
  9. Church cannot unite Muslims, Buddhists, Baha'is. In 30 years, studies predict the world Muslim population will exceed the Christian population. How well exercise Muslims welcome churches? If we are to influence the Islamic world, we volition have a much better avenue through a family-centric than a church arrangement.
  10. Family is universal and accepting of all. The divisions of the world do not exist in a family.
  11. Family members did not join a church when they originally joined. We joined The Family unit.
  12. Family will augment our community appeal. The Family Federation by name has no opposition, no religious test, no political purpose, no divisive nature. In reality, it can be as welcomed and receptive in the community as whatever non-sectarian organization, like a Rotary Order or Lions Club.
  13. "Pastor" is a Christian term and has connotations. Currently, a local leader is named specifically the "pastor." Pastor is restrictive in recruiting new leaders, who may have leadership qualities or bulldoze just non necessarily see themselves as pastoring.
  14. Church-type activities and worship services can continue for those who want it. Not everybody wants Lord's day Service, merely one-time customs exist and some people enjoy traditional services. Those things do not have to be discarded, yet they don't have to be the main meeting of the week.
  15. Family activities for learning and fellowship can be more diverse. Father encouraged the formation of hobby and special interest groups, like the "Hiking Federation" or "Sport Fishing Association." These types of ministries (another term that carries church connotations) can include family unit-friendly, community gathering activities. Father encouraged reading even a brusque Hoon Dok Hae before those gatherings. They can be used to help teach Divine Principle as well.♦

Eugene Harnett currently serves on the FFWPU National Quango representing the Northwest Region. He is a business owner in Alaska, male parent of five boys, and active in the local Family Federation in Anchorage.