STATEMENT ON THE UNIVERSAL ACCEPTANCE OF ALL CLERGY IN THE INTERFAITH-INTERSPIRITUAL-INTEGRAL MOVEMENT

by
Rev. Tim Miner OUnI

As the interfaith-interspiritual-integral movements continue to grow, it is critical that all clergy, regardless of the source of their ordination, be recognized as equal partners in the greater "family of human spirituality" which is the scope and domain of the movement.... On 10 July 2013, the Board of Directors of the Order of Universal Interfaith (OUnI) followed the lead of the board of directors of the Council of Interfaith Communities of the United States (CIC-USA) in ratifying the following statement of universal acceptance of clergy stature.

TITLE: A Policy of Universal Recognition for all CIC-USA associated Ordained Interfaith-Interspiritual-Integral Ministers

Whereas, the interfaith-interspiritual-Integral movement is now made up of multiple organizations and multiple congregations that include a majority of lay leaders and lay members that far outnumber the clergy ordained as “Interfaith Ministers” from all the seminaries of the world.

Whereas, the Interfaith-Interspiritual-Integral movement seeks to recognize a universal access to the many forms of human spirituality around the world, it is incumbent upon the movement to “walk its own talk” of inclusive organization.

Therefore, the umbrella organizations of the movement seek to insure that all spiritual leaders are recognized and welcomed and recognize that all ordained clergy within the CIC-USA communities are of equal legal stature by the movement.  Consistent with United States law and CIC-USA policy, every legally constituted congregation has the right to select its own leadership and have that congregational leader be accepted into the greater movement.  Some congregations may ordain.  Others may use the model of the Quaker and Baha’I spiritual paths with no clergy but only community leadership.   

While individual seminary programs, for spiritual leaders who have come through that path, have their own personalities and curriculum, it is important that all ordained clergy within the movement be considered part of a greater movement that extends beyond their own seminary community.  Again, this is consistent with the interfaith community’s belief that all clergy of the world’s religions are, in fact, equal partners in the greater universal family of human spirituality which is the scope and domain of all Interfaith-Interspiritual-Integral Ministers.

Consistent with these statements, the board of directors of the participating organizations to this motion encourage all seminary graduates and OUnI direct-equivalent clergy to partake of the post-graduation education from all CIC interfaith seminaries.   It is in the best interest of the movement that every ordained minister and community leader be exposed to the teachings of multiple seminaries.  No clergy or congregational leader should be denied education and training based on the original source of ordination.

Consistent with its treatment of the world’s religions and forms of spirituality, it is in the best interest of the movement that all organizations recognize that the movement is best served by multiple teachers, multiple teachings, multiple curriculums, multiple books of wisdom, and multiple communities working together as a single spiritual home.