Frequently Asked Questions about Clara Barton District Dissolution
First Group of FAQs – February, 2016
Q: Why are you recommending dissolving the Clara Barton District?
A: Our shared interdependence as Unitarian Universalist congregations has evolved over time,
and so too must the forms of our interdependence and the ways we live our covenant in
practice. We no longer live in a time where districts are involved in denominational governance
or staff oversight as they once were. In addition, many other factors have changed since the
current district structures were established in the mid-20th century, including many
communications and other technology changes. The current Clara Barton District is the merged
combination of what were previously the Central Massachusetts District and the Connecticut
Valley District.
Over the past few years, we have also increasingly experienced borders between Districts as
permeable, with many activities occurring across district “borders”. In addition, a number of
years ago the Massachusetts Bay District (MBD) Board began regularly meeting with the Clara
Barton District (CBD) Board, and also started sharing District staff, and thereby discovered
shared connections and greater efficiencies. Like some other District boards around the country,
we concluded that our UUA was better equipped to supervise and evaluate District staff than a
volunteer board, so we ended much of our staffing and governance role. Additionally, the
fundamental structure of our UUA Board of Trustees changed a number of years ago: in the
past, UUA trustees were elected at the district level, and that is no longer the case.
Many of these changes also reflect a desire to free volunteer leaders to do more ministry than
governance within our denomination, as well as create a more efficient, accountable, and
mutually supportive structure of our interdependence so that we can better live our faith in the
world. In essence, the CBD Board has worked itself out of a job, and is recommending district
dissolution. CBD has no official function within the UUA structure and no paid staff of its own
any longer. Many districts across the country have now dissolved or are in the process of
dissolving. After 2016, it is likely that only a small number will remain, mostly for specific
geographic, financial, legal or other readiness reasons.
Reflecting the new reality of regionalization, the 2015 Clara Barton District annual meeting of
congregations passed a motion charging the Clara Barton District Board to research the
dissolution of the CBD and report back at the 2016 annual meeting. A similar motion was
passed for the Massachusetts Bay District, and they have done the same. The CBD Board of
Directors has concluded that the current structure of District and Board no longer serve the
purposes for which they were created, and that the Clara Barton District (which is its own
nonprofit legal entity) should be dissolved.
Q: Who is making the decision?
A: We all are—and we need your help! Become a delegate from your congregation to the 2016
Annual Meeting, which will be held from 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm on April 30, 2016, at the Unitarian
Universalist Society: East in Manchester, CT.
Q: What has the process been to arrive at this place?
A: This conversation has been progressing and evolving over the past few years. The question
of dissolution has been discussed at the past two Annual Meetings. Before that, the Board
explored what its role might be, once it ceased to co-employ District staff with our UUA (There is
no CBD staff any more, as employees are fully part of the UUA New England Region.). We
wondered whether the Board might serve as a connector between congregations, and have
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hosted several gatherings of leaders from across the District to explore those options. But, over
time we came to realize that a volunteer Board realistically doesn’t have the time or energy to
create and sustain programs at the District level, and that our congregations are already
benefitting from excellent regional programming from our New England Region, both in-person
programs and increasingly with online options. More local activities of groups of congregations
and other UUs will likely continue, and perhaps expand, and do not need an additional District
layer to do so.
Q: How does dissolving the district fit with what's happening elsewhere in the country?
A: Dissolution is part of a suite of options being implemented by districts across the country. As
districts begin to understand the effects of regionalized staffing, stewardship and linkage, each
is considering how to help build connection and expand ministry in keeping with its own local
ethos and context. Districts in two regions have dissolved and moved into models of
regionalization. A few years ago the former districts of Central Midwest, Heartland, and Prairie
Star voted to dissolve and form one regional structure for the MidAmerica Region. The Southern
Region is comprised of the former Florida, Mid-South, Southeast and Southwest districts. The
Central East region is composed of the Ohio Meadville, Metro New York, Joseph Priestly and
St. Lawrence districts, and those districts are in the dissolution process now.
The Massachusetts Bay District Board is also recommending district dissolution, and this will be
considered at its annual meeting on April 23, 2016, the week before the Clara Barton District
annual meeting.
Q: Will there be a change to the services that congregations receive?
A: No. In fact, the services to which you are referring are already being provided by our UUA
New England Regional staff. The regionalization of UUA staff means that the same services are
available to congregations, including support for ministerial transitions and consultation with
regional staff, particularly in the areas of conflict transformation, justice ministry, and religious
education. Most of the workshops that began at the district level are now offered across the
New England region, which means that you can choose to attend an offering in a neighboring
district when that is more convenient. In addition, online versions of some workshops are being
offered and more will continue to be added.
Q: Where will the Clara Barton District’s assets go?
A: Any assets owned by the Clara Barton District will be transferred to our UUA. That is
specified in our by-laws. Financial assets (savings and investments) will be held in funds for the
purpose of funding the UUA New England Region operations and programming. These assets
include the checking account, money market account, and certificates of deposit. The Clara
Barton District does not have any other physical assets at this time. These funds will be
safeguarded and/or appropriately invested by the UUA in a manner that balances opportunities
for growth with reasonable availability for use.
Q: Will congregations still need to pay our dues?
A: Yes, absolutely! Since the money going to the Clara Barton District is already directly passed
on to the UUA New England Region and is being used to support regional programming, your
dues are relied on to provide the same excellent and consistent level of staffing, resources,
support, and programming offered by our UUA New England Region. Longer term, our UUA has
begun a process to review overall congregational stewardship and is considering a number of
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different approaches. That was already occurring, separate from our work around district
dissolution.
Q: If delegates decide to dissolve the district, what will the next steps be?
A: We will ask the Annual Meeting of the Clara Barton District to instruct the board to do
whatever prudent actions might be needed to carry out dissolution. This may include:
○ Working with our UUA to transfer all CBD assets.
○ Working with our UUA to determine a transitional stewardship (dues collection)
system.
○ Satisfying any remaining liabilities (there are currently none).
○ Helping to ensure that new Regional linkage and stewardship structures are in
place and populated by gifted lay leaders. These include the Memorandum
Review Committee, Congregational Life Advisory Board, and the Generosity
Network.
○ Frequent communication with our member congregations about the progress of
dissolution.
○ Prudent engagement of professional legal and/or accounting services to ensure
successful legal dissolution (while CBD includes both MA and CT areas, it is
incorporated as a nonprofit corporation in Massachusetts).
We are reviewing the required steps and approximate timeframes for dissolution now, and plan
to describe that to the delegates at the Annual Meeting prior to the vote. If the delegates decide
not to proceed with dissolution, the next steps would need to be re-thought, and likely would
require additional time and study into the next fiscal year, starting July 1. It would also be
necessary to determine who would do this work.
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