How Is The Wherever Congregation Different from Church of the Larger Fellowship?
The Wherever Congregation and the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) both serve Unitarian Universalists who may not have access to a local congregation, or who prefer a more flexible option, but they differ in approach and focus.
The Wherever Congregation emphasizes flexible participation through both online and in-person gatherings, fostering connection within localized communities. It supports real-time engagement and community building through virtual groups and meetups.
CLF, on the other hand, primarily focuses on being a global UU congregation, offering online worship, religious education, and pastoral care for UUs who seek a more continuous, purely online spiritual home. You can check out CLF by clicking here!
Key Differences:
Online Origins: The Wherever Congregation is being built by and for digital natives, focusing on real-time, interactive engagement to meet the needs of a highly connected world. Meanwhile, the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) began as a correspondence church, providing vital spiritual connection long before digital platforms were common. Both serve the same UU mission but in different ways. While CLF’s origins emphasize long-distance connection, The Wherever Congregation builds on this legacy by offering immediate, intuitive access to spiritual community, designed for today's tech-savvy generation. Both approaches enrich Unitarian Universalism.
Hybrid Community: The Wherever Congregation will offer more than just online interaction; it will include in-person meetups and group activities to foster deeper connections within local communities. This hybrid model allows members to engage digitally from anywhere while also participating in face-to-face gatherings, providing the flexibility of a virtual church with the tangible community-building experience of traditional congregations. This combination strengthens relationships and enhances the spiritual journey by offering opportunities for both online and real-world connections.
Online Platform: The Wherever Congregation aims to offer a highly engaging online community platform that prioritizes real-time interaction and seamless connection, creating a more dynamic and accessible interface for spiritual growth and communal participation. While the Church of the Larger Fellowship has long provided a valuable online space for global Unitarian Universalists, The Wherever Congregation will build on this concept by focusing on enhanced interactivity and local meetups, offering more immediate and personalized ways for members to connect, grow, and engage with UU values in both digital and real-world settings.
Family Ministry: The Wherever Congregation will have a primary focus on family ministry, offering robust resources and programs for families with children to engage with Unitarian Universalism in meaningful ways. While the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) has a significant focus on prison ministry, serving incarcerated UUs as a central part of its mission, its family ministry is more of a secondary emphasis. The Wherever Congregation’s dedication to family-oriented programming will set it apart, ensuring families have the support, connection, and resources they need in both digital and in-person settings.
Having more than one online option is critical to our future as Unitarian Universalists.
It's important to have more than one online Unitarian Universalist congregation due to our congregational polity, which grants each congregation autonomy. This allows for diverse expressions of UU values and community life, enriching the faith overall. Additionally, being part of a UU congregation is often considered essential to fully embracing and practicing Unitarian Universalism. With different online congregations like The Wherever Congregation and the Church of the Larger Fellowship, individuals can find a spiritual home that aligns with their needs, strengthening their connection to the UU faith.