University Unitarian Church Review

This is my review of University Unitarian Church in Seattle, Washington.

I was a member of University Unitarian Church for almost two decades. I am writing this as a warning to newcomers and a plea to existing members; I’ve held off on this because it’s hard to confront the current reality of a place that you loved. 

UUC is not a good church. It was an excellent church which taught me many good things that have made it clear to me that it has strayed far from its storied heritage.

One of the good things I learned at UUC was a Buddhist prayer. I won’t replicate it here, but simply, it is a reminder to first love and care for yourself, then love and care for the person you’re talking to, then love and care for the community. Unless they’re comfortable, far too many people at UUC stop at the first reminder and actively ignore the latter two. 

In my years at UUC, I have seen it become less socioeconomically diverse, less diverse in the age of participants, and it has become less racially diverse. UUC’s website states on the homepage that they have intentionally worked toward being a community that welcomes everyone and ensures that everyone feels “…at ease here, regardless of sexual and gender orientation, race, class…” This statement is pure marketing and has not been backed up by substantial action in many years. In 2024, I wrote a four-page letter detailing how the community makes those from lower socioeconomic classes feel uncomfortable and provided concrete examples. This letter was virtually ignored and received no response from the Board of Trustees or the senior minister, despite the fact that it was provided to them directly.

In many ways, UUC has ceased acting like a church and instead functions more like a private country club. UUC’s leaders tend to use their positions in an overbearing manner, instead of engaging in the difficult work of humbly and cooperatively leading and sharing power. I have witnessed far too many instances of UUC’s paid and unpaid leaders treating members and staff members in an unkind and unprofessional manner that is not appropriate at any organization. A church is a community of ourselves, and while its energy and resources are our energy and resources; its actions are also our actions. I left because I could no longer condone the actions taken by UUC’s leaders on my behalf. When I brought my concerns to UUC’s leaders, I was promptly dismissed and at times vilified. UUC has failed to respect the inherent worth and dignity of its staff members as well as several members. 

UUC takes pride in its Social Justice activities, but it has failed to have an active Economic Justice ministry. Given the intersectionality of social justice efforts and that economic justice overlaps with virtually every other effort, this is lamentable. I have personally tried multiple times to cultivate groups and activities examining economic status and justice, but they have never been sustained. While UUC does have important direct service ministries, there have rarely been efforts at examining our position and responsibilities for economic justice. The reality of living in a city with a declared homelessness emergency for over a decade juxtaposed with being a religious community where multiple members take expensive international vacations every year is a dichotomy that any responsible justice-seeking organization would seriously examine.

UUC has a wonderful music program that I was honored to participate in for the vast majority of my tenure at UUC. I also believe it has a solid religious education program; however, I would personally hesitate to bring children to UUC given the middle-to-middle-upper class monoculture that has developed there.

Many other reviews have mentioned how UUC isn’t welcoming of strangers, especially at coffee hour. This is true, and something I have experienced myself.

UUC recently welcomed a new minister. I have not met them, and while I have hope that in a few years this review will not apply, I would not place a bet on that being the case. Far too many at UUC have unexamined privilege, which is excellent at reinforcing and perpetuating itself. This can change. However, the leaders must welcome and encourage this change. Those same leaders have shown an active hostility toward making changes that might cause them any level of discomfort.

University Unitarian Church cannot go back to the church I once knew, but it is important to spend serious time discerning if the church it has become is still true to its stated values.

University Unitarian Church can and should live into and truly embody its stated mission and values.

University Unitarian Church can and should commit to showing and declaring its religion in concrete acts, instead of weightless words.