Pathways to membership

Newcomers to FUS will find a warm welcome and an invitation to get to know the congregation. We are more interested in helping you find a good fit here than we are in rushing you into membership. Some folks know they have found their people here and join fairly quickly. Others may remain friends for several years before joining. We want what is right for you!

FUS is made up of members and friends. We practice congregational polity, which means that our congregation is independent and self-supporting. Members are those folks who have committed to membership, make an annual pledge if possible, and have voting privileges at our annual meeting. Friends are those who are involved in the life of the congregation, who may support FUS financially, but do not vote at the annual meeting. 

Pathway to Membership includes 3 parts:

1. Welcome to FUS, a monthly gathering for newcomers on the 2^nd Sunday of each month at noon.
2. Pathway to Membership session, a deeper dive into humanism, life at FUS, possible pledging, and more.
3. New Member Sunday, a ceremony during Assembly to welcome you and renew our covenant with each other.

Pathway to Membership Video

Transcription for Pathway to Membership video

Welcome to First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis, which many of us lovingly call FUS or the Society. If you’re new to our community, or if you’ve been around for a while, and are ready to learn more about our Pathway to Membership, you’re in the right place.

It may be good for you to know that we are more interested in helping you find that you fit, rather than rushing you into membership. At the same time, we value the benefits of membership in this self-governing and self-supporting congregation. Here are some ways you can to check us out: attend several Assemblies (that’s what we call our Sunday morning worship time), participate in various affinity groups and classes, engage in social justice activities, lend a hand to volunteer efforts, participate with your family in our Religious Education program; all these are great ways to get to know the congregation, which we encourage you to do as you make a plan to join.

Our Pathway to Membership has 3 steps: first is Welcome to FUS, which meets on the 2^nd Sunday of every month at noon. This is your first step, where you can greet other newcomers, meet one or more of the ministers, and get your questions answered. You are welcome to attend this gathering one or more times. The 2^nd step is our Pathway to Membership Session, a deeper dive into life at FUS, with conversations about humanism, how the Society is structured, what membership means, considerations for pledging, and more. After Pathway is New Member Sunday, when we take some time during Assembly to recognize new members and renew our covenant with each other. Pathway to Membership & New Member Sunday happen two times a year, in the late fall and late spring.

We are so eager to meet you and greet you and answer any questions you may have as we welcome you into this loving humanist congregation. We expect to be changed by your presence, and we expect you to be changed by your participation here. The problems of the world are so challenging and daunting; it’s good to be together as we face them in community.

Welcome to FUS.