What We Believe

Unity was founded in the 1890s as part of a wave of new denominations that sought a positive, practical, progressive approach to Christianity. We honor and study the universal truths in all religions and respect each individual’s right to choose a spiritual path.

Unity is a spiritual movement founded on the universal and practical spiritual teachings of Jesus. While we look to Jesus as our master teacher and wayshower – the great example, rather than the great exception – we also enjoy exploring the wisdom of the Buddha, the Tao, Hinduism, and more. Most people see Unity as a spiritual way of life – offering tools for living an abundant and meaningful life – rather than a religion.

Unity embraces all people, regardless of age, race, sexual identity, creed, gender, religion or lack of religion. We believe there are many paths for a spiritual journey of discover about God and the universe. We see truth in all teachings, and fully support the freedom of each individual to seek the truth for themselves.

Whether you have a church home, have never joined a church, or already practice Unity principles, we welcome you as a kindred spirit who is learning to apply spiritual principles in pursuit of a happier, healthier, and a more meaningful and abundant life.

Unity promotes a way of life that leads to health, prosperity, happiness, and peace of mind. We believe that all people are created with sacred worth, and we strive to reach out to all who seek support and spiritual growth. Therefore, we recognize the importance of fully embracing all people in ways that are loving and unifying, not divisive. Unity offers practical spiritual teachings that empower abundant and meaningful living. Unity teachings continue to evolve as we identify, embrace and apply spiritual insights and the spiritual implications of new discoveries. We are a member of Unity Worldwide Ministries.

Basic Unity Definitions

God is Spirit, the loving source of all that is. God is the one power everywhere present. God is divine energy, continually creating, expressing and sustaining all creation. In God, we live and move and have our being. In Unity, some other ways we speak of God are Life, Light, Love, Substance, Principle, Law, and Universal Mind.

We believe that Jesus expressed his divine potential and sought to show us how to express ours as well in the same way he did. We see Jesus as a master teacher of universal truths. In Unity, we use the term “Christ” to mean the divinity in humankind, it is a consciousness that has been in existence long before humankind – rather than a person. Jesus is an example of the Christ in expression.

We are each individual, eternal expressions of God. Our essential nature is divine and therefore inherently good. Our purpose is to express our divine potential as realized and demonstrated by Jesus and other master teachers. The more we awaken to our divine nature, the more fully God expresses in and through our lives.

Unity co-founders, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, studied the Bible as history and allegory, and interpreted it as a metaphysical representation of humankind’s evolutionary journey. In addition, Unity recognizes that the Bible is a complex collection of writings compiled over many centuries. We honor the writings as reflecting the culture, politics, language, understanding and inspiration of the writers at the time they were written. The Bible continues to be a valuable spiritual resource for us.

Affirmative prayer is the highest form of creative thought. It includes the release of counterproductive thoughts as well as holding in mind statements of spiritual truth. Through meditation, we experience the presence of God. Prayer and meditation heighten our awareness and thereby transform our lives.

In Unity, we feel a sacred responsibility, individually and collectively, to make a positive difference through personal example and active service in our churches, our communities and our world.