Our Vision
Mission Statement:
To be the administrative and ecclesiastical home for
independent interfaith / multifaith churches, congregations and seminaries in the
USA. It is the ecclesiastic home for "Interfaith as a spiritual expression."
Vision:
To provide a synergy of energy and effort to promote and organize a body of
independent Interfaith / multifaith churches, congregations, communities and seminaries to be:
1. An ecclesiastic and administrative home that can umbrella 501(c)(3) status to emerging interfaith/multifaith congregations and communities.
2. An ecclesiastical endorser for professional chaplains to the military, Veterans Administration, professional chaplains organizations and other entities requiring this credential.
3. An ordaining body to interfaith seminary programs that meet the requirements (if necessary).
4. A national home for emergingInterfaith Communities to give them credibility within the community.
5. A promoter of the "Interfaith Communitiess" and "interfaith minister" identity.
6. Join with the interfaith and interspiritual communities organized around the world to form the "World CIC."
7. In collaboration with member organizations, determine and promote recognized Interfaith curriculum standards.
8. In collaboration with member organizations, determine and promote recognized Interfaith Minister ethics and codes of conduct.
9. Provide ecclesiastical oversight to member organizations and individuals within those organizations using standards which will be determined by those groups in concert with CIC-USA.
10. Establish and maintain a universally recognized database of duly organized Interfaith Ministers and congregations.
11. To join national interfaith organizations such as NAIN and others.
12. Seek out, encourage and assist member organizations and individuals to further their education and training.
Question: What must we believe to join?
There will be no specific statement of faith, only a statement of interfaith / multifaith / interspiritual principles to
guide the congregations.
Question: What requirements are necessary for our congregation or community to join?
To be a full member with voting rights, your congregation or community must be incorporated as a non-profit within
your state and have an EIN number from the IRS. To be an "emerging community" without voting rights, an EIN number
and the calling to create community is all that an interfaith minister needs. To be an "allied community" without
voting rights, a community must be a non-profit with a heart to be part of the greater interfaith movement.
Question: Where will we locate the address of CIC-USA?
We will incorporate CIC-USA in Washington, DC, at an address in the heart of the embassy and "church row"
districts.
Question: What is the history of CIC-USA?
This movement to organize "interfaith-interspirituality as a form of human spiritual expression" began in January 2009 when
three interfaith ministers created the Order of Universal Interfaith (OUnI) as an ecclesiastic home for all seminary or
traditionally trained interfaith clergy. The order was created based on a dream given to one of its co-founders, Rev. Tim Miner OUnI. Within one month of OUnI's creation, Rev. Miner had a dream that OUnI needed to join with other interfaith communities
around the United States and then around the world. He began collecting names of
communities, seminaries and congragations and recruited the founding board of directors to represent their communities.
In February 2009, Rev. Miner had a dream that this vision would be shared with the rest of the world and he submitted
a proposal to the Parliament of World Relgions that would meet in December. The first board meeting took place on March 2009 via telephone. Rev. Miner did, indeed, speak that December in Melbourne, Australia, about the work of the founding board and
the vision to organize interfaith-interspiritual ministries.
4410 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Suite 166, Washington, District of Columbia 20016 USA
Council of Interfaith Communities of the United States
thminer@ouni.org