Building a Secular Fellowship

What we mean by Community

• We live in and with Multiple communities
• Ecclesia – those who are called out to a meeting – originally secular
• Coinonia – fellowship, a close mutual relationship; participation, partnership

Values – Toward building a Secular Fellowship       

• Trusting in empirical knowledge and sound reason – there is an implicit trust in empirical knowledge as the means to understanding our world
• The rejection of supernatural explanations of the world while admitting more ignorance than understanding
• Honesty and integrity
• Tolerance – accepting the values and acceptable life-styles of a secular community
• Equality – “…there is neither male nor female, bond or free, for ye are all one…”
• Intolerance – not all behaviors can be tolerated by or in a community

Mission

• A citadel or an outpost – defense or offence or both?
• Visibility – “…a city on a hill cannot be hid…”  Do you want to hide or shout it from the rooftop?  Outing ourselves.
• Vision – What would you like to see happen in your community, in the world?
• Impacting the community how? 
• Positive or negative?
• Mission – Promote secular humanism? Defend secular humanism? Proselytize?

Organization – More than a gathering

• An organized group that clearly and simply defines itself and its purpose for existing
• Develops a regularly elected governing body
• Establishes membership
• Receives contributions non-profit under a 501c3