The following is an adaptation of an article to be published in the June issue of Unity's Contact magazine. This is, of course, similar to an earlier post but perhaps more adequately stated......
We are surrounded by a large and emerging group of people that share the values taught by Unity. These potential members of our spiritual community comprise a fourth to a third of the American population. According to several surveys of religious participation in America, nearly half of their respondents consider a “higher power” to be part of their lives but are religiously unaffiliated. If we could connect with a small fraction of this unaffiliated group that share our values, how large would our congregation be? What programs could we offer? What effect would our ministry have on the attitudes and conversations in your greater community? We estimate over 30,000 of these unaffiliated individuals who share our values reside in our five-mile service area. Our challenge, as with most Unity ministries, is “How do we connect with them?”
Described by Paul Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson in their book, Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People are Changing the World, the Cultural Creatives (CCs) have been identified by the Unity Identity Project as Unity’s most receptive potential audience. Arising from the activist movements of the 60’s and 70’s -- the human/civil rights, feminists and environmental movements and their associated groups – the CCs share a set of common values (see sidebar). While few CCs can claim to have been involved in those movements, most CCs trace the development of their values to the influence those movements had on them. Engaging the CCs in our ministries does not require we change who we are or what we teach. We just need to let them know we share their values!
Ray and Anderson emphasize the demographic profile of the CCs closely mirrors the US population, with the exception of education; CCs tend to be better educated than the population in general. Notice that the values shown in the sidebar match what most Unity ministers teach of personal empowerment and social responsibility. We can certainly identify many people in our ministry that embody these values. Understanding the motivations and decision criteria used by the CCs will provide insight into what to offer and how to structure our programs. We enhance your programs for those of us already present and ease the introduction and integration of the CCs into our community.
For a synopsis of Unity-relevant characteristics of the CCs found in Ray and Anderson’s book, visit http://tinyurl.com/4sdjwyr. You may add your comments or relevant quotes from the book in this document. Please follow the instructions for updating and commenting at the beginning of this document so we all may be blessed by your insights.
Are You a Cultural Creative?
How many of these values do you share with the CCs?
q love of nature and deep caring about its preservation and natural balance.
q desire to see more action on the planet-wide issues of global warming, poverty and overpopulation
q active in supporting important causes
q willing to pay higher taxes or spend more money for goods if that money goes to improving the environment
q heavy emphasis on the importance of developing and maintaining relationships
q heavy emphasis on the importance of helping others and developing their unique gifts
q volunteer with one or more good causes
q intense interest in spiritual and psychological development
q see spirituality as an important aspect of life but worry about religious fundamentalism
q desire equity for women/men in business, life and politics
q concern for and support of the well-being and freedom of women and children
q want government to focus more attention and resources on education, community programs & environmental sustainability
q unhappy with the divisiveness of the political left and right
q optimistic about the future
q want to be involved in creating a new and better way of life
q concern for how big business generates profits by destroying the environment and exploiting poorer countries and disempowered individuals
q dislike the emphasis placed on consumerism and “making money”
According to Ray and Anderson, if you share ten or more of these values, you’re likely a Cultural Creative.
