Besides female pastors who find acceptance in the Unitarian Universalist Church, the denomination also attracts lay people seeking an open community where they can explore all religions.
Dr. Robert Golden of Oakland Park, Fla., a retired eye doctor and a Conservative Jew, joined a Unitarian Universalist Church 12 years ago when a rabbi refused to marry his son to a Southern Baptist.
"I like the fact that anybody can come to our church and be accepted," said Golden, a Unitarian Universalist Jew. "No one tries to convert you."
Unitarian Universalists have no single creed or book of precepts. Many churches display icons of other religious groups. Flags representing Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and Confucianism adorn the walls of the sanctuary of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
"Unitarian Universalists believe there are many paths to wisdom," said John Hurley, spokesman for the Unitarian Universalist Association in Boston.
At most Unitarian Universalist churches, Sunday services are a smorgasbord of poetry, classical music, hymns and lectures on world religion, current events or parallel teachings from different faiths. Before the sermon, a flame inside a chalice is ignited, symbolizing unity and the spirit of church work.
After service, members gather for a church tradition — coffee in the lobby — one so essential to the worship that the denomination jokes about its favorite pastime:
"There is a fire in a Catholic church and the priest runs out carrying the chalice with the host bread of the body of Christ. There is a fire in a synagogue and the rabbi comes out holding the Torah. There is a fire in a UU church, and the minister comes out carrying the coffee pot," Hurley laughed.
Despite no formal evangelization efforts, the Unitarian Universalist Church continues to grow steadily by word of mouth and because of the group's public advocacy for minorities. Recently, the denomination's president, John Buehrens, was among 850 religious leaders to sign the controversial Religious Declaration on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing, which calls for the full inclusion of women and sexual minorities in congregational life.