The Unitarian Universalist denomination was formed 1961 with the merging of many Unitarian congregations within the American Unitarian Association (AUA) with the Universalist Church of America (UCA). Before the merger Unitarians and Universalists had shared many common interests and communicated with each other regularly. Together, they formed a new institution, the current Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). In 1995 the UUA helped establish the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU) to connect unitarian and universalist faith traditions around the world.

Unitarian Universalists regard the highest values to be integrity, caring, compassion, social justice, truth, personal peace and harmony. Advancing these values is a major purpose of our congregations. While the Unitarian Universalist Association and member churches and societies have a Statement of Purpose and Principles they do not have an official creed or dogma due to their principle of freedom of thought. The Unitarian Universalist Association states their Principles as:

We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all;
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Unitarian Universalists do not have a defined doctrine of God. Members are free to develop individual concepts of God that are meaningful to them. They are also free to reject the term and concept altogether. While Unitarian Universalists admire and respect the way Jesus lived, the power of his love, the force of his example and his system of values, they do not believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, performed miracles and was resurrected from death.

Unitarian Universalists respect the important religious texts of other religions, but they hold that truth is personal and defined by each individual's belief system. Religious services are usually held on Sundays and most closely resemble the form and format of Protestant worship in the Reformed tradition. Many UU congregations no longer observe the Christian sacraments of baptism, communion, or confirmation, at least in their traditional form.