Protestant church in the United States formed in 1961 by the merger of the American Unitarian Association (see Unitarianism ) and the Universalist Church of America. Having largely shared common concerns and positions throughout the 19th and 20th cent., the two churches formed a Council of Liberal Churches in 1953 as a preliminary step to merger. The convention in May, 1961, at which the merger was approved by delegates from both churches, adopted a constitution for the merged church and elected Dana McLean Greeley, formerly Unitarian president, the first president of the new association. The principal purpose of the merger was to link the churches' headquarters organizations and to enable them to speak as one on social and political questions. The church has about 151,000 members (1997).

See D. Robinson, The Unitarians and Universalists (1985).

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