Grounded in the living tradition of our free faith, yet charged with acting independently, the Commission on Appraisal's mission is to provoke deep reflection, energizing and revitalizing Unitarian Universalism. Members of the Commission on Appraisal are elected by the General Assembly, three positions every two years, with nine members total. The Commission is charged by UUA by-laws to (a) review any function of the Association which will benefit from independent review, (b) study and suggest approaches to issues which may be of concern to the Association; and (c) report to a regular General Assembly at least once every four years. In carrying out these responsibilities, the Commission meets four times a year in sites around the continent in order to elicit feedback from Unitarian Universalists on topics currently under study and solicit suggestions for future study topics. The Commission conducts a hearing at every General Assembly as well.

The most recent Commission report is entitled Belonging, The Meaning of Membership, which was released in June, 2001. Underlying the study and its recommendations is the call to look at membership as more than numbers. It is instead, "a study about evangelism…the process of building and sustaining healthy congregations." The 2001 study was sent to every member congregation, as was a study guide prepared by the Department of Religious Education. For those who have not seen the report or the study guide, the report itself is available from the UUA bookstore. A best selling item at the 2001 GA, the COA report has sold nearly 1000 copies from the UUA bookstore. The study guide, designed to help congregations look in more depth at the meaning of membership is also available on the COA website. Feedback from congregations is positive, as is the response to the study guide.

Moving on, however, the Commission has undertaken a new study. After processing input from Unitarian Universalists around the continent, soliciting suggestions from UUA staff and committees and other interested groups, the Commission has selected the next study topic. "Is there a Unity in our Theological Diversity?"