Uniting Church in Australia
Encyclopedia
The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was formed on 22 June 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia
, the Presbyterian Church of Australia
and the Congregational Union of Australia
came together under the Basis of Union.
The third largest Christian denomination
in Australia
(the Roman Catholic
and the Anglican
churches are larger) the Uniting Church has around 243,000 members in 2,500 congregations.
According to the Australian Census in 2006 there are 1,135,427 people identifying some sort of association with the Uniting Church. The National Church Life Survey
(NCLS) research indicates that approximately 10% of these people attend a church worship gathering frequently.
The Uniting Church is governed by a number of non-hierarchical inter-related councils that each have responsibility for various functions or roles within the denomination. The meetings of councils include:
The membership of each council is established by the Constitution. Each council includes both women and men, and lay
(non-ordained) and ordained people. The offices of President of Assembly, Moderator of Synod (who chair these councils), and other such offices are open to all members of the UCA, whether lay or ordained, male or female.
The UCA is a non-episcopal church, that is it has no bishop
s. The leadership and pastoral
role in the UCA is performed by Presbytery as a body (meeting). However, many members appear to understand the 'Chairperson of Presbytery' or the 'Moderator' of the Synod as exercising this role. This position may be occupied by an ordained
minister or a lay person. In many Presbyteries there is also a 'Presbytery Officer' who may be ordained or a lay-minister. The Presbytery Officer in many cases functions as a Pastoral Minister, a pastor
to the pastors (a Pastor Pastorum) to people in ministry. Other Presbyteries use this position for mission consultancy work and others for administrative work.
in 2009. The current president is the Reverend Alistair Macrae
. He was preceded by the Reverend Gregor Henderson
.
The president-elect is the Reverend Andrew Dutney. He is currently the principal of the Uniting College for Leadership and Theology in Adelaide
and is due to succeed the Reverend Alistair Macrae when the assembly next meets in 2012.
For a list of sssembly dates, locations and leaders, see below.
Between the assembly meetings, the business of assembly is conducted by the Assembly Standing Committee that meets three times a year, usually March, July and November. Membership of the committee is drawn from around Australia with 18 people elected at each Assembly.
).
There are six Synods:
Both Western Australia and South Australia have moved to a unitary Presbytery-Synod model and implement varying ways of enabling groups of congregations to work together, based either on geographic location or on networks of similar interests or characteristics.
It is at the level of the Presbytery that decisions are made regarding:
at other times, for example a monthly weekday service, a late-night service for day shift workers, cafe church, or Saturday or Friday evenings.
A meeting of the Congregation must be held at least twice each year. This meeting(s) typically considers and approves the budget, any over-arching policy matters of a local nature, property matters (which have to be ratified by Presbytery and Synod agencies) and the 'call' (employment) of a new minister or other staff.
Congregations manage themselves through a Council. All Elders are members, as are ministers with pastoral responsibility for the congregation, there may also be other members. The Council meets regularly and is responsible for approving the times of the worship services and other matters.
There are some united congregations. In some locations, the UCA has joined with other churches (such as Baptist Union
and Churches of Christ in Australia
. There are also a range of cooperative arrangements where resourcing ministry to congregations is not possible, particularly in rural and remote areas. This includes arrangements with the Anglican Church
where ministry resources and sometimes property resources are shared.
'Faith communities' are less structured than congregations. They are groupings of people who gather together for worship, witness or service and choose to be recognised by the Presbytery.
Local churches are often also used by congregations of other church denominations. For example, a Tonga
n Seventh-day Adventist
congregation may make arrangements to meet in the building on a Saturday.
The UCA is predominantly European, however it is committed to being inclusive and there are a number of multicultural arrangements, with Korea
n, Tonga
n, and other groups forming congregations of the church.
Australia.
as a whole is the largest operator of general social care activities in Australia, including being the largest operator of aged care facilities. Other activities include: 'central missions'; shelters and emergency housing for men, women, and children; family relationships support; disability services; food kitchens for underprivileged people.
Assembly and Synods have a number of other 'agencies', examples are:
, the Brisbane College of Theology
and the long established Melbourne College of Divinity
. Generally training takes five years and involves substantial supervised practical experience. For example Uniting College for Leadership and Theology is a member of the Adelaide College of Divinity
The UCA is also associated with a number of schools and residential university colleges, for example in Adelaide, among others there are Westminster School
, Scotch College
, Pedare Christian College
, Prince Alfred College
, Annesley College
and Lincoln College
.
In Brisbane, the Uniting Church established Moreton Bay College
in the early 20th century. The college located at the bayside suburb, Manly West
.
Christian education is provided for all members of the Uniting Church, for all ages, through local congregations and agencies such as Coolamon College
.
is a national UCA activity, run in school and university holidays in January every second year in a different city.
NCYC attracts over 1,500 young people aged 16–30 from around the nation plus visiting delegations from overseas. Leadership is by a local organising team, but NCYC is a national event. In recent years a university campus and its accommodation has been the base for event.
NCYC began in 1955 with an evangelical campaign run by the Reverend Sir Alan Walker
as an activity of the then Central Methodist Mission
in Sydney.
on the Gold Coast
, Queensland
.
NCYC09 Converge was the place to be in January 2009: Melbourne, Victoria. Key speakers included Shane Claiborne
, Amie Dural and Robyn Whitaker, along with young 'up and comers' Daniel Todd and Fa Ngaluafe. Bands included Scat Jazz, Simeon, 2-11, Raize, poet Cameron Semmens and Margaret Helen King.
NCYC 2007 Agents of Change was held in Perth, Western Australia
.
is valued in the UCA, recognising that ministry is a function of the whole church and all members. However, certain specific roles or "specified ministries" are defined. Of these, the role of elder and pastor
are open to lay members
.
There are two orders
of ordained ministry in the Uniting Church, these are:
In situations where it is not possible or desired to have an ordained minister a lay pastor (which grew out of the Methodist local preacher
tradition) or Lay Ministry Teams may minister, particularly in rural areas.
The UCA was one of the first Australian churches to grant self-determination to its Indigenous Australian members through the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress.
Partnerships also continue with South Pacific and Asian churches, especially those which share a Congregational, Presbyterian or Methodist heritage. An increasing number of ethnic churches worship in their own languages as well as in English.
The UCA has a strongly felt and argued sense of social justice
. It has taken stances on issues such as native title
for Indigenous people, the Environment, Apartheid, status of refugees, and provision of safe injection facilities for drug users. These stances have been expressed in practical involvement as well as in political comment and advocacy.
the UCA is varied, practice ranges from experimental liturgies, informal worship reminiscent of the 'Jesus Revolution' of the 1970s to conventional reformed services. Music is likewise varied, from traditional and contemporary hymns in the Australian Hymn Book
and Together in Song
, through Hillsong
and Contemporary Christian music
to hard Christian alternative music and Christian metal
.
procedures outlined in the church's Manual for Meetings. These procedures may use orange ('support') and blue ('do not support') cards, which may be displayed at many times, not just when a vote is called. The idea behind this is about trying to hear the Spirit of God through the gathered community rather than through individuals.
This system was suggested to the World Council of Churches
by the UCA, and first used at its formal meeting in Porto Alegre, Brazil in February 2006. Rev. Dr H. D'Arcy Wood
and Rev. Dr James Haire
, former presidents of the Uniting Church in Australia, were present to assist with the introduction of this innovation.
globally.
The Uniting Church, as were its precursors, is engaged in ecumenical activities;
The UCA is affiliated with the:
origins and its commitment to ecumenism. The theology can be typified as mainline Protestant with a commitment to social justice
.
Theological perspectives found in the Uniting Church:
There has been considerable debate around the concerns of morality, faith, and in particular sexuality. These concerns focus on the understanding of the Bible and issues of accommodation to the dominant culture.
The establishment of the Evangelical Members within the Uniting Church in Australia
(EMU) was, in part, as a result of their opposition to ordination of gay and lesbian candidates in the lead up to the 1997 Assembly. EMU (also previously known as Evangelical Ministers of the UCA) and The Reforming Alliance are examples of the Confessing Movement
. The Confessing Movement
should not be confused with the Confessing Church
.
An issue regularly debated almost from the inception of the Uniting Church in Australia is the place of gay and lesbian people in the church, and in particular the possibility of their ordination
.
The fairly broad consensus has been that a person's sexual orientation
should not be a bar to attendance, membership or participation in the life of the church. More controversial has been the issue of sexual activity by gay and lesbian people (in terms of godly living), and arising from this, the question of appropriate behaviour for ordination candidates.
During the course of the debate, and in particular from 1997 onwards, some ministers living in same-sex relationships have 'come out' without their ordination or ministry being challenged. This means that the Uniting Church in Australia is one of the very few Christian denominations that accepts and supports the ministry of people in same-sex relationships.
1. June 1977 J Davis McCaughey
; Winston O’Reilly; Sydney, New South Wales
2. May 1979 Winston O’Reilly; Winston O’Reilly to December 1979; Melbourne, Victoria
3. May 1982 Rollie Busch; David Gill from January 1980 ; Adelaide, South Australia
4. May 1985 Ian Tanner; David Gill; Sydney
5. May 1988 Ronald Wilson
; David Gill to July 1988; Melbourne
6. July 1991 H. D'Arcy Wood
; Gregor Henderson
from January 1989; Brisbane, Queensland
7. July 1994 Jill Tabart; Gregor Henderson; Sydney
8. July 1997 John E Mavor; Gregor Henderson; Perth, Western Australia
9. July 2000 James Haire
; Gregor Henderson; Adelaide
10. July 2003 Dean Drayton
; Terence Corkin from January 2001; Melbourne
11. July 2006 Gregor Henderson
; Terence Corkin; Brisbane
12. July 2009 Alistair Macrae
; Terence Corkin; Sydney, New South Wales
Methodist Church of Australasia
The Methodist Church of Australasia was a Methodist denomination based in Australia.It ceased to exist in 1977 when most of its congregations joined with the many congregations of the Congregational Union of Australia and the Presbyterian Church of Australia to form the Uniting Church in...
, the Presbyterian Church of Australia
Presbyterian Church of Australia
The Presbyterian Church of Australia is the largest Presbyterian denomination in Australia. .-Beginnings:...
and the Congregational Union of Australia
Congregational Union of Australia
The Congregational Union of Australia was a Congregational denomination in Australia.Two hundred and sixty of its congregations joined the Uniting Church in Australia, which was formed in 1977 by the union of congregations of the Congregational Union, Methodist Church of Australasia, and...
came together under the Basis of Union.
The third largest Christian denomination
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(the Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church in Australia
The Catholic Church in Australia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual and administrative leadership of the Pope.Australia is a majority Christian but pluralistic society with no established religion. There are approximately 5.1 million Australian Catholics . Catholicism...
and the Anglican
Anglican Church of Australia
The Anglican Church of Australia is a member church of the Anglican Communion. It was previously officially known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania...
churches are larger) the Uniting Church has around 243,000 members in 2,500 congregations.
According to the Australian Census in 2006 there are 1,135,427 people identifying some sort of association with the Uniting Church. The National Church Life Survey
National Church Life Survey
Australian National Church Life Surveys have been performed every 5 years from 1991 to 2001, to study Church Life in Australia. The NCLS Research partnership administers these surveys...
(NCLS) research indicates that approximately 10% of these people attend a church worship gathering frequently.
Organisation
- Congregation (local)
- Presbytery (regional)
- SynodSynodA synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
(state) - Assembly (national)
The membership of each council is established by the Constitution. Each council includes both women and men, and lay
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
(non-ordained) and ordained people. The offices of President of Assembly, Moderator of Synod (who chair these councils), and other such offices are open to all members of the UCA, whether lay or ordained, male or female.
The UCA is a non-episcopal church, that is it has no bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s. The leadership and pastoral
Pastoral care
Pastoral care is the ministry of care and counseling provided by pastors, chaplains and other religious leaders to members of their church or congregation, or to persons of all faiths and none within institutional settings. This can range anywhere from home visitation to formal counseling provided...
role in the UCA is performed by Presbytery as a body (meeting). However, many members appear to understand the 'Chairperson of Presbytery' or the 'Moderator' of the Synod as exercising this role. This position may be occupied by an ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
minister or a lay person. In many Presbyteries there is also a 'Presbytery Officer' who may be ordained or a lay-minister. The Presbytery Officer in many cases functions as a Pastoral Minister, a pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
to the pastors (a Pastor Pastorum) to people in ministry. Other Presbyteries use this position for mission consultancy work and others for administrative work.
Assembly
The national assembly meets every three years and is chaired by a national president. The 12th assembly met in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 2009. The current president is the Reverend Alistair Macrae
Alistair Macrae
The Rev. Alistair Macrae is an ordained Christian Minister of the Word of the Uniting Church in Australia, was formerly a Moderator of the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, and is the current President of the National Assembly....
. He was preceded by the Reverend Gregor Henderson
Gregor Henderson
The Rev. Gregor Henderson , BA, BD is an ordained Christian Minister of the Word of the Uniting Church in Australia, was for 12 years the General Secretary of the UCA's National Assembly, and is the immediate past President of the National Assembly....
.
The president-elect is the Reverend Andrew Dutney. He is currently the principal of the Uniting College for Leadership and Theology in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
and is due to succeed the Reverend Alistair Macrae when the assembly next meets in 2012.
For a list of sssembly dates, locations and leaders, see below.
Between the assembly meetings, the business of assembly is conducted by the Assembly Standing Committee that meets three times a year, usually March, July and November. Membership of the committee is drawn from around Australia with 18 people elected at each Assembly.
Synods
The Synods meet regularly. In the past most Synods met every year, however now many Synods have chosen to meet every eighteen months (both NSW/ACT and Vic/Tas have recently made that change), or even every two years (e.g. QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
).
There are six Synods:
- Synod of New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and the ACTAustralian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
(formerly NSW Synod) - QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
Synod - Synod of South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
- Synod of Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
- Synod of Victoria and TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
- The Northern Synod (which includes the Northern TerritoryNorthern TerritoryThe Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
and the northern regions of Western Australia)
Presbyteries
Generally each Synod comprises a number of Presbyteries.Both Western Australia and South Australia have moved to a unitary Presbytery-Synod model and implement varying ways of enabling groups of congregations to work together, based either on geographic location or on networks of similar interests or characteristics.
It is at the level of the Presbytery that decisions are made regarding:
- selection of canditure to ministry,
- placement of ministers.
Congregations
Congregations are the church locally. They are the setting of regular worship, generally meeting on Sundays, many churches also conduct worship servicesService of worship
In the Protestant denominations of Christianity, a service of worship is a meeting whose primary purpose is the worship of God. The phrase is normally shortened to service. It is also commonly called a worship service...
at other times, for example a monthly weekday service, a late-night service for day shift workers, cafe church, or Saturday or Friday evenings.
A meeting of the Congregation must be held at least twice each year. This meeting(s) typically considers and approves the budget, any over-arching policy matters of a local nature, property matters (which have to be ratified by Presbytery and Synod agencies) and the 'call' (employment) of a new minister or other staff.
Congregations manage themselves through a Council. All Elders are members, as are ministers with pastoral responsibility for the congregation, there may also be other members. The Council meets regularly and is responsible for approving the times of the worship services and other matters.
Baptist Union of Australia
The Baptist Union of Australia is the oldest and largest national cooperative body of Baptists in Australia. Its current National President is Reverend Dr John Beasy. The BUA is now known as Australian Baptist Ministries - ABM...
and Churches of Christ in Australia
Churches of Christ in Australia
The Churches of Christ in Australia is a Christian movement in Australia. It is part of the Restoration Movement with historical influences from the United States of America and the United Kingdom....
. There are also a range of cooperative arrangements where resourcing ministry to congregations is not possible, particularly in rural and remote areas. This includes arrangements with the Anglican Church
Anglican Church of Australia
The Anglican Church of Australia is a member church of the Anglican Communion. It was previously officially known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania...
where ministry resources and sometimes property resources are shared.
'Faith communities' are less structured than congregations. They are groupings of people who gather together for worship, witness or service and choose to be recognised by the Presbytery.
Local churches are often also used by congregations of other church denominations. For example, a Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
n Seventh-day Adventist
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
congregation may make arrangements to meet in the building on a Saturday.
The UCA is predominantly European, however it is committed to being inclusive and there are a number of multicultural arrangements, with Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n, Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
n, and other groups forming congregations of the church.
Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress
The Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) is sometimes referred to simply as Congress. The UAICC is formally recognised and enabled within the Constitution as having responsibility for oversight of the ministry of the Church with the Aboriginal and Islander people ofAustralia.
A Synod may at the request of a Regional Committee of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress prescribe that the Regional Committee may have and exercise all or specific rights, powers, duties and responsibilities of a Presbytery under this Constitution and the Regulations (including ordination and other rights, powers and responsibilities relating to Ministers) for the purpose of fulfilling any responsibility of the Regional Committee for Uniting Church work with Aboriginal and Islander people
within the bounds of the Synod.
Agencies
UnitingCareUnitingCare Australia
UnitingCare Australia is the Uniting Church in Australia's umbrella community services body. UnitingCare Australia is committed to values based advocacy, speaking with and on behalf of those who are the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, for the common good.It is a sister body to UnitingJustice...
as a whole is the largest operator of general social care activities in Australia, including being the largest operator of aged care facilities. Other activities include: 'central missions'; shelters and emergency housing for men, women, and children; family relationships support; disability services; food kitchens for underprivileged people.
Assembly and Synods have a number of other 'agencies', examples are:
- Assembly
- Theology and Discipleship"
- Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (the UAICC operates in many ways as a Synod) collectively represents the Indigenous AustraliansIndigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
who are members of the Christian church. It is estimated that there are between 10000 and 15000 people involved. - UnitingCare Australia
- UnitingJustice Australia
- UnitingWorld
- Synods
- NSW - Rural Evangelism and Mission
- WA - Social Justice and Uniting International Mission
- Vic/Tas - Working Group on Christian-Jewish relations
- SA - Mission Resourcing Network
- QLD - Youth And Children's Ministry Unit (YACMU)
Education
The UCA provides theological training and ministerial formation through a number of theological colleges. All of these are members of ecumenical theological consortia, such as the Adelaide College of DivinityAdelaide College of Divinity
Adelaide College of Divinity is an accredited higher education provider offering diploma, associate and bachelor degrees, graduate diplomas, master and doctoral degrees in ministry, it is also a Registered Training Organisation offering certificates and a diploma.There are close associations...
, the Brisbane College of Theology
Brisbane College of Theology
Brisbane College of Theology, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, was an ecumenical theological education consortium, comprising St Francis' Theological College , St Paul's Theological College and Trinity Theological College . It was based at Raymont Lodge in Auchenflower and offered both...
and the long established Melbourne College of Divinity
Melbourne College of Divinity
The Melbourne College of Divinity is a theological education organisation located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.The MCD is an ecumenical consortium of a number of theological colleges from a number of denominations...
. Generally training takes five years and involves substantial supervised practical experience. For example Uniting College for Leadership and Theology is a member of the Adelaide College of Divinity
Adelaide College of Divinity
Adelaide College of Divinity is an accredited higher education provider offering diploma, associate and bachelor degrees, graduate diplomas, master and doctoral degrees in ministry, it is also a Registered Training Organisation offering certificates and a diploma.There are close associations...
The UCA is also associated with a number of schools and residential university colleges, for example in Adelaide, among others there are Westminster School
Westminster School, Adelaide
Westminster School is an independent, Uniting Church, Early Learning to Year 12, coeducational, day and boarding school located at Marion, South Australia, 12 km south of Adelaide. Founded as a Methodist day and boarding school for boys, the school was opened by the Prime Minister Robert...
, Scotch College
Scotch College, Adelaide
Scotch College is an independent, Uniting Church, co-educational, day and boarding school, located on two adjacent campuses in Torrens Park and Mitcham, inner-southern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia....
, Pedare Christian College
Pedare Christian College
Pedare Christian College is a joint Independent, Junior, Middle and Senior School in South Australia. The Junior School comprises Reception to Year 5, the Middle School Years 6 to 9, and the Senior School Years 10 to 12....
, Prince Alfred College
Prince Alfred College
Prince Alfred College is an independent, day and boarding school for boys, located on Dequetteville Terrace, Kent Town, near the centre of Adelaide, South Australia...
, Annesley College
Annesley College
Annesley College is an independent, Uniting Church, day and boarding school for girls, located in Wayville, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia....
and Lincoln College
Lincoln College (University of Adelaide)
Lincoln College is a Uniting Church in Australia residential college affiliated with the University of Adelaide. It was established by the Methodist Church of Australasia in 1952 and is named after Lincoln College, Oxford at which John Wesley was a fellow. Lincoln College started as a men's college...
.
In Brisbane, the Uniting Church established Moreton Bay College
Moreton Bay College
Moreton Bay College is an independent Uniting Church, day school for girls, located in Manly West, an outer suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, AustraliaEstablished in 1901 as the Moreton Bay Girls' High School, by Alice J...
in the early 20th century. The college located at the bayside suburb, Manly West
Manly West, Queensland
Manly West is a suburb of Brisbane, Australia. It is 16 km east of the CBD. Manly West contains a primary school, a preschool, Moreton Bay College and Moreton Bay Boys College. Over 47% of households in this area consist of a couple with children and a further 35% are couples without children...
.
Christian education is provided for all members of the Uniting Church, for all ages, through local congregations and agencies such as Coolamon College
Coolamon College
Coolamon College was the national agency of the Uniting Church in Australia and a distance education provider of theological education.Distance Education is now provided by ....
.
Youth
The National Christian Youth ConventionNational Christian Youth Convention
The National Christian Youth Convention is a national week long conference for people aged 16-30 years held by the Uniting Church in Australia every second January. It is held in a different Australian city each time in the long summer school and university holidays. It attracts over 1,500...
is a national UCA activity, run in school and university holidays in January every second year in a different city.
NCYC attracts over 1,500 young people aged 16–30 from around the nation plus visiting delegations from overseas. Leadership is by a local organising team, but NCYC is a national event. In recent years a university campus and its accommodation has been the base for event.
NCYC began in 1955 with an evangelical campaign run by the Reverend Sir Alan Walker
Alan Walker (theologian)
Sir Alan Walker OBE was an Australian Christian minister, theologian and evangelist.Walker was:*involved in the formation of the World Council of Churches...
as an activity of the then Central Methodist Mission
Wesley Mission
Wesley Mission is a name used by several Uniting Church congregations which are a part the Uniting Missions Network of UnitingCare Australia. Wesley Missions grew out of the inner city missions of the pre-union Methodist Church of Australasia...
in Sydney.
Recent History
The last NCYC was held from 29 December 2010 to 4 January 2011 at The Southport SchoolThe Southport School
The Southport School , is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for boys, located in Southport, a suburb on the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia....
on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
NCYC09 Converge was the place to be in January 2009: Melbourne, Victoria. Key speakers included Shane Claiborne
Shane Claiborne
Shane Claiborne is one of the founding members of The Simple Way in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This community was featured on the cover of Christianity Today as a pioneer in the New Monasticism movement. Claiborne is also a prominent activist for nonviolence and service to the...
, Amie Dural and Robyn Whitaker, along with young 'up and comers' Daniel Todd and Fa Ngaluafe. Bands included Scat Jazz, Simeon, 2-11, Raize, poet Cameron Semmens and Margaret Helen King.
NCYC 2007 Agents of Change was held in Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
.
Ministry
The role of the laityLaity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
is valued in the UCA, recognising that ministry is a function of the whole church and all members. However, certain specific roles or "specified ministries" are defined. Of these, the role of elder and pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
are open to lay members
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
.
There are two orders
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
of ordained ministry in the Uniting Church, these are:
- Minister of the WordMinister of religionIn Christian churches, a minister is someone who is authorized by a church or religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community...
- Deacon
In situations where it is not possible or desired to have an ordained minister a lay pastor (which grew out of the Methodist local preacher
Methodist local preacher
A Methodist local preacher is a lay person who has been accredited by a Methodist church to lead worship on a regular basis. Local preachers play an important role in the Methodist Church of Great Britain and other churches historically linked to it, and have also been important in English social...
tradition) or Lay Ministry Teams may minister, particularly in rural areas.
Culture
Partnerships also continue with South Pacific and Asian churches, especially those which share a Congregational, Presbyterian or Methodist heritage. An increasing number of ethnic churches worship in their own languages as well as in English.
The UCA has a strongly felt and argued sense of social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
. It has taken stances on issues such as native title
Native title
Native title is the Australian version of the common law doctrine of aboriginal title.Native title is "the recognition by Australian law that some Indigenous people have rights and interests to their land that come from their traditional laws and customs"...
for Indigenous people, the Environment, Apartheid, status of refugees, and provision of safe injection facilities for drug users. These stances have been expressed in practical involvement as well as in political comment and advocacy.
Liturgy
LiturgicallyLiturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
the UCA is varied, practice ranges from experimental liturgies, informal worship reminiscent of the 'Jesus Revolution' of the 1970s to conventional reformed services. Music is likewise varied, from traditional and contemporary hymns in the Australian Hymn Book
Australian Hymn Book
The Australian Hymn Book was published in 1977, and was the culmination of almost ten year's work by an ecumenical committee, chaired by A. Harold Wood, intent on producing a new, contemporary and inclusive hymn book that could be used in worship by the varied Christian congregations across...
and Together in Song
Together in Song
Together in Song: Australian Hymn Book II was published in 1999. It is a book of 783 psalms, hymns and spiritual songs for use in Christian worship in Australia and elsewhere. It is a significant revision of The Australian Hymn Book published 22 years earlier.It was created by an ecumenical...
, through Hillsong
Hillsong Music
Hillsong Music is Christian music produced by Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia as well as offshoot churches, Hillsong London and Hillsong Kiev...
and Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
to hard Christian alternative music and Christian metal
Christian metal
Christian metal, also known as white metal, is a form of heavy metal music usually defined by its message in a song's lyrics as well as the band's dedication to Christianity...
.
Decision making
Since 1997 most of these councils and agencies have operated under the consensus decision-makingConsensus decision-making
Consensus decision-making is a group decision making process that seeks the consent, not necessarily the agreement, of participants and the resolution of objections. Consensus is defined by Merriam-Webster as, first, general agreement, and second, group solidarity of belief or sentiment. It has its...
procedures outlined in the church's Manual for Meetings. These procedures may use orange ('support') and blue ('do not support') cards, which may be displayed at many times, not just when a vote is called. The idea behind this is about trying to hear the Spirit of God through the gathered community rather than through individuals.
This system was suggested to the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
by the UCA, and first used at its formal meeting in Porto Alegre, Brazil in February 2006. Rev. Dr H. D'Arcy Wood
H. D'Arcy Wood
Reverend Dr Harold D'Arcy Wood is a semi-retired Uniting Church in Australia Minister and was President of the UCA Assembly between 1991-94. He has been active in ecumenism in Australia and globally....
and Rev. Dr James Haire
James Haire
James Haire AM, KSJ is a Christian minister of religion. He is currently the director of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia...
, former presidents of the Uniting Church in Australia, were present to assist with the introduction of this innovation.
Commitment to ecumenism
The Uniting Church is an example of ecumenism; it is one of a number of United and uniting churchesUnited and uniting churches
United and uniting churches are churches formed from the merger or other form of union of two or more different Protestant denominations.Perhaps the oldest example of a united church is found in Germany, where the Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of Lutheran, United and Reformed...
globally.
The Uniting Church, as were its precursors, is engaged in ecumenical activities;
- locally through interchurch councils
- at the State level through state councils of churches
- Nationally as a member of the National Council of Churches in AustraliaNational Council of Churches in AustraliaThe National Council of Churches in Australia is an ecumenical organisation bringing together a number of Australia's Christian Churches in dialogue and practical cooperation.It works in collaboration with state ecumenical councils around Australia...
and - through a variety of informal and formal dialogues with other denominationsChristian denominationA Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...
.
The UCA is affiliated with the:
- World Council of ChurchesWorld Council of ChurchesThe World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
- Christian Conference of AsiaChristian Conference of AsiaThe Christian Conference of Asia is a regional ecumenical organisation representing 17 National Councils and 100 denominations in 21 countries:- Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Laos, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan,...
- World Alliance of Reformed ChurchesWorld Alliance of Reformed ChurchesThe World Alliance of Reformed Churches is a fellowship of more than 200 churches with roots in the 16th-century Reformation, and particularly in the theology of John Calvin...
- World Methodist CouncilWorld Methodist CouncilThe World Methodist Council, founded in 1881, is an association of churches in the Methodist tradition which comprises most of the world's Wesleyan denominations.- Extension and organization:...
Theology
The range of theology perspectives in the UCA is broad, reflecting its Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational churchCongregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
origins and its commitment to ecumenism. The theology can be typified as mainline Protestant with a commitment to social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
.
Theological perspectives found in the Uniting Church:
- evangelicalEvangelicalismEvangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
- fundamentalistFundamentalist ChristianityChristian fundamentalism, also known as Fundamentalist Christianity, or Fundamentalism, arose out of British and American Protestantism in the late 19th century and early 20th century among evangelical Christians...
- Mainline
- leftChristian leftThe Christian left is a term originating in the United States, used to describe a spectrum of left-wing Christian political and social movements which largely embraces social justice....
or progressiveProgressive ChristianityProgressive Christianity is the name given to a movement within contemporary Christianity characterized by willingness to question tradition, acceptance of human diversity with a strong emphasis on social justice or care for the poor and the oppressed and environmental stewardship of the Earth... - liberalLiberal ChristianityLiberal Christianity, sometimes called liberal theology, is an umbrella term covering diverse, philosophically and biblically informed religious movements and ideas within Christianity from the late 18th century and onward...
There has been considerable debate around the concerns of morality, faith, and in particular sexuality. These concerns focus on the understanding of the Bible and issues of accommodation to the dominant culture.
The establishment of the Evangelical Members within the Uniting Church in Australia
Evangelical Members within the Uniting Church in Australia
The Evangelical Members within the Uniting Church in Australia is a conservative lobby group within the Uniting Church . They were previously known as Evangelical Ministers of the UCA....
(EMU) was, in part, as a result of their opposition to ordination of gay and lesbian candidates in the lead up to the 1997 Assembly. EMU (also previously known as Evangelical Ministers of the UCA) and The Reforming Alliance are examples of the Confessing Movement
Confessing Movement
The Confessing Movement is an Evangelical movement within several mainline Protestant denominations to return those churches to what the members of the movement see as theological orthodoxy....
. The Confessing Movement
Confessing Movement
The Confessing Movement is an Evangelical movement within several mainline Protestant denominations to return those churches to what the members of the movement see as theological orthodoxy....
should not be confused with the Confessing Church
Confessing Church
The Confessing Church was a Protestant schismatic church in Nazi Germany that arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to nazify the German Protestant church.-Demographics:...
.
Ordination of gay and lesbian people
An issue regularly debated almost from the inception of the Uniting Church in Australia is the place of gay and lesbian people in the church, and in particular the possibility of their ordination
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
.
The fairly broad consensus has been that a person's sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
should not be a bar to attendance, membership or participation in the life of the church. More controversial has been the issue of sexual activity by gay and lesbian people (in terms of godly living), and arising from this, the question of appropriate behaviour for ordination candidates.
Development
- 1982 Assembly Standing Committee (ASC) decided that sexual orientation was not a bar to ordination and left the decision about candidature with the Presbytery.
- 1997 Assembly after an emotional debate, a decision on the issue was not made
- 2000 Assembly decided not to discuss the issue of sexuality.
- 2003 Assembly attempted to clarify the church's earlier position:
- a resolution was passed recognising that people within the UCA had interpreted the scriptures with integrity in coming to two opposed views
- That based on these different views, some concluded that a gay or lesbian person in a committed relationship could be ordained as a minister and others not.
- The recognition of the two positions failed to distinguish between orientation and behaviour, this surprised many as it went further than the 1982 Assembly Standing Committee decision.
- Post 2003 Assembly:
- Uniting Network, a group for supporters of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgenderTransgenderTransgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
UCA members welcomed the decision. Although some saw it as a compromise from their preferred position. (Uniting Network formed out of bi-annual gatherings of gay Christians begun in 1994.) - many members of the UCA and particularly EMU condemned the decision
- The Reforming Alliance was set up - representing EMU, many ethnic congregations and the many in the UAICC.
- The ASC subsequently varied the wording of the resolution to remove reference to specific positions, so as not to affirm any particular standard of sexual ethics. The ASC also issued an apology that better communication did not occur leading up to 2003 Assembly
- Leading up to the 2006 Assembly, a church wide process of response, reflection and preparation has been initiated.
- Uniting Network, a group for supporters of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
- 2006 Assembly considered the matter again and did not reach consensus:
- Members of its 11th Assembly meeting in Brisbane agreed they were "not of one mind" on the issue of accepting into ministry people who were living in a committed same-gender sexual relationships.
- They said that "notwithstanding the hopes of many in the church", the Assembly "is not prepared to exercise further its determining responsibility in this matter".
- The key elements in the Assembly’s resolution:
- "our acknowledgment and lament that the 10th Assembly decision was a catalyst for concern and pain in the church;
- an assurance that congregations who do not wish to receive into placement a minister who is living in a committed same-sex relationship will not be compelled to do so, and that congregations willing to have such a minister will have their decision respected;
- a request to the Working Group on Doctrine to assist the church in its ongoing consideration of our theological diversity on this issue;
- a call to the whole church to recommit itself to its primary purposes of worship, witness and service."
Current situation
The Assembly resolution and subsequent material from the ASC made it clear that when Presbyteries select candidates for ministry they may be guided by a Presbytery commitment to a particular approach to sexual ethics, but each determination of candidature must still be made on a case by case basis.During the course of the debate, and in particular from 1997 onwards, some ministers living in same-sex relationships have 'come out' without their ordination or ministry being challenged. This means that the Uniting Church in Australia is one of the very few Christian denominations that accepts and supports the ministry of people in same-sex relationships.
Theologians
The UCA has several people who are acknowledged within itself and more widely as theologians, including:- The Revd Sir Alan WalkerAlan Walker (theologian)Sir Alan Walker OBE was an Australian Christian minister, theologian and evangelist.Walker was:*involved in the formation of the World Council of Churches...
- The Revd James HaireJames HaireJames Haire AM, KSJ is a Christian minister of religion. He is currently the director of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia...
- The Revd Bill LoaderBill LoaderWilliam Ronald George "Bill" Loader is a minister of the Uniting Church in Australia and a professor at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia....
Assemblies: dates, leaders, locations
(President; General Secretary)1. June 1977 J Davis McCaughey
Davis McCaughey
John Davis McCaughey, AC was a bible scholar, church and university administrator, and was Governor of Victoria from 1986–1992.-Working life:...
; Winston O’Reilly; Sydney, New South Wales
2. May 1979 Winston O’Reilly; Winston O’Reilly to December 1979; Melbourne, Victoria
3. May 1982 Rollie Busch; David Gill from January 1980 ; Adelaide, South Australia
4. May 1985 Ian Tanner; David Gill; Sydney
5. May 1988 Ronald Wilson
Ronald Wilson
Sir Ronald Darling Wilson, AC, KBE, CMG, QC was a distinguished Australian lawyer, judge and social activist serving on the High Court of Australia between 1979 and 1989 and as the President of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission between 1990 and 1997.Wilson is probably best known as...
; David Gill to July 1988; Melbourne
6. July 1991 H. D'Arcy Wood
H. D'Arcy Wood
Reverend Dr Harold D'Arcy Wood is a semi-retired Uniting Church in Australia Minister and was President of the UCA Assembly between 1991-94. He has been active in ecumenism in Australia and globally....
; Gregor Henderson
Gregor Henderson
The Rev. Gregor Henderson , BA, BD is an ordained Christian Minister of the Word of the Uniting Church in Australia, was for 12 years the General Secretary of the UCA's National Assembly, and is the immediate past President of the National Assembly....
from January 1989; Brisbane, Queensland
7. July 1994 Jill Tabart; Gregor Henderson; Sydney
8. July 1997 John E Mavor; Gregor Henderson; Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
9. July 2000 James Haire
James Haire
James Haire AM, KSJ is a Christian minister of religion. He is currently the director of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia...
; Gregor Henderson; Adelaide
10. July 2003 Dean Drayton
Dean Drayton
Rev. Dr. Prof. Dean Drayton B.Sc., B.D., Ph.D. is a minister of the Uniting Church in Australia, and was President of the UCA Assembly from July 2003 to July 2006. He lectures on a part-time basis in Missiology at Sydney's United Theological College .-Biography:Rodney Dean Drayton was born in...
; Terence Corkin from January 2001; Melbourne
11. July 2006 Gregor Henderson
Gregor Henderson
The Rev. Gregor Henderson , BA, BD is an ordained Christian Minister of the Word of the Uniting Church in Australia, was for 12 years the General Secretary of the UCA's National Assembly, and is the immediate past President of the National Assembly....
; Terence Corkin; Brisbane
12. July 2009 Alistair Macrae
Alistair Macrae
The Rev. Alistair Macrae is an ordained Christian Minister of the Word of the Uniting Church in Australia, was formerly a Moderator of the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, and is the current President of the National Assembly....
; Terence Corkin; Sydney, New South Wales
Statistics, facts, trivia
- The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA for initials) is a uniquely Australian church, similar to other United and uniting churchesUnited and uniting churchesUnited and uniting churches are churches formed from the merger or other form of union of two or more different Protestant denominations.Perhaps the oldest example of a united church is found in Germany, where the Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of Lutheran, United and Reformed...
, who maintain a cultural identity within their own country, while expressing ecumenical fellowship with other Christian denominationChristian denominationA Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...
s world-wide. - The Uniting Church in Australia is the third largest church denomination (after Catholic and Anglican).
- About 5-7% of the membership worships in languages other than English, including Aboriginal tribal languages.
- It has 48 schools, ranging from long-established schools with large enrolments to small recently established low-fee schools.
See also
- United and uniting churchesUnited and uniting churchesUnited and uniting churches are churches formed from the merger or other form of union of two or more different Protestant denominations.Perhaps the oldest example of a united church is found in Germany, where the Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of Lutheran, United and Reformed...
- Christian Conference of AsiaChristian Conference of AsiaThe Christian Conference of Asia is a regional ecumenical organisation representing 17 National Councils and 100 denominations in 21 countries:- Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Laos, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan,...
- World Alliance of Reformed ChurchesWorld Alliance of Reformed ChurchesThe World Alliance of Reformed Churches is a fellowship of more than 200 churches with roots in the 16th-century Reformation, and particularly in the theology of John Calvin...
- World Methodist CouncilWorld Methodist CouncilThe World Methodist Council, founded in 1881, is an association of churches in the Methodist tradition which comprises most of the world's Wesleyan denominations.- Extension and organization:...
- World Alliance of Reformed ChurchesWorld Alliance of Reformed ChurchesThe World Alliance of Reformed Churches is a fellowship of more than 200 churches with roots in the 16th-century Reformation, and particularly in the theology of John Calvin...
- EcumenismEcumenismEcumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
- Progressive ChristianityProgressive ChristianityProgressive Christianity is the name given to a movement within contemporary Christianity characterized by willingness to question tradition, acceptance of human diversity with a strong emphasis on social justice or care for the poor and the oppressed and environmental stewardship of the Earth...
- Confessing MovementConfessing MovementThe Confessing Movement is an Evangelical movement within several mainline Protestant denominations to return those churches to what the members of the movement see as theological orthodoxy....
- Homosexuality and ChristianityHomosexuality and ChristianityChristian denominations hold a variety of views on the issues of sexual orientation and homosexuality, ranging from outright condemnation to complete acceptance. In accordance with the traditional values of Abrahamic religions, most Christian denominations welcome people attracted to the same sex,...
- Fellowship of Congregational ChurchesFellowship of Congregational ChurchesThe Fellowship of Congregational Churches is a conservative Congregational denomination in Australia. It was formed by the forty congregations of the Congregational Union of Australia who chose not to join the Uniting Church in Australia in 1977....
- Congregational Federation of AustraliaCongregational Federation of AustraliaThe Congregational Federation of Australia is Congregational denomination comprising fourteen congregations in New South Wales and Queensland. It has sixteen ordained ministers and some two thousand members and adherents, many of them Samoans.-History:...
- Wesleyan Methodist Church of AustraliaWesleyan Methodist Church of AustraliaThe Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia is a Christian denomination with its origins in Wesleyan Methodism. It is the organizational name for The Wesleyan Church in Australia.-Background and formation:...
- Presbyterian Church of AustraliaPresbyterian Church of AustraliaThe Presbyterian Church of Australia is the largest Presbyterian denomination in Australia. .-Beginnings:...
- United Church of CanadaUnited Church of CanadaThe United Church of Canada is a Protestant Christian denomination in Canada. It is the largest Protestant church and, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest Christian church in Canada...
Official websites
- Uniting Church in Australia official website
- Synod of Victoria and Tasmania website
- Synod of New South Wales website
- Uniting Resources website
- National Assembly website
- Relations with Other Faiths website
- Multicultural and Cross Cultural website
- UnitingJustice website