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The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was formed on June 22 1977 when the Methodist Church of Australasia, Presbyterian Church of Australia and Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basic of Union document.
The third largest denomination in Australia (the Roman Catholic and the Anglican churches are larger), the UCA has 312,858 members in 2,247 congregations (2000 figures).
The UCA is governed by a series of councils: Congregation (local), Presbytery (regional), Synod (state) and Assembly (national), with a lay (non-ordained) majority on each.
The offices of President of Assembly and Moderator of Synod (that chair these councils) are open to all members of the UCA, whether lay or ordained, male or female.
Since 1997 most of these councils and agencies have operated under the consensus decision making procedures outlined in the church's Manual for Meetings. These procedures use orange ('support') and blue ('do not support') cards, which may be displayed at many times, not just when a vote is called.
The UCA is not a church with an episcopate, meaning there are no bishops. The equivalent role in the UCA is performed Presbytery as a body (meeting), however, many members would see the role as being exercised by the 'Chairperson of Presbytery' who is often an ordained minister but may be a lay person. In many Presbyteries there is also a 'Presbytery Officer' who is a senior ordained minister.
The national Assembly meets every three years, and is chaired by a national President. The 10th triennial Assembly met in Melbourne in July 2003.
The current President is Rev Dr Dean Drayton.
The President-elect is Rev Gregor Henderson, formerly General Secretary of the UCA.
For a list of Assembly dates, locations, and leaders, see below.
Between the formal Assembly meetings, the interim business of Assembly is conducted by the Assembly Standing Committee that meets typically three times each year, usually March, July and November. Membership of the committee is drawn from around Australia. (18 persons are elected at each Assembly.)
The Synods meet every year.
The Synods do not quite correspond to the States of Australia. There are six in all:
Assembly and Synods each have 'agencies'.
UnitingCare is the largest operator of general social care activities in Australia, including being the largest operator of aged aged care facilities. Other activities include: 'central city missions'; shelters and emergency housing for men, women, and children; regular food kitchens for underprivileged people (example: at Ashfield Uniting Church in Sydney).
The UCA is considered to be to the left theologically, politically and socially, with a strongly felt and argued sense of social justice. It has taken stances on issues such Native Title for Aboriginal 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.
Liturgically the UCA is extremely varied. Practice ranges from new experimental liturgies sometimes disparagingly called 'High UCA' through conventional reformed services to extremely informal worship reminiscent of the 'Jesus Revolution' of the 1970s. Music is equally varied, ranging from traditional hymns especially from the now-superseded but still popular Australian Hymn Book to hard rock music.
On July 17 2003 the UCA clarified its 1982 position when the national Assembly meeting stated that people had interpreted the scriptures with integrity in coming to the view that a practicing homosexual person in a committed same sex relationship could be ordained as a minister. It also stated that people who had come to the opposite view had also interpreted the scriptures with integrity. When Presbyteries (regional councils) select candidates for ministry they may use either of these positions, however they cannot formally adopt either position as policy, but must take each person on a case by case basis. By explicitly stating the two positions, this decision fleshes out a 1982 Assembly Standing Committee decision which did not ban practicing homosexual people from ministry but left the decision up to Presbyteries. After emotional debate, the 1997 Assembly did not reach a decision, and the 2000 Assembly decided not to discuss homosexuality.
Although seen as a compromise of their position, this decison was welcomed by the , a group for supporters of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered UCA members that formed out of bi-annual gatherings of homosexual Christians begun in 1994.
The decision was condemned by (the Evangelical Members within the UCA), a group which gained prominence as a result of their opposition to gay ordination in the lead up to the 1997 Assembly having been formed some years previously as Evangelical Ministers of the UCA. It has also been criticised strongly by members of the UCA not associated with either group.
Subsequently, the Standing Committee of Assembly issued an apology that better communication did not occur leading up to 2003 Assembly, and used its powers to vary the wording of the resolution that was passed to delete mention of specific positions on the issue.
(President; General Secretary)
1. June 1977 J Davis McCaughey; Winston O?Reilly; Sydney
2. May 1979 Winston O?Reilly; Winston O?Reilly to December 1979; Melbourne
3. May 1982 Rollie Busch; David Gill from January 1980 ; Adelaide
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
7. July 1994 Jill Tabart; Gregor Henderson; Sydney
8. July 1997 John E Mavor; Gregor Henderson; Perth
9. July 2000 James Haire; Gregor Henderson; Adelaide
10. July 2003 Dean Drayton; Terence Corkin from January 2001; Melbourne
11. 2006 Christian views of homosexuality
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