Christianity: Details about 'Uniting Church In Australia'
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The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was formed on June 22 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, Presbyterian Church of Australia, and Congregational Union of Australia merged together under the Basis of Union. 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).
OrganisationThe UCA is governed by a series of councils:
with a lay (non-ordained) majority on each. The offices of President of Assembly and Moderator of Synod (who chair these councils) are open to all members of the UCA, whether lay or ordained, male or female. The UCA is a non-episcopal church, that is has no bishops. The leadership and pastoral role in the UCA is performed by Presbytery as a body (meeting). Many members would 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. AssemblyDean Drayton 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, and currently chair of Christian World Service of the National Council of Churches in Australia. For a list of Assembly 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. SynodsThe Synods meet regularly. Some Synods meet every year (e.g. NSW-ACT). Others meet every eighteen months or every two years (e.g. Queensland and South Australia). There are six Synods:
PresbyteriesGenerally each Synod comprises a number of Presbyteries. South Australia has moved to unitary Presbytery-Synod model and is investigating formally setting up interest groups/networks in this structure. It is at the level of the Presbytery that decisions are made regarding:
CongregationsCongregations are the church locally. They are the setting of regular worship, generally meeting on Sundays, many churches also conduct worship services at other times, for example a , a late-night service for day shift workers, , or Saturday or Friday evenings. A meeting of the Congregation must be held at least once 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 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. '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 Tongan Seventh-day Adventist congregation may make arrangements to meet in the building on a Saturday. The UCA is predominantly anglo, however it is committed to being inclusive and there are a number of multicultural arrangements, with Korean, Tongan, and other groups forming congregations of the church. The oversee a number of congregations focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. AgenciesUnitingCare 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 (example: at Ashfield Uniting Church in Sydney). Assembly and Synods have a number of other 'agencies', examples are:
EducationThe 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 Divinity, 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 Parkin-Wesley College 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 Scotch College, Pedare Christian College, Prince Alfred College, and Lincoln College. Christian education is provided for all members of the Uniting Church, for all ages, through local congregations and agencies such as Coolamon College. Ministry in the UCAThe role of the laity is valued in the UCA, specific roles include elder and Lay Preacher. There are two orders of ministry in the Uniting Church, these are:
In situations where it is not possible or desired to have an ordained minister a Lay Pastor, or Lay Ministry Teams may minister, particularly in rural areas. CultureThe UCA is a uniquely Australian denomination and seeks to share Jesus in authentic "Aussie" ways. It 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. LiturgyLiturgically the UCA is varied, pactice ranges from experimental liturgies, informal worship reminiscent of the 'Jesus Revolution' of the 1970s to conventional reformed services. Music is likewise varied, from traditional hymns especially from the superseded but still popular Australian Hymn Book through Hillsong and Contemporary Christian music to hard Christian alternative music and Christian metal. Decision makingSince 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 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. Commitment to ecumenismThe Uniting Church is example of ecumenism, it is one of a number of uniting-united churches globally. The Uniting Church, as were its precursors, is engaged in ecumenical activities;
The UCA is affiliated with the:
TheologyThe range of theology perspectives in the UCA is broad, reflecting its Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational origins and its commitment to ecumenism. The theology can be typified as mainline protestant with a commitment to social justice with a strong representation of what has been called the Confessing Movement in some places with vigorous debate occurring at times. Theological perspectives found in the Uniting Church: Traditional concerns of evangelical UCA members of morality, faith and theology have been important. These concerns focus on the understanding of the Bible and issues of accommodation to the dominant culture. The Evangelical Members within the Uniting Church in Australia (EMU), gained prominence as a result of their opposition to gay ordination in the lead up to the 1997 Assembly (previously Evangelical Ministers of the UCA) and The Reforming Alliance are examples of the Confessing Movement. Ordination of homosexual peopleAn issue regularly debated almost from the inception of the UCA is the place of homosexual 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 homosexual people (in terms of godly living), and arising from this, the question of appropriate behaviour for ordination candidates. Development
Current situationThe 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. Assembly, Dates, Leaders and Locations(President; General Secretary) See alsoOther websites |
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