A Uniting Church around Australia (UCA) was formed in June 22 1977 when the Methodist Church of Australasia, Presbyterian Church of Australia and Congregational Union of Australia came together under a Basis of Union document.

A third big denomination inside Australia (the Roman Catholic and the Anglican churches are big), a UCA has 312,858 members around 2,247 congregations (2000 figures).

Organisation
the UCA is governed by a series of councils: Congregation (local) Presbytery (regional) Synod (state) Assembly (subject) sustaining the lay (non-ordained) majority on every.

A agents of President of Assembly & Moderator even even of Synod (world health organization chair these councils) come open to a lot members of the UCA, whether lay or ordained, male or female.

A UCA occurs as non-episcopal church, that is is has no bishops. A leadership & pastoral role in the UCA is performed by Presbytery as a body (meeting). Numbers of members would know a 'Chairperson of Presbytery' or even a 'Moderator' of the Synod when exercising this role. This position can be occupied by an ordained minister or the lay individual. Inside numbers of Presbyteries there exists as well the 'Presbytery Officer' world health organization can be ordained or even the lay-minister. the Presbytery Officer within numerous subjects functions as a Pastoral Minister, a pastor to the pastors (a Pastor Pastorum) to humans inside ministry. More Presbyteries apply this position for Mission Consultancy operate & others for Administrative operate.

Assembly

A todays President is Rpm Dr Dean Drayton.

A President-elect is Rpm Gregor Henderson, formerly General Secretary of a UCA, & prior to that the National Council of Churches in Australia.

For the listing of Assembly dates, locations, & leaders, view beneath.

Between a Assembly meetings, a business of Assembly is conducted per Assembly Standing Committee that meets threefold a year, unremarkably March, July & November. Membership of the committee is drawn from either in Australia sustaining Eighteen humans elected at every Assembly.

Synods
A Synods meet regularly. Occasionally Synods meet each year (e.g. NSW-Work). Others meet each xviii months or even each 2 years (e.g. Queensland and South Australia).

There are sextuplet Synods: NSW Synod (includes New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory) Queensland Synod Synod of South Australia Synod of Western Australia Synod of Victoria and Tasmania A Northern Synod (which includes a Northern Territory and the northern regions of American Australia)

Presbyteries
Typically for each one Synod is the total of Presbyteries.

South Australia has moved to one Presbytery-Synod model & is investigating formally setting higher interest groups/networks in that structure.

These come at a level of the Presbytery that decisions are manufactured on: selection to canditure to ministry: placement of ministers

Congregations
Congregations come a church locally. It is a setting of regular worship, typically meeting in Sundays, numbers of churches too conduct worship services at other days, e.g. the [http://www.kippax.org.au monthly weekday service], a late-nighttime service for even day shift workers, [http://www.cafechurch.org.au cafe church], or even Saturday or Friday evenings.

The meeting of the Congregation must exist as held at least it used to be that apiece season. This meeting(s) generally considers & approves dollars & cents, any on top-arching policy matters of a local nature & severity, property matters (which stand to become ratified by Presbytery and Synod agents) and the 'call for' (employment) of the newly minister or even more staff.

Congregations handle themselves across the Council. Completely Elders come members, when come ministers using pastoral responsibility for the congregation, there might as well exist as more members. A Council meets regularly & is responsible approving a days of the worship services & more matters.

There are a bit of united congregations. Within a few locations, a UCA has joined by owning more churches (like Baptist and Churches of Christ in Australia. There are too the range of cooperative arrangements inside which resourcing ministry to congregations is non imaginable, particularly in rural & remote areas.

'Faith communities' come less integrated than congregations. It is groupings of population world health organization gather together for even worship, witness or service & take to exist as recognised per Presbytery.

Local churches come typically as well utilized by congregations of more church denominations. For instance, the Tongan Seventh-day Adventist congregatiin may produce arrangements to meet in the building on the Saturday.

A UCA is preponderantly anglo, even so these are committed to existence inclusive & there are the total of multicultural arrangements, by owning Korean, Tongan, and more groups forming congregations of the church. A [http://nat.uca.org.au/uaicc/ Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress] oversee the total of congregations center on Abo & Torres Strait Islanders.

Agencies
UnitingCare as a whole is a big operator of general social care activities inside Australia, including existence the big operator of aged care facilities. More activities include: 'central missions'; shelters & emergency housing for men, women, & tikes; relationship trend lines; impairment services; food kitchens for underprivileged humans (lesson: [http://www.exodusfoundation.net Exodus Foundation] at Ashfield Uniting Church around Sydney).

Assembly & Synods have a total of more 'agents', examples come: Assembly Theology & Discipleship" Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (the UAICC operates in many ways as a Synod) UnitingCare Australia UnitingJustice Australia 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 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 UCA
The 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: Minister of the Word Deacon

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.

Culture
The 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.

Liturgy
Liturgically 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 making
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 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 ecumenism
The 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; locally through interchurch councils at the State level through state councils of churches Nationally as a member of the National Council of Churches in Australia and through a variety of informal and formal dialogues with other denominations.

The UCA is affiliated with the: Christian Conference of Asia World Alliance of Reformed Churches World Council of Churches World Methodist Council

Theology
The 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: evangelical fundamentalist Mainline left or progressive liberal

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 people
The issues regularly debated almost from the inception of the UCA is the place of homosexual people in the church, and the issue 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. Controversial has been about 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
1982 Assembly Standing Committee (ASC) decided that homosexual orientation was not a bar to ordination and left the decision about candidature with the Presbytery. 1997 Assembly after an emotional debatea decision on the issue was not made 2000 Assembly decided not to discuss homosexuality. 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 practicing homosexual person in a committed same sex relationship could be ordained as a minister and others not. Post 2003 Assembly: Uniting Network, a group for supporters of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered 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 homosexual 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.

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.

Assembly, Dates, Leaders and Locations
(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 Gregor Henderson (elect)