Logo of the UCA
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 UCA has 312858 members in 2247 congregations (2000 figures).
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2 Culture 3 Homosexual Ordination |
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 national Assembly meets every three years, and is chaired by a national President. The Synods meet every year, and are each chaired by a Moderator. The offices of President and Moderator are open to all members of the UCA, whether lay or ordained, male or female.
The Synods do not quite correspond to the States of Australia. There are six in all:
Organisation
Since 1997 most of these councils have operated under the consensus decision making procedures outlined in the church's Manual for Meetings. The 10th triennial Assembly met in Melbourne in July 2003.
The UCA is considered to be to the left theologically, politically and socially.
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 Music is equally varied, ranging from traditional hymns especially from the now-superseded but still popular Australian Hymn Book to hard rock music.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 Uniting Network, 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 EMU (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.
See also:
Culture
Homosexual Ordination
