“It believes that Christians in Australia are called to bear witness to a unity of faith and life in Christ which transcends cultural and economic, national and racial boundaries…”
Paragraph 2, Basis of Union
The Basis of Union describes the responsibilities of the Assembly (the national council) in the following terms:
“It has determining responsibility for matters of doctrine, worship, government and discipline, including the promotion of the Church’s mission, the establishment of standards of theological training and reception of ministers from other communions, and the taking of further measures towards the wider union of the Church. It makes the guiding decisions on the tasks and authority to be exercised by other councils.”
In Section 2 of Act2: In Response to God’s Call we described the findings from church council feedback during the Exploration Phase (Nov-June 2023). This confirmed how communities of faith value our Covenant with Congress, being a multicultural Church, our commitment to justice and being an advocate in the public square.
Alongside this, throughout the Collective Discernment Phase we undertook National Forums which explored five themes with resourcing from experts. Reflections and recordings are available on the Act2 website. The themes were:
- Our National Voice in the Public Square
- Our International Partnerships and Ecumenical Relationships
- Our Multicultural and Intercultural Identity
- Our National Theological Culture
- Promoting the Mission of the Church
Throughout the Collective Discernment Phase, people across the Church shared what they valued about the national life and work of the Uniting Church. The Act2 team also heard concerns about this work in the past and present and what that may mean for how we shape this into the future.
«Our Shared Identity