How our church works together
The Uniting Church in Australia takes seriously our belief that every member has a part in the ministry of Christ - each of us contributes our gifts to participating in God's mission.
That is why we use a model of consensus-decision making when our councils meet. The focus is on listening to the Spirit before we speak and discerning the will of God for the Church together.
The Church is made up of a series of interrelated non-hierarchical councils.
Congregations
are the local expression of faith. This can look like many different things – from meeting each Sunday in a church building to café style churches, groups who worship on Wednesdays rather than Sundays, or who minister across a region rather than a local area. Each Congregation has an elected Church Council to provide governance at a local level.
Synods
are our state-based councils represented by a Moderator and General Secretary. Six synods are responsible for overall support and resourcing of the church in their area.
Presbyteries
are our regional councils which have oversight of congregations, ministry and programs. Presbytery meetings involve ordained ministers, lay pastors and elected lay persons from every congregation.
Assembly
is the national council of the Uniting Church in Australia, led by the President and General Secretary. The Assembly promotes the Church's mission and has responsibility in matters of doctrine and worship, government and discipline, establishes standards of theological training and the admission of ministers from other Christian traditions. The Assembly Standing Committee is elected at the Triennial Assembly meeting. The Committee has the charge of providing governance to the Church during the Triennium.