Get Involved

On any Sunday, we come together in more than 1600 Uniting Church congregations across Australia to share in worship and fellowship. You will find us in spaces of service and faith across the community, in schools, aged care, childcare and hospitals, and in local expressions of ministry, seeking to witness to Christ’s love and grace.

Our churches can be found deep in the heart of our cities, or in our most isolated and outback towns. Many congregations have existed for years while others are new and worship in different ways. Even though expressions of faith can be vastly different, each is a community in which people seek to follow Jesus, learn about God, share their faith, care for each other, serve the local community, seeking to live faithfully and with real joy. 

Our communities are ready to welcome you.

Welcome! In the Christian faith, the journey with Jesus is a close, loving, dynamic relationship with the living God. The Uniting Church believes that through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we enter into right relationship with God. In this faith, we receive God's gracious gifts so that life can be what God means it to be - loving, purposeful, joyful, eternal. Because of this faith, we are called to tell others of this good news and live out this faith in acts of compassion, service and justice in the community.

Are you wondering how you might best serve God, and whether to be involved in specific tasks within the Church or beyond the Church in the wider community? Perhaps you are wanting to test whether you are being called by God to a particular vocation or ministry within the Uniting Church?

In the Uniting Church, a Period of Discernment (POD) is a specific, disciplined time for discerning how your gifts might be used by God and whether a particular role or ministry in the Church is part of your call. If you are considering a call to Ordained Ministry within the UCA, doing a POD is a required first step, but a POD can be useful for anyone thinking about how they want to serve God in their life, even if they don’t have any thoughts of Ordained Ministry.

 A POD generally lasts about one year, and involves a mentor assigned to you by your Presbytery, some agreed studies and involvement in trying different kinds of ministry activities, generally under the supervision of your Minister. Some Presbyteries run ‘Discernment Retreats’ or ‘Discernment Days’ for people who are undergoing a POD, or those who are considering a POD. Most Presbyteries have a designated person or Committee who will be able to talk to you about doing a POD. If you don’t know anyone to contact in your Presbytery, your Synod will be able to help.

If you are interested the Assembly’s guidelines concerning PODs are also available here.