The New ‘Uniting Church in Australia’

AFTER 76 years of controversy, ballots, arguments and even court cases, the ‘Uniting Church in Australia’ was finally born during the summer (Australian winter) of 1977. It is composed of Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational churches, includes 1,500 parish clergy, over 240,000 members and about one and a half million “census adherents,” making it the third largest denomination in Australia.

The name ‘Uniting Church in Australia’ was chosen to stress the continuing nature of a movement toward uniting churches. Its members hope that yet other churches will fall in line with this effort.

In its ecclesiastical structure and the titles used, the new church will retain features of the three constituent churches. Women ministers are accepted, and women occupy prominent positions in both clergy and laity. There is no fixed ruling at present on the use of alcohol, although the issue is still under debate. By tradition, Methodist ministers have strictly abstained from it in the past. It appears that the religious services carried out in the various churches will follow whatever form is most familiar to the local congregation.

However, not all members and congregations of the three combining churches have joined the Uniting Church. Thirty-seven of the 307 Congregational churches continue to function separately as the ‘Fellowship of Congregational Churches’; and 521 of the 1,437 Presbyterian congregations have rejected the union. Reasons for not joining the Uniting Church involve matters of doctrine and church organizational procedure. Further problems have arisen regarding church properties. Splitting of the Presbyterian Church has caused a tense wrangle over dividing up of an estimated thousands of millions of dollars’ worth of church holdings. These include churches, houses occupied by church personnel, schools, hospitals, city office buildings and prime real estate.

Formation of the Uniting Church gave rise to much publicity, with emphasis on expected community and social work. Will there be an intensified search for God on the part of individual members? That remains to be seen.​—Acts 17:11.