What is The Uniting Church In Australia?

The Uniting Church is a Historical Church
Inaugurated in 1977, the Uniting Church is not, however, a Church which has suddenly sprung up in the latter part of the twentieth century without any connection with the Church throughout history.
Its roots are in the three historic denominations;
• Congregational,
• Methodist, and
• Presbyterian,
from which the Uniting Church was formed, and through them in the churches of the Reformation in continuity with the Church of New Testament times, as it has borne a good witness to Jesus Christ.
The Uniting Church holds in common with the Church of every age the historic creeds which affirm the essentials of the Christian faith.

The Uniting Church is an Ecumenical Church
The word 'ecumenical' is derived from a word which means "the whole inhabited earth". With reference to the Christian Church, this word implies that there is one Church for all humankind.
As its name indicates, the Uniting Church is committed to promote unity among all Christians and seeks to live in fellowship with all who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. It does not claim to be 'the one true Church'. It is part of the one true Church: the 'one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.'
The Uniting Church seeks that unity which is Christ's gift and will for his Church. It therefore values its relationship with all Christian churches. It is open to the enrichment which that provides, and seeks to make its own unique contribution to the life and witness of the universal Church of Jesus Christ.

The Uniting Church is an Evangelical Church
It affirms that the good news of the Gospel for all people is that God's grace extends to all without discrimination.
This grace is not deserved, and it cannot be earned by our 'good works'.
As this grace of God is received through faith, it results in liberation and new life for people.
Corporately, the Church exists to give expression to this central truth of the Gospel in all its activities, and to invite people, through personal faith and commitment, to realise what it may mean in their living.

The Uniting Church is a Biblical Church
The Bible is at the heart of the worship, witness and service of the Uniting Church.
The Uniting Church declares that "...the Word of God on whom salvation depends, is to be known from Scripture, appropriated in the worshipping and witnessing life of the Church. The Uniting Church lays upon its members the serious duty of reading the Scriptures, and commits its ministers to preach from these, and to administer the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper as effective signs of the Gospel set forth in the Scriptures... " [Basis of Union].
The Uniting Church looks to reputable and devoted biblical scholars for understanding the relevance of the Bible for our life in today s world.

The Uniting Church is committed to Social Outreach
UnitingCare Queensland is the community service arm of The Uniting Church in Australia (Queensland Synod).
It is one of Australia's largest not-for-profit organisations and is Queensland's largest group of care organisations. Last year we helped 1 in 5 Queenslanders, and employed in excess of 12,000 Queenslanders, with as many again engaged in volunteer support activities.
Organisations such as:
• Blue Care (one of Australia's largest providers of community health and residential aged care);
• Lifeline Community Care (Counselling, emergency relief, family and children programs, prison ministry and disability support);
• Uniting Health Care (6 Hospitals); and
• Crossroads (programs and initiatives for people with disabilities) make up UnitingCare Queensland.

The Uniting Church is a Missional Church
It does not exist for its own sake.
Missional statements are the order of the day for all kinds of organisations. They are intended to state the primary purposes for which the organisation exists.
The Constitution of the Uniting Church declares that the purposes of the Uniting Church are:
• to promote the worship of God;
• to proclaim the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ;
• to promote Christian fellowship;
• to nurture believers in the Christian faith;
• to engage in mission;
• to assist human development;
• to meet human need through charitable and other services, and
• to do such other things as may be required in obedience to the Holy Spirit.
The Church's mission is both local and global.

The Uniting Church is a Serving Church
Its disposition is not one of domination, but of service.
As its Lord "...came, not to be served but to serve" so the Church seeks to use its resources—both personal and materia—in service to humankind.
In its brief existence, the Uniting Church has demonstrated its concern for social justice, identifying with the disadvantaged, and being an advocate for those who are marginalised in society.
It has demonstrated a strong commitment to community service, providing an extensive range of services throughout the nation.
In co-operation with people of goodwill in other caring agencies, the Uniting Church has sought to create in Australia a caring and responsive community.
Thus it aims to express the Gospel in deed as well as in word.

The Uniting Church is a Contemporary Church
It values its rich heritage, and seeks to be true to the abiding truths of the Christian faith, which have come down to us through the centuries.
It recognises, however, that "new occasions teach new duties." It seeks to respond to the needs and challenges of the age in which we live, and to ensure that its worship, witness, and service are relevant to the lives of people today.
Consequently, some aspects of the Uniting Church clearly will be 'traditional', whilst others will be seen to be contemporary.

The Uniting Church is a Charismatic Church
It recognises that the gifts of God's Spirit bestows on his people are many and varied.
There is no stereotype of Christian experience.
The Church endeavours to help people to recognise the gifts with which people are endowed, and to provide opportunity for those gifts to find expression for the enrichment of the life of the church in its worship, witness and service.
The Uniting Church affirms that all Christians are called to ministry [the New Testament word means 'service']—both within the Church's life and in the life of the wider community—and it seeks to enable and support its members as they serve in the name and spirit of Christ.

The Uniting Church is a Multi-Cultural Church
It includes people of many and varied cultural backgrounds.
It believes that "the fullness of Christ" can be known only as Christians with different cultural backgrounds are enabled to contribute their own insights and experiences to the life and fellowship of Christ's Church.
The increasingly multi-ethnic character of our society offers tremendous opportunities for the enrichment of our Christian life and fellowship in the Church.
The Uniting Church aims to be a fellowship in Christ which transcends race, colour and ethnic origins. It has a special concern for and commitment to the indigenous people of Australia through the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress.

The Uniting Church is an Open Church
The doors of the Uniting Church are open.
All who seek to know Christ and to make him known are invited to share in its life by participating in its worship, witness and service.
The doors of the Uniting Church are open outward; so that its members may take with them—into their daily round and common tasks, and into the life of the community—the love and truth they have found in Christ for the salvation and healing of the world and its peoples.