Agencies, working groups and committees
There are some 30 national agencies, working groups and committees that form the National Assembly. The following provides brief information about each, including their area of work. All the agencies and many of the working groups have individual websites; click on the name to access further information.
National Secretariat
The National Secretariat consists of the General Secretary, the Associate General Secretary, administration, accounts and communications. The Secretariat handles areas of national significance as well as the day-to-day running of the National Assembly office. This includes maintaining and altering Church Regulations, Procedures and Guidelines (following changes agreed on by the Standing Committee), coordinating and attending national meetings, payroll, processing of accounts, publication sales/distribution and web development.
General Secretary: Rev. Terence Corkin
Associate General Secretary: Rev. Glenda Blakefield
Phone: +612 8267 4202
Email: assysec@nat.uca.org.au
Areas of work within the National Secretariat:
-
Communications
The National Assembly Communications Unit handles the external media for the Assembly and many of its agencies. The Unit also liaises with the Synod communications staff to ensure consistent messages are carried throughout the Church and to the wider community. Added to that, the Communications team produces Assembly publications, including the monthly Update and the fortnightly e-zine, The Transit Lounge.
Manager: Ms Penelope Monger
Phone: +61 2 8267 4233
Email: pennym@nat.uca.org.au - Historical Reference Committee and Archives
The Historical Reference Committee and Archives is responsible for collecting, sorting and cataloguing national records of the church, answering research enquiries, promoting research and publication of the history of the Uniting Church and its parent churches and advising on appropriate methods of record keeping.
Chairperson: Rev. Dr William Emilsen
Archivist: Mrs Christine Gordon
Phone: +61 2 9683 4136
Email: christineg@nat.uca.org.au
- Legal Reference Committee
The Legal Reference Committee provides advice to the Church, especially the Assembly, on legal and constitutional matters, including the Regulations.
Chairperson: Mr Malcolm Gledhill
Secretary: Rev Terence Corkin
Phone: +61 2 8268 0800
Email: jennyb@nat.uca.org.au -
Church Polity
The Church Polity Reference Committee provides advice to the National Assembly, Standing Committee and General Secretary on the polity of the church, in light of the Basis of Union, the Constitution and the Regulations.
Chairperson: Rev. Dr Andrew Dutney
Phone: +61 8 8416 8420
Email: andrew.dutney@flinders.edu.au
Beneficiary Fund
The Beneficiary Fund is the superannuation fund for ministers of the word, deacons and deaconesses. Employer and member contributions are managed by a corporate trustee with twelve people on the Board of Directors.
Chairperson: Rev. Robert Hoskin
Executive Director: Mr Robert Runco
Phone: +61 3 9606 0900
Email: benefund@bf.uca.org.au
Christian Education
The Christian Education function of the Assembly is associated under the Uniting Faith and Justice Agency. Christian Education work includes partnerships with councils of the Uniting Church, ecumenical bodies and other educational agencies that are similarly committed to lifelong learning, the development of creative ideas, justice and accessibility.
National Director: Rev. Mark Hillis
Chairperson, Reference Committee: Rev. Dr Adrian Brown
Phone: +61 2 8267 4231
Email: markh@nat.uca.org.au
Christian Unity Working Group
The Uniting Church is involved in an amazing web of relationships with other churches. Christian Unity focuses on these ecumenical relationships in Australia, linked to 14 other Christian denominations through involvement in and membership of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA). Through bilateral dialogues Christian Unity has a close relationship with nine other denominations. These dialogues seek to promote greater understanding, develop areas of theological agreement and find ways of mutual sharing in mission as a way of fulfilling Jesus' prayer, 'that they may be one, that the world may believe' (John 17:21).
Chairperson: Rev. Rodney Horsfield
Secretary: Rev. Dr Alexander (Sandy) Yule
Phone: +61 3 9606 0034
Email: syule@vic.uca.org.au
Coolamon College
Coolamon College is a specialist provider of distance theological education. The goal is to enhance people's understanding of the Christian faith, increase their skills in ministry and deepen their spirituality. The College is a national Uniting Church agency, but it enrolls students from all church backgrounds, and none. The College was established in 1993 and since then has helped thousands of students study for individual units or an award, ranging from certificate-level studies to post-graduate degrees. Coolamon College is part of the Adelaide College of Divinity (ACD), delivering nationally accredited vocational education training and degree-level tertiary studies, through the ACD and the Flinders University School of Theology.
Chairperson: Dr Marelle Harisun
Principal: Rev. Dr L Lee Levett-Olson
Freecall: 1800 639 385
Email: coolamon@flinders.edu.au
Defence Force Chaplaincy
The Defence Force Chaplaincy provides members of the Australian Defence Force and their families, as well as patients and staff of repatriation general hospitals, with Christian ministry in order to meet their spiritual needs. They work collaboratively with the Department of Defence to develop character-building from a Christian perspective.
Convenor: Rev. A Gale Hall
Phone: +61 7 3377 3324
Email: g.hall@bluecare.org.au
Disaster Relief Fund
The Disaster Relief Fund was established by the National Assembly to provide assistance in disaster situations within Australia, in order to assist in the recovery of individuals and communities. The Fund is administered by a Management Committee appointed by the Assembly Standing Committee.
Secretary: Ms Jenny Bertalan
Chairperson: Rev. Terence Corkin
Phone: +61 2 8267 4229
Email: jennyb@nat.uca.org.au
Frontier Services
Established in 1912 by the Rev. John Flynn, Frontier Services (formerly the Australian Inland Mission) provides outback and remote Australia with aged care, home and community care, health services, family and children's support, respite care, counselling and social welfare. The agency is also active in the role of reconciliation. Its operations cover 7.5 million square kilometres of outback and remote Australia, some 85% of the continent.
Chairperson: Mrs Jan Trengrove
National Director: Mrs Rosemary Young
Phone: +61 2 8267 4258
Email: rosemary@nat.uca.org.au
Ministerial Education Commission
The Ministerial Education Commission has national responsibility in the area of theological education within the Uniting Church.
Chairperson: Rev. Chris Udy
Secretary: Mrs Gwen Rosolen
Phone: +61 2 9440 8184
Email: gwenr@nsw.uca.org.au
Multicultural and Cross-cultural Ministry
Multicultural Ministry was officially acknowledged in the Uniting Church in 1985. The Uniting Church has continued to renew its vision of being a multicultural Church and witness to unity in diversity that transcends cultural barriers. Today many Uniting Churches reflect the great diversity of cultures that make up Australia. In addition, there are about 150 migrant-ethnic groups from 26 different cultural traditions who worship in languages other than English.
Chairperson: Rev. Dr Apwee Ting
National Director: Rev. Dr Tony Floyd
Sydney: +61 2 8267 4224
Melbourne: +61 3 8786 7515
Mobile: 0438 299 377
Email: multimin@nat.uca.org.au
Reception of Ministers Committee
The Reception of Ministers Committee determines whether a minister of the Church or minister of another denomination satisfies the criteria for eligibility for admission as a minister of the Church. They also offer advice to Synods from time to time concerning the criteria for eligibility for admission as a minister of the Church.
Chairperson: Rev. Pam Karr
Phone: +61 3 9340 8800
Email: pam.kerr@otira.vic.edu.au
Relations with Other Faiths
Within the Uniting Faith and Justice Agency, Relations with Other Faiths promotes knowledge and understanding of other living world faiths and their communities in Australia and advises the Assembly on appropriate ways to foster relationships with such communities.
Chairperson: Rev. Seforosa Carroll
Administrative Assistant: Ruth Crispin
Phone: +61 2 9747 1266
Email: ruthc@nat.uca.org.au
Theology and Discipleship
Theology and Discipleship is made up of four working groups: Doctrine, Evangelism, Missiology and Worship. They provide theological leadership by assisting the Church to reflect on, articulate and apply the Christian faith, engage the culture, and spread the good news of Jesus Christ. They advise on matters of doctrine, develop policy and resources for worship in UCA congregations, including the preparation of orders of worship that require Assembly approval. They promote spiritual development of Church members, develop networks of theologians and practitioners within the UCA and establish resource working groups to fulfil this mandate and facilitate mission planning from a national perspective, noting the various mission contexts within Australia.
National Director: Rev. Dr Robert Bos
Chairperson: Rev Elizabeth Walker
Chairperson Working Group on Doctrine: Rev. Dr Wes Campbell
Chairperson Working Group on Missiology: Ms Bronwyn Murphy
Chairperson Working Group on Evangelism: Rev. Ian Robinson
Chairperson Working Group on Worship: Rev. Dr Paul Walton
Phone: +61 2 8267 4220
Email: ruthc@nat.uca.org.au
Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress
Congress shares an office in Townsville with Calvary Presbytery, but it reaches out to many areas of Australia.
Chairperson: Mr Vince Ross
National Administator: Rev. Shayne Blackman
Phone: +61 7 4773 5077
Email: uaicc@bigpond.net
Uniting Church Adult Fellowship
The National Committee coordinates the organisation of Adult Fellowships across Australia in the six synods. Adult Fellowships exist in the parishes - each is the coming together of women and men in the Church for a wide variety of spiritual, social, educational, recreational, service and mission support activities. The Synod Committees have a coordinating role and the National Committee has a corresponding member on each to liaise.
President: Mrs Alyson Madsen
Phone: +61 7 3398 6109
Mobile: 0417 710 060
Email: alysonm@bigpond.net.au
UnitingCare Australia
The UnitingCare network across Australia as more than 400 community service agencies, thousands of programs and projects, more than 23,000 staff and over 12,000 volunteers. The network serves some 800,000 Australians each year. It provides services in the areas of aged care, childcare, children and youth, family support, disability, remote communities, and emergency relief. This caring for people and communities forms a very significant part of the mission of the Uniting Church in Australia. UnitingCare Australia is the national agency that sits alongside this Australia-wide network. Based in Canberra, roles include national policy-making, evaluation of policy and practice in our community services, advice and support to UnitingCare agencies, research, government relations and public advocacy.
National Director: Ms Lin Hatfield Dodds
Phone: +61 2 6290 2160
Email: mail@nat.unitingcare.org.au
Uniting International Mission
UIM works in two main areas: Uniting Church Overseas Aid and International Mission.
- Uniting Church Overseas Aid
Established by the National Assembly in July 2000, Uniting Church Overseas Aid (UCOA) has responsibility for all the aid and development issues. UCOA assists a wide range of countries including India, Myanmar, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Zimbabwe, Bougainville, South Africa, Mozambique and Papua New Guinea.
National Director: Rev. Dr Kerry Enright
Associate Director: Rev. Laurie Fitzgerald
Phone: +61 2 8267 4268
Email: overseasaid@uca.org.au - Uniting International Mission
Globally, the Uniting Church in Australia is part of a network of over 300 churches through involvement in the World Council of Churches, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the World Methodist Council. Within this large circle, it has 'partner churches'. These include churches in the Pacific, Asia and Africa. UIM works with its partner churches to facilitate mission in a variety of areas, including bible translation, prison ministry, evangelism, empowerment of marginalised groups, advocacy, exchange of personnel, congregational ministry, theological education and peace-building initiatives in areas of conflict.
National Director: Rev. Dr Kerry Enright
Phone: +61 2 8267 4267
Email: uim@nat.uca.org.au
UnitingJustice
UnitingJustice Australia pursues social and ecological justice and peace on behalf of the Uniting Church in Australia National Assembly. The Assembly's social justice work has had many forms, names and faces throughout the Church's history. The name UnitingJustice Australia was adopted in March 2003 and launched at the 10th Assembly.
National Director: Rev. Elenie Poulos
Chairperson: Rev. Dr Murray Muirhead
Phone: +61 2 8267 4239
Email: unitingjustice@nat.uca.org.au
