Faith Communities in the Uniting Church
In July 2000 in Adelaide, the Ninth Assembly of the Uniting Church received a report from Theology and Discipleship, written by the Doctrine Working Group, entitled Ecclesiology: Alternative Communities of Faith. This report may be downloaded here.
Section 3.1.32 of the Regulations of the Uniting Church in Australia clearly set out the nature of a faith community:
FAITH COMMUNITIES
3.1.32
(a) A Presbytery may recognise as a Faith Community a grouping of people who, seeking to explore the implications of faith in God, gather in order to serve the community and/or nurture one another in faith and/or worship together, and who are seeking to relate to the Church for nurture and support, and who apply to the Presbytery to be recognised as a Faith Community.
(b) A Faith Community may include confirmed members of the Church who hold their membership in a Congregation or who have their membership recorded with the Presbytery.
(c) A Faith Community will order its life, under the oversight of the Presbytery, so as to encourage its participants, develop its mission, and be accountable for its resources, and may seek the guidance of a Presbytery about possible ways to do so.
(d) A Faith Community may appoint leaders from its participants and may designate a participant to attend meetings of the Presbytery.
(e) A Faith Community may apply to Presbytery to be recognised as a Congregation. A Presbytery may request a Faith Community to make such an application.
(f) A Presbytery may cease to recognise a Faith Community.
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