The Theology and Discipleship (T&D) report to Assembly modelled a new networking approach, with agencies working together to engage with issues before the church.

The music Assembly heard was the theme from Mission Impossible, as T&D national director Dr Geof Lilburne bounded up to the microphone, complete with goggles. However the video screen refused to co-operate, simply showing the words "No signal". The President commented: "I suppose we’ll just have to wait til the Lord does send us a signal."

T&D’s 30-page report covered a broad range of subjects under its four areas of doctrine, missiology, worship, and evangelism.

The first two working groups gave Assembly members plenty to chew on with papers on Christian vocation in multi-faith Australia, alternative communities of faith, and theological models of mission.

The reports from worship and evangelism working groups focused more on the practical examples of resources and work that has been found useful by local congregations.

Chairperson of the T&D reference committee, Rev Jenny Tymms, gave an example of how the working groups co-operated.

The evangelism working group noted the desire of a growing number of Uniting Church families to delay baptism for their children, allowing them to make their own decisions, yet still wanting a Christian service to mark the gift of their child.

The evangelism working group’s feedback was that the existing UC thanksgiving service was not adequate, and maybe a dedication service as used by other denominations could be made available.

The T&D reference committee asked the doctrine working group to look at the issue. After dialogue between the two groups, the doctrine group reported that biblically speaking, dedication was for inanimate objects, rather than human beings, with the story of Samuel being dedicated to the temple the only exception.

The language of dedication could refer to the promises made by parents, dedicating themselves to following Christ, but it was not appropriate to dedicate a child.

The worship working group then went ahead with drafting the service, and it reported back to the reference committee.

The committee listened to the service being read aloud, listened to the poetry of the service as well as the theology, and shaped the final order of service. It is now available on the Assembly’s website at http://nat.uca.org.au/TD/Pub_Orders/ThanksBless.htm.

T&D’s proposals to implement matters raised in their report will come before the Assembly later in the week.