58. THEOLOGY AND DISCIPLESHIP (report C22)

Theology and Discipleship replaces proposals 24 with the following.

That the Assembly:

58.1 Living with the Neighbour who is Different

(a) commend the report to synods, presbyteries and congregations for study and action;

(b) note that the full report and study guide are available and commend it to the church;

(c) request synods, presbyteries, congregations and members of the Uniting Church to recognise, as part of their mission in Australia at this time, the importance of fostering of neighbourly relations with people of other faiths;

58.2 Ecclesiology: Alternative Communities of Faith

(a) remind Synods that where Synod agencies are establishing communities of faith as a means of outreach into new areas, Presbytery recognition of the new faith community is required (as per Regulation 3.1.32);

(b) request Theology and Discipleship to facilitate the study in each synod of the nature and role of small communities of faith in the Roman Catholic Church and the way in which these relate to the congregations and the church as a whole, in order to determine how the Uniting Church might develop similar groups;

(c) request Synods and Presbyteries to encourage existing communities of faith sponsored by the Uniting Church to observe Regulation 3.1.32 and to accept the guidelines proposed in the report, namely:
· respect the Basis of Union and seek to live and work within the faith and unity of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church as that is interpreted in the Basis of Union;
· be open communities, welcoming people irrespective of gender, class or ethnicity;
· be known by the presbytery within which they meet and be open to the oversight of the Uniting Church;
· accept sacramental authorisation from the Church (note this does not mean that only an ordained minister can preside at the sacraments; a leader or leaders may be authorised for this purpose by the presbytery);

(d) in relation to communities of faith which do not wish to accept the above guidelines request Synods and Presbyteries to relate to them as they relate to other churches - in Christian fellowship and charity - and to work in co-operation wherever that is possible;

(e) encourage presbyteries, congregations and faith communities recognised by the Uniting Church to make use of this report for study and discussion;

58.3 Living and believing within the faith and unity of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church

(a) commend the report to synods and presbyteries for discussion;

(b) request the Standing Committee to arrange for a study version of the report to be prepared and made available to the church;

58.4 Called to Community of Difference: A Uniting Church Charter

(a) endorse the document as an appropriate basis for relating to one another within the life of the church;

(b) refer to the Standing Committee the method of its publication and distribution to the Church;

58.5 Missiological Dialogue
invite the Church to respond to the dialogue initiated by the Missiology report, making use of the Theology and Discipleship web site, e-mail, mail and personal contacts;

58.6 Evangelism Tributes

(a) acknowledge with gratitude John Mavor's particular and passionate commitment to the work of evangelism;

(b) celebrate with thanksgiving the commitment and leadership given over many years by Dean Brookes to the work of evangelism in the Uniting Church;

58.7 New Congregations and Faith Communities

(a) encourage the developing of new congregations and faith communities;

(b) request the councils, commissions, boards and agencies of the Church to equip and support leaders and teams for this vital work

58.8 Worship resources and "Together in Worship"

(a) request synods and presbyteries to promote the use of the website of the Working Group on Worship [http://nat.uca.org.au/TD/Tdindex.html] for resourcing the worship of the Church;

(b) request Theology and Discipleship to bring a detailed report to the Tenth Assembly on the progress of "Together in Worship";

(c) request the Management Advisory Group, the Finance Committee and the Standing Committee to investigate ways of funding the development and production of "Together in Worship" for the triennium 2003-2006.

Rationale:
See report C22