WHEN CHURCHES JOIN

Guidelines for Uniting Church congregations seeking cooperation with congregations of other churches

Prepared by the Christian Unity Working Group
Unity and International Mission
National Assembly
Uniting Church in Australia

2002

In Christ's mission, be open to "what is possible
if we go to the limits of what is permissible"! (NCCA)

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  CONTENTS
   
 

Introduction
   
 

1. Why Congregations Join Together
   
  2. Starting Out
 
- Levels of cooperation
- Kinds of cooperation
- Initiating the process
 
   
  3. Pitfalls and Difficulties
 
- Matters involving clergy

- Matters involving congregational members

- Matters involving worship and sacraments
- Matters involving property and resources
- Matters involving episcope/support
   
  4. Issues with regard to particular denominations
 
- Anglican
- Lutheran
   
 

5. Covenants and Agreements

 
- Full list
- By Denomination
   
 

6. General Documents

 
- Local Ecumenism Information Kit NSW Ecumenical Council
- The Trinity Declaration and Code of Practice VIC, 1999
- An agreed form of co-operation between the Anglican and Uniting Churches in Tasmania TAS, 2001
- Uniting-Lutheran Dialogue in Australia - Declaration of Mutual Recognition 2000
- For the Sake of the Gospel - Mutual Recognition of Ordained Ministries in the Anglican and Uniting Churches of Australia (.pdf file - 130KB)
   
  Appendices
- The nature and use of covenants
- Learning from a study of five cooperating partnerships
- The ecumenical question for every Uniting Church meeting
- Ecumenical worship - guidelines
- The Thrill of the Ride! - A Lay person's guide to Covenant
- Australian churches covenanting together
- Suggestions for a local covenant
- Sources

 
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