Synod meetings, which occur about every 18 months, are opportunities for members to discern the big-picture matters which make us the Uniting Church. Chaired by our Moderator, it is a chance to share stories, gain new perspectives, and discover new ways of supporting one another in faithful witness.
Synod Meetings commence with an Opening Worship Service. This year that service will include the installation of a new Moderator, Rev Salesi Faupula.
Meetings include:
Receiving and questioning reports
Elections
Tributes Service
Worship, bible study and theological reflections
Making decisions which affect our Church
Community Building – making new connections and friendships with other UCA members.
Synod meetings can be faced with difficult, challenging and sometimes momentous decisions. Such decisions are best made when we gather together to hear the varied voices that make up our Synod as we discern God’s direction for our Church.
WHERE AND WHEN?
Opening Worship will be held at Kingswood College commencing at 10am on Saturday August 30 and will be followed by morning tea. The Synod Meeting will commence at 1.30pm at nearby Box Hill Town Hall and conclude by 4pm Tuesday 2 September 2025. Both venues are disability-friendly with easy access by car or public transport. Transport will also be provided between Kingswood College and Box Hill Town Hall for those Synod members who require transport.
A variety of accommodation options are available near to Box Hill Town Hall for regional or interstate attendees, details of these options will be provided to Synod members upon registration.
CAN I ATTEND?
If you are interested in attending Synod, speak to your Minister or Presbytery. Each Presbytery nominates their attending Synod members. Any confirmed UCA member can be nominated and there must always be at least as many lay people from a Presbytery as there are ordained ministers. Adults of all ages, cultural backgrounds, gender, ability or sexuality are encouraged to attend.
SPECIAL GUEST THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS
Rev. Tara Tautari.
Rev. Tara Tautari serves as the General Secretary of the Methodist Church of New Zealand, Te Hāhi Weteriana o Aotearoa, a position she has held since November 2020. She is notably the first indigenous person and only the second woman to occupy this role in the church’s two-century history. Rev. Tautari’s extensive background encompasses education, community engagement, and international ecumenical work. From 2001 to 2014, she was part of the World Council of Churches’ staff in Geneva, Switzerland, focusing on education and ecumenical formation. A committed ecumenist, Rev. Tautari is an At Large Member of the World Methodist Council Steering Committee and Vice Moderator for the WCC Commission on World Mission and Evangelism. Her leadership within the Methodist Church of New Zealand is marked by a dedication to bicultural partnership, reflecting the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. In her role as General Secretary, Rev. Tautari has addressed significant issues, including representing the church in response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. Rev. Tautari’s leadership continues to shape the Methodist Church’s mission, emphasising inclusivity, justice, and the transformative love of God.
DAILY BIBLE STUDIES
Rev Prof John Flett.
Among his many titles, Rev Prof John Flett is professor of missiology and intercultural theology at Pilgrim Theological College, außerplanmäßiger Professor at the Kirchliche Hochschule Wuppertal, Germany.
Specialising in constructive theologies and methodologies developed in conversation with intercultural and ecumenical approaches John will be leading morning Bible Studies at this year’s Synod meeting.
COMMUNITY BUILDING
Synod meetings are an opportunity to meet and reconnect with Uniting Church members from all across Victoria and Tasmania, to share stories and to build a wider sense of community.
You will be allocated a table and asked to remain at that table each day. During business sessions, the Moderator might ask table groups to discuss a proposal, which will enable you to voice concerns, ask questions, or seek clarification.
You will also be placed in a designated working group. These groups, which are about 15 people, meet for up to two hours several times to work through significant business matters. A facilitation team receives the feedback from all working groups and will often reframe proposals to better represent the will of the meeting.
All decisions are made by a consensus vote.
A very popular new initiative at our last Synod meeting, there will again be an informal opening BBQ dinner at the end of the first day.
Members will also have the opportunity to attend one of six elective sessions, an educative opportunity providing knowledge and learnings to resource members for their role(s) within congregations, presbyteries and wider Church engagement. Members will also be able to connect more deeply with the Synod reports by attending two Deep Dive Reporting Sessions which provide space to engage, explore and ask questions of Reporting Body achievements, future challenges and opportunities, in a creative and interactive environment. For younger members attending, Synod’s Younger Generations Team will be holding an in-person orientation session the day before Synod commences. This will be an opportunity to get to know each other, to meet our new Moderator, and to familiarise themselves with Box Hill Town Hall, with a few fun surprises thrown in.
TYPICAL AGENDA ITEMS
Reports from governance committees, Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congresses, our institutions (Uniting Vic. Tas, Uniting AgeWell and U Ethical), task groups, senior leadership including the Moderator and General Secretary, and Assembly.
Proposals from the Governance Committees, Presbyteries and Synod Members will be put to the meeting seeking guidance on the future of their work. Previous examples include our response to Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation, establishing the Money for Mission Fund, and our Social Justice priorities.
Elections, which may include:
Synod Standing Committee
Members of the UCA Property Trusts Victoria and Tasmania
Other Committee Chair appointments.
PILGRIMS of the
You will be asked to consider nominating other members for election to the Standing Committee. Please consider whether there are people you believe have the skill set and a willingness to serve the Church in positions that require prayerful discernment, preparation and time, as well as the satisfaction that comes from service.
WONDERING HOW TO JUGGLE FAMILY LIFE?
The Synod meeting will assist with the costs of child care, but is unable to offer crèche facilities.
ACCOMMODATION FOR REGIONAL MEMBERS
There are a wide range of hotel and apartment style accommodation venues close to Box Hill Town Hall and members are asked to make their own bookings and arrangements.
Some nearby options include The Tudor Hotel and Apartments, City Edge Apartments, The Chen, Quest Apartments Mont Albert.
Accommodation and meal costs are at your own expense. A travel allowance is provided for all interstate members and Victorian members who live more than 60km from the venue.
