From a friend in the Uniting Church of Australia

When I was about eight years old my family would occasionally catch the overnight train from Sydney to Melbourne. Did you ever get to Albury (or another state border) and have to change trains in the middle of the night because of a different rail gauge? The six Australian colonies came up with three (or was that four?) different gauges for their railway lines.

Once I asked, in genuine incredulity, “How did the states end up with all these different gauges?” The reply was startling but in some ways obvious. “It was never expected that the train lines would meet!” I guess from the perspective of Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney in the early 1800’s that is a perfectly plausible way to organise things. From our point of view it is plain short sighted!

The polity / organisational life of our church was organised in the 1970’s. A great deal has happened since then, which means the world and church are in very different places. There were reasons why the polity of the church was constructed like it was in the early ’70’s. Do those reasons still apply? As I get around the church I hear people from presbyteries and synods speak about the operational stresses and strains they are experiencing. There are real questions about whether the way we are organised, and the way we exercise the responsibilities of the various councils of the church, are the best way for the future.

Congregations have been freed up by the regulations to be much more creative, contextual and flexible in the way they organise themselves. Perhaps it is time for presbyteries, synods and assembly to loosen up and develop alternative models for their ministry. Later this month the assembly and synods will meet together to discuss national co-operation in a whole range of areas of the church’s life. I hope we will be building tracks with an eye to the future. We would appreciate your prayers for this meeting.