Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Queensland

The Synod of Queensland or Queensland Synod is a state council of the Uniting Church in Australia.

Synod also describes the regular meeting (every 1.5 years) of representatives of the state-wide church. These meetings are known as the Synod in Session.

Overview

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The Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia is the national council of the Uniting Church, headed by the President of the Uniting Church, with a general secretary as chief executive officer. The six geographically based synods are responsible for overall support and resourcing of the church in their area especially in community services, mission planning, theological education and other educational services, administration relating to ministers, and property and financial services. The elected head of each synod is the Moderator, and a general secretary is usually appointed as the chief executive officer.

The Moderator is the spiritual head and the main spokesperson for the Uniting Church in Queensland. The current Moderator is Reverend Andrew Gunton, who was inducted at the 35th Synod on 22 October 2020.[1]

Presbyteries

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The Synod of Queensland contains several presbyteries within its bounds. A presbytery is a council of the Uniting Church which has oversight of congregations, ministries and programs within a region. Ministers of the Word and deacons are responsible to their presbytery, which has the duty of caring for them and ensuring their work is carried out faithfully. Presbytery meetings include ordained ministers, lay pastors, and elected lay persons from every congregation.

The Synod of Queensland has seven presbyteries.[2]

  • Bremer Brisbane Presbytery[3]
  • Carpentaria Presbytery[4] (formerly Calvary Presbytery and North Queensland Presbytery)
  • Central Queensland Presbytery[5]
  • Mary Burnett Presbytery[6]
  • Moreton Rivers Presbytery[7]
  • South Moreton Presbytery[8]
  • The Downs Presbytery[9]

Education

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Trinity College Queensland provides theological education for ministers and laypeople. Degree courses are accredited by the Australian College of Theology.[10]

Raymont Residential College is a residential college for tertiary students. It is co-located at the Uniting Church Centre in Auchenflower, Brisbane with Trinity College Queensland. Grace College is at the St Lucia campus of the University of Queensland and caters only for women.

Moderators

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The following individuals have served as the Moderator of the Queensland Synod:

Ordinal Officeholder Term start Term end Time in office Notes
1 Rev Prof Rolland Busch 1977 1979 1–2 years
2 Rev Ronald Elvery 1979 1980 0–1 years
3 Rev Duncan Harrison 1980 1981 0–1 years
4 Rev Dr Douglas Brandon 1981 1982 0–1 years
5 Rev Dr Lewis Born 1982 1983 0–1 years
6 Rev Alan Kidd 1983 1984 0–1 years
7 Rev Eric Moore 1984 1985 0–1 years
8 Rev Ray Hunt OBE 1985 1986 0–1 years
9 Rev Barry Dangerfield 1986 1987 0–1 years Recognition withdrawn in 2019[11]
10 Rev Ray Thompson 1987 1988 0–1 years
11 Rev John Mavor 1988 1989 0–1 years [12]
12 Rev Don Whebell 1989 1990 1–2 years
13 Dr John Roulston 1990 1991 0–1 years First lay person to be Queensland Moderator
14 Rev Bryan Gilmour 1991 1992 0–1 years
15 Rev Cecil Schloss 1992 1993 0–1 years
16 Rev Don Whebell 1993 1996 2–3 years First full time Queensland Moderator
17 Rev Dr David Pitman 1996 1999 2–3 years
18 Rev Dr Ray Reddicliffe 1999 2002 2–3 years
19 Rev Allan Kuchler 2002 2005 2–3 years
(17) Rev Dr David Pitman 2005 2008 2–3 years
20 Rev Bruce Johnson 2008 2011 2–3 years [13]
21 Rev Kaye Ronalds 2011 2014 2–3 years First female Queensland Moderator[13]
22 Rev David Baker 2014 2020 5–6 years [14]
23 Rev Andrew Gunton 22 October 2020 (2020-10-22) incumbent 4 years, 30 days [15][1]

References

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  1. ^ a b O'Callaghan, James (23 October 2020). "Rev Andrew Gunton inducted as new Queensland Synod Moderator". Journey. Queensland Synod of the Uniting Church in Australia. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  2. ^ "Presbyteries". Uniting Church in Australia Queensland Synod. Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  3. ^ "Bremer Brisbane Presbytery – Uniting Church in Australia". Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Carpentaria Presbytery". www.ucacarpentaria.com.au. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Central Queensland – Presbytery of Central Qld, Qld Synod, Uniting Church in Australia". Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Presbytery of Mary Burnett". www.maryburnettpres.org.au. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  7. ^ "Moreton River Presbytery". Moreton River Presbytery. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  8. ^ "| South Moreton Presbytery". Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Church | The Presbytery Of The Downs | Toowoomba City". Downs Presbytery. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  10. ^ "About". Trinity College Queensland. Archived from the original on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  11. ^ "Minutes of the 34th Synod, 2019" (PDF). The Uniting Church in Australia in Queensland. July 2019. p. 25. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  12. ^ "John Mavor finally retires". Journey. Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Queensland. 5 April 2007. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  13. ^ a b "Synod of Queensland". 13th Assembly reports. Uniting Church in Australia. 2012. Archived from the original on 19 February 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  14. ^ "The Uniting Church in Australia Queensland Synod". Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  15. ^ Rogers, Ben (18 May 2019). "34th Synod in Session: Day two – Now is the time to sow". Journey. Queensland Synod of the Uniting Church in Australia. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
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  • Official website
  • Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Queensland Records 1862-1995; State Library of Queensland
  • Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Queensland Records 1936-1990; State Library of Queensland
  • Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Queensland Records 1879-1993, State Library of Queensland
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