Why Does the Uniting Church in Australia Ordain Women to the Ministry of the Word?
Why Does the Uniting Church in Australia Ordain Women to the Ministry of the Word?
Published by the Uniting Church in Australia - National Social Responsibility & Justice Committee, 1990
Preface
In March 1990 the Assembly Standing Committee received the document Why does the Uniting Church in Australia ordain women to the Ministry of the Word? and approved it as “expressing the biblical and theological reasoning which leads the Uniting Church to ordain both women and men to the ministry of the Word”. The Assembly now publishes the document for the information of the Church.
The document was produced by the Social Responsibility and Justice Committee of the Assembly Commission for Mission. During 1987 the Committee realised that it was important for the Uniting Church to articulate its understanding of why women as well as men are eligible for the ordained ministries of the Church. Such a statement was seen to be important both for educational purposes within the Church and for ecumenical dialogue.
The Assembly wishes to thank the members of the Task Group, appointed by Social Responsibility and Justice, who undertook the necessary research and wrote the document — Hilary Christie-Johnston (Convener), Wes Campbell, Shirley Coxhell, Morag Logan, Doug Miller, Nigel Watson, and Toska Williams.
Before the document was finalised, comment was received from the Commission on Doctrine as well as from members of the Social Responsibility and Justice Committee and the Commission for Mission.
The document is not issued as a discussion paper, but as an official Assembly document for the information of the Church.
The Assembly hopes, however, that it will generate discussion which increases the understanding of Church members of Church policy and which contributes to ecumenical dialogues.
Standing Committee’s nine resolutions which flowed from the document are listed at the end of this publication.
I warmly commend the document to you as a significant and timely statement of the Uniting Church.
Gregor Henderson
Assembly General Secretary
April 1990
The role of scripture and tradition
The Uniting Church "coming from the traditions of reformed and evangelical Churches, understands that Jesus Christ is the Word of God. The astonishing message of God’s unlimited love for human beings revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the message which calls the Church into being, so that it may offer its worship and obedience to God in Christ, by the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures are prophetic and apostolic witness to the Word of God (i.e. to Jesus Christ). They are an essential witness through which the Church hears the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Church reads the Scriptures to hear the gospel again and again.
When we ask ourselves how to order the life of the Church today, the fundamental question for us is therefore not “What did the New Testament writers think about this?” nor “How did the New Testament Church order its life?” although of course much is to be learned from that. The fundamental question for us today, and for every period of history is rather, “What is the gospel of Jesus Christ?” This is then followed by, “What does the gospel imply for the ordering of the Church?” (p. 576)
