Rituals in the Uniting Church

The Uniting Church worships and celebrates important milestones in life, such as marriages, funerals, baptisms and thanksgiving for the birth of a child.

Worship

The most significant ritual practice for the Uniting Church is the conducting of worship on a Sunday.

Worship is one way in which people respond to the God who gives them life. When they worship they come together to be reminded of God's faithfulness and goodness, to hear God's word and to respond in praise, thanksgiving, confession of sins, acceptance of forgiveness, prayer for themselves and for the world and in rededicating themselves in God's service.

Worship has a central place in the Christian life. In worship believers renew their awareness of God, affirm the fellowship they have with each other and are equipped to live their daily lives as Christians.

Worship services are held at different times during the day, with the nature of the service varying from a formal liturgy to an informal and sometimes spontaneous meeting style.

To some degree, the style of worship reflects the forms enjoyed by the churches - Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational - that united to form the Uniting Church in 1977.

The Uniting Church recognises the appropriateness of a variety of liturgical forms - from the solemn gathering of a large congregation expressing some of the grandeur, majesty and beauty appropriate to such worship, to informal sharing experiences of small groups of people.

The church has approved a series of worship services published under the title Uniting in Worship. This provides worshippers with an outline of worship and contains prayers and Bible readings. The church actively encourages the use of formal liturgy, but ministers and members are not bound to follow a particular set liturgical formulation in the approved services or to use the services and resources provided in the book. The Australian Hymn Book is the major music book used for congregational singing in the Uniting Church, although a variety of other books are used alongside it.

The New South Wales Synod of the Uniting Church has made a commitment to supporting emerging forms of church. When worship is important for these usually small and experimental groups, it is often experiential and not tied to texts and sermons. It looks to shared symbols, visual input and stimulus, songs and music, conversation, participation and shared processes. Honesty and reality are important. There is minimal structure. Attempts are made to connect the worship and faith life of the community with the everyday cultural experience of the participants. These communities are open: to new people, to God, to new experiences, to changing direction.

The lectionary

The lectionary is a collection of readings from the Bible, both Old and New testaments. It is a system that allows a systematic reading and study of the Bible, particularly in the context of the worship service. Many congregations use the lectionary readings each Sunday in their services, and sermons involve reflections on these readings.

The sacraments

A sacrament is a ritual and symbolic act of the church through which it is believed that God expresses his love and grace to individuals and to the church. The Uniting Church recognises two sacraments, baptism and Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper.

Baptism

Baptism is the church's rite of initiation: it incorporates a person, infant or adult, into the church, which is the body of Christ. It is a sign of God's gracious act for all people, giving himself in Jesus Christ "who died for us all while we were still sinners" and bringing people to faith through the Holy Spirit.

Baptism involves pouring water over the head of the person being baptised and usually takes place in a church service. A few Uniting churches practise baptism by immersion of adults in water.

Following the baptism of an adult, the person promises to seek to follow the Christian way. When a baby is baptised, the parents promise to seek to bring the child up in a Christian atmosphere. The congregation pledges its support.

The Uniting Church believes that baptism cannot be repeated. There is no second baptism recognised for adults who were baptised as children. The church believes that the appropriate response for adults is confirmation, which is a public ceremony in which members confirm their mature sense of call to be disciples of Christ.

Baptism is not an end but a beginning. In baptism a person is initiated into Christ's life and mission in the world and is "united in one fellowship of love, service, suffering and joy". Every baptised person is a minister of Christ (meaning a "servant"). All are, in a sense, ordained by their baptism to serve Christ, to serve the body of Christ and to serve the world for which Christ died.

The Uniting Church does not have its own or a unique baptismal certificate. Four denominations in Australia-the Lutheran, Anglican, Catholic and Uniting churches-have a common baptismal certificate. This is possible because each of these denominations recognises the validity of the others' baptisms.

Holy Communion

The sacrament of the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion is central in worship. It is a sign and seal of Christ's continuing presence with his people. In this sacrament of his broken body and outpoured blood the risen Lord feeds his baptised people on their way to the final inheritance of the Kingdom.

Thus the people of God, through faith and the gift and power of the Holy Spirit, have communion with their Saviour, make their sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, proclaim the Lord's death, grow together in Christ, are strengthened for their participation in the mission of Christ in the world and rejoice in the foretaste of the Kingdom which Christ will bring to consummation.

The Lord's Supper is based on the New Testament accounts of the meal that Jesus shared with his disciples shortly before he died. The simple elements that were used then were bread and wine, and they are still used today, though different types of bread and wine are used in services of Holy Communion throughout the Uniting Church.

There are also a variety of ways of distributing the elements. The Council of Elders decides which way of serving and the type of bread and whether unfermented grape juice is used.

Most congregations celebrate the Lord's Supper monthly, while others prefer more regular celebration.

Lay members, usually elders, may take an active part in the service, but the actual presiding at the Lord's Supper is normally a responsibility of those ordained. Occasionally a lay person will be authorised by the regional presbytery to preside at the sacraments. An example would be a non-ordained lay chaplain at a hospital.

The Uniting Church practises an "open table policy". This means that an open invitation is usually extended to "all who love the Lord" to share in Holy Communion. Christians from other denominations, or from no denomination, are welcome to participate in the celebration of Holy Communion at a Uniting Church. In contrast to some denominations, it is not necessary to be a confirmed member or even a baptised member to participate in Holy Communion, though it is seen as appropriate that the person or child has been baptised.

After investigating the involvement of children in Holy Communion in the early 1980s, the Uniting Church decided in 1985 to outline a policy with regard to children and their participation in the sacrament of Holy Communion. The national Assembly resolved that "in the Uniting Church in Australia it is appropriate and desirable for baptised children, being members of the church, to participate in the sacrament of Holy Communion, including reception of the elements". The age for children may vary from congregation to congregation and family to family.

The Basis of Union, Uniting Church Press, Melbourne, 1992
Peter Bentley and Philip J. Hughes, The Uniting Church in Australia, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1996
David R. Merritt, Understanding the Uniting Church in Australia, Uniting Church Press, Melbourne 1992
D'Arcy Wood, Building on a Solid Basis: A guide to the Basis of Union of the Uniting Church in Australia, Uniting Church Press, Melbourne 1986
20 Years, Insights 20th Anniversary Supplement, June 1977