At the next UCA Assembly, to be held on July 8 – 14 2018, there is a proposal to adopt the Working Group on Doctrine Report on marriage and same-gender relationships. There are four sections within the proposal. These are:

(a) asks the Assembly to note that there are faithfully held, diverse views among UCA members;

(b) asks the Assembly to adopt a new policy statement on marriage that uses the words “two people” in place of “man and woman”;

(c)  (i) asks the Assembly to affirm that Ministers and celebrants authorised by the Uniting Church in Australia may exercise freedom of conscience with regards to accepting requests to celebrate marriages, including same-gender marriages, according to the rites of the Uniting Church in Australia;

      (ii) asks the Assembly to request the Assembly Officers to direct the appropriate Assembly body to prepare an authorised Marriage Liturgy suitable for opposite-gender and same-gender couples for approval by the Standing Committee at its August 2018 meeting;

      (iii) asks the Assembly to note that Church Councils:

·        have the authority under Regulation 4.4.1 to permit or refuse the use of any property held for the use of the Congregation for same-gender weddings;

·        do not have the authority to require a Minister in placement in their Congregation, or prevent a Minister in their Congregation from, celebrating same-gender marriages; and

(d) asks the Assembly to adopt an affirmation concerning marriage and divorce which reflects the above, and asserts the role of the church in nurturing this important relationship, and assisting those whose marriages end in divorce to heal.

 There are other proposals which support these changes, and proposals which support affirming the current policy documents. These are all available at https://uniting.church/proposals/

General information https://assembly.uca.org.au/resources/marriage

The specific proposal for change is at https://uniting.church/08-marriage-and-same-gender-relationships/