Rev David Jackson CSM
Moderator
Rev David Jackson was installed as Moderator of the Uniting Church WA on 25 October 2025, following his election at the 49th Annual Meeting of the Synod of WA in September 2025. The Moderator of the Uniting Church WA is the pastoral head of the church. Their role is to be a spokesperson for the church, and to guide the church throughout their three-year term.
The theme for David’s term as Moderator is ‘We are a Pilgrim People’.
David was born and raised in Smithton, Tasmania. He was ordained as a Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church in 1978. Following ordination David served in the Tasmanian Parishes of Georgetown and the West Coast Patrol. He then had placements in the Synod of Western Australia, serving in Karratha and Maylands-Mt Lawley congregations.
In 1992 David began military service as a military chaplain, first in the Army Reserve, and then in 1999 in full-time service. During his military career David was deployed to Timor-Leste, Bougainville, Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2007 David was awarded a Conspicuous Service Medal (CSM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for ‘outstanding service as a Chaplain to the Australian Army while serving with the Special Air Service Regiment at Swanbourne and on Operations.’
After retiring from the Army, David went on to serve in the Synod of Western Australia as the Convenor of the Disaster Relief and Community Recovery Working Group. David also helped establish the WA Disaster Recovery Chaplaincy Network in partnership with the Council of Churches WA and the WA Synod.
In 2022 David came out of retirement and returned to a ministry role as a Disaster Recovery Chaplain for Frontier Services based in the Mid-West. After 18 months in that role he then moved further North to serve as Frontier Services Bush Chaplain in the Pilbara Patrol.
David describes his passion for the Uniting Church as being rooted in its commitment to addressing poverty, racism and advocating for the inclusion of all people in decision-making.
David shares life with his wife of 49 years, Diane and together they have three children and six grandchildren.
Rev Ken Devereux
Presbytery of WA Chairperson
Ken is a retired Minister of the Word who was among the first cohort of candidates for ministry accepted after the Uniting Church in Australia came into being. He was ordained in 1981 and served in various rural and suburban congregations until 2012. He then served eight years as an ecumenical chaplain at Royal Perth Hospital until ‘retirement’ in 2020.
Ken has always valued ecumenical relationships and partnerships as part of God’s mission to the world. He has been involved in Christian Endeavour in his youth, and later in YouthCARE and the Council of Churches.
Social justice is close to his heart, and he has been actively involved in the Social Justice Commission. He is deeply committed to reconciliation with First Nations people and supports the Uniting Church covenant with the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress.
In recent years Ken has been an active advocate for the protection of the environment for the wellbeing of all peoples and for future generations. He has valued inter-faith collegiality through the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC) and is keen to encourage the Church to continue to celebrate and protect creation.
Over the last 45 years Ken has served on Presbytery, Synod and Assembly committees. This included terms as Convenor of the Pastoral Relations Committee, Secretary and Chairperson of the then Presbytery of Peel. Recently he has chaired the Phase 3 Ministry Support Teams and the Synod Committee for Discipline. He also provides occasional relief as a Hospital Chaplain.
Ken and his wife Kathy met at a National Christian Youth Convention and have shared 46 years of ministry together. They have two married sons and two school aged grandchildren.
Entering into this new phase as Chairperson of the expansive Presbytery of Western Australia Ken is conscious of the deep challenges facing the Church as well as the privilege of sharing leadership with a dedicated team of fellow pilgrims in God’s service.