Uniting Church WA Moderator Reaffirms Church’s Commitment to Core Values
The Uniting Church in Western Australia reaffirms our calling in Christ to be a community marked by love, justice, and deep respect for all people. Uniting Church WA Moderator Rev David Jackson reminds us that in a time when public discourse is increasingly shaped by fear and division, we are called to bear witness to the Gospel’s vision of compassion, truth, and reconciliation.
There are emerging voices in our wider community which are at odds with the vision and ethos of the Uniting Church in Australia as outlined in the 1977 Statement to the Nation which offer fundamentally opposing visions for Australia. Contrasts to our founding statement are evident in core areas of our celebration of multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion; compassion for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, and striving for social harmony over division.
In 2025 the Uniting Church celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Statement ‘The Uniting Church is a Multicultural church’. This vision of our church in 1985 was that we would become a community where people of every culture, language and story are not merely welcomed, but truly belong as a family.
Some voices in our wider community have suggested that multiculturalism is a failed concept calling for Australia to adopt a strictly ‘monocultural’ identity. In stark contrast, the Uniting Church’s 1977 Statement to the Nation advocates for a diverse and inclusive nation, calling for “concern for the welfare of the whole human race” and prioritising the dignity of every person.
There are voices campaigning to sharply reduce migration and question the social cohesion of communities speaking languages other than English. Conversely, the 1977 statement sets a goal of a society “not guided by self-interest alone”, urging Australians to welcome all people and ensure national policies respect basic human rights across the board.
Platforms are currently being used to single out specific groups, suggesting such things as radical Islam and the transgender community, as being threats to Western civilisation. The Uniting Church pledged to seek the “correction of injustices wherever they occur”, promoting religious liberty, personal dignity, and a co-operative approach to national affairs rather than scapegoating minorities.
We acknowledge that our existing statements provide a foundation, yet we must speak more clearly and faithfully in this moment, especially in relation to our covenantal relationship with First Nations peoples. We affirm that walking together as First and Second Peoples is not optional, but central to our identity and discipleship. This relationship is formalised in the Covenant between the Uniting Church in Australia and the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) signed in 1994.
We therefore commit ourselves to truth-telling, to honouring First Nations voices, and to responding with integrity to the guidance offered through UAICC and the Covenanting relationship we share.
We recognise that attacks on practices such as Acknowledgement of Country, and resistance to truth-telling and equity, undermine this sacred relationship and weaken our common life. As a Church, we reject such diminishment and recommit to a future shaped by justice, listening, and mutual respect.
We also speak into broader concerns affecting social cohesion within our community. We affirm that multiculturalism reflects the richness of God’s creation, while approaches rooted in assimilation have failed to honour human dignity. We resist narratives that seek to define Australia narrowly or exclude others, remembering that Scripture consistently calls us to welcome the stranger and care for the vulnerable.
We acknowledge the importance of a free and responsible media in sustaining a healthy society, and we are concerned by developments that may erode access to diverse and independent voices.
Above all, we are troubled by the erosion of respect in public life such as the dismissive language, the labelling, and the diminishing of others, that stands in contrast to Christ’s call to love our neighbour. We commit ourselves to model a better way: one grounded in grace, humility, and a genuine regard for the dignity of every person.
In this season, we invite the Church to pray for courage and clarity, to remain faithful to our calling, to stand with those made vulnerable, and to contribute to the healing and unity of our community.
Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday
At the UCA’s 16th Assembly a proposal was passed seeking to deepen the Uniting Church’s commitment to living faith and life interculturally through a range of measures including a new annual Sunday of celebration, ‘Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday’. The suggested date for congregations to celebrate the day is on the 3rd Sunday in July (or another date best suited to the local setting).
We encourage congregations to consider marking Sunday 19 July as Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday, and will share resources for this day when they become available.
Rev David Jackson
Moderator, Uniting Church WA
