Our First Synod – the Inaugural Meeting of the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Western Australia

Looking back on a newly formed Uniting Church in Western Australia as we prepare to mark our 50th Synod and look toward the 50th anniversary of the Uniting Church in Australia.

The inauguration of the Uniting Church in Australia took place on 22 June 1977. It was the union of Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian denominations into one, creating the third largest Christian denomination in Australia, and a distinctly Australian church.

In a service in Sydney, NSW on Wednesday 22 June 1977, the President of the National Assembly Rev Dr J David McCaughey was installed in the presence of representatives of the Uniting Church from all over Australia.

A few days later in Western Australia, on 26 June 1977, over 7000 people attended the Perth Entertainment Centre to mark the Inauguration of the Synod of Western Australia and the Induction of the Moderator, Mr Ron D Wilson QC.

The inauguration celebrations marked the beginning of a new chapter, and more will be written about this as the Uniting Church in Australia prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary next year. Just a few months later, members from across the Synod of Western Australia gathered again, this time for the practical task of shaping how the newly formed Church would live out its worship, witness and service in the years ahead.

Our Inaugural Synod

The first Synod of Western Australia meeting was held from 7 to 10 October 1977 utilising the Wesley and Trinity Churches in the City, the Wesley Auditorium as well as Wesley College. The official opening service was on Friday 7 October at 7.45pm at Wesley Church.
The significance of the occasion was captured in the pages of Western Impact, the monthly newspaper of the Uniting Church in WA which published its first edition in July 1977. Its fourth edition featured photographs from the opening service and meeting, alongside the Moderator’s Charge, which offered both encouragement and challenge to this newly united church.

An excerpt from Ron Wilson’s ‘address ‘Moderator’s Charge’ follows:

“I am pleased to welcome all those who have been chosen to constitute the first Synod. I need not remind you that it is a great privilege, not something to be treated casually or taken for granted – for to you is committed (in the words of the Basis) “the responsibility for the general oversight, direction and administration of the Church’s worship, witness and service” in the whole of this vast State excepting on the Kimberleys.
This is not to be understood as an authoritarian role. It is not ours to dominate but to serve. So let our service be addressed in large measure to stimulating and encouraging presbyteries, parishes and congregations in their life and work – their vital work of unity, of witness and of service.
Our usefulness in this regard will depend a great deal on the attitude of mind that we bring to our task – and here I believe many of us face a real challenge…to accept that the Uniting Church is in a new situation, that we are free to adopt new patterns, to seek a flexibility in our structures that will enable us as a Church to react quickly and relevantly to changing needs…to disengage from the accumulated baggage of former times which may serve now only to hinder us as we run the race and fight the good fight…we all need to be patient and tolerant of one another, even if persistent, as we wrestle with the new opportunities opened up to us in the UCA.
But above all I believe we need an attitude of mind that is constantly nourished and renewed by God’s Spirit. “

Ron Wilson’s words reflected both the excitement and uncertainty of the time. While delegates were being encouraged to embrace new opportunities and leave behind old constraints, they also faced the practical responsibilities of establishing the structures and priorities of a new denomination in Western Australia.

Inaugural Meeting Highlights

One of the first matters of business of the Synod was for the secretary to move that Mr Ron D Wilson QC be elected as Moderator for a period of two years. The Moderator then nominated Rev G H Blyth as his advisor. Acting Moderators were also appointed, with Rev J Hutchinson, Rev D Pederick and Rev D Oxley to be “authorised to act in capacity of Acting Moderator at the request of Standing Committee.”

Alongside decisions about governance, ministry placements, finance and property, the minutes reveal a church willing to engage with some of the pressing questions of its day. Resolutions brought forward by the Division of Mission demonstrate the breadth of issues considered by the inaugural Synod, including mission, social justice, peace and emerging environmental concerns.

Resolutions from the Inaugural Synod included:

• “Urges all parts of the church to engage in a persistent search to find appropriate ways in which the Gospel can be communicated and the mission of the church pursued within the various contexts in which the life of the church is found…”
• “Condemns all military applications of nuclear technology”
• “Encourages extensive and widespread debate on the uranium issue, as promulgated by the Social Responsibility Commission of the Uniting Church in Australia and asks the Division of Mission to initiate the appropriate action.”
• “Urges the State Parliament to amend the Criminal Code so that homosexual acts between consenting adults in private are no longer a criminal offence.”
• “Requests the Division of Mission to prepare suitable material for discussion at a Presbytery and Parish level on the whole question of alternative energy sources.”

Among the many motions considered, one reflects both the context of the era and the relationship between church, nation and Commonwealth at the time. During Session 2 on Saturday 8 October 1977, Synod resolved to send the following message:

“We, the members of the Uniting Church in Australia (formerly the Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches), gathered for the first meeting of the Synod of Western Australia,
In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King and Head of the Church,
send greetings to HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN on the occasion of the celebration of the Silver Jubilee of her accession to the throne;
give thanks to God for the steadfast witness to the importance of the abiding values of faith and hope and love in the development of personal dignity and of peaceful and neighbourly relations among all people, which Her Majesty has made within the commonwealth of which she is the Head, and throughout the world community;
and pray that God’s richest blessings may rest upon her and all the members of her family.”

Nearly five decades later, as we prepare for our 50th Synod meeting, it’s worth pausing to consider both how much has changed and what has endured. The questions facing the Church may look different today, but the call to worship, witness and service remains the same.

Our First Moderator Sir Ron Wilson

Looking back, the leadership of Sir Ron Wilson at that first Synod gathering seems especially significant. A founding Moderator of the Synod of Western Australia (1977-1979), he would go on to serve as President of the Uniting Church in Australia (1988-1991), while also making an outstanding contribution to public life as a High Court Justice, human rights advocate and champion for reconciliation.

His co-authorship of the landmark Bringing Them Home report helped bring the stories of the Stolen Generations into the national conscience and contributed to Australia’s ongoing journey toward truth-telling and healing. Throughout these roles he carried a deep commitment to justice, compassion and service – values that were also at the heart of the newly formed Uniting Church.

His legacy remains woven into both the life of the Church and the wider Australian community, a reminder of the enduring impact that faithful leadership can have across generations.

We are a Pilgrim People

The current Moderator, Rev David Jackson CSM, triennium theme, We Are a Pilgrim People, echoes the experience of those who gathered for the first WA Synod in 1977. They were setting out on a new path, laying foundations that would support and guide the Church through the decades that followed.

In October 1977, delegates gathered in the heart of Perth carrying the hopes of a newly united church. They prayed together, debated important issues, established structures and sought to discern where God might lead them next. The minutes record the decisions they made, but behind those decisions were people willing to step into something new.

As we approach our 50th Synod and 50th anniversary celebrations, we give thanks for those who gathered for those inaugural services and meetings. Their vision, faith and willingness to embrace a new future helped shape the Uniting Church we know today.

Like those first members of Synod, we continue the journey as a pilgrim people, seeking to serve faithfully in our own time while carrying forward the story entrusted to us nearly fifty years ago.

Article by Wendy Hendry, Executive Officer: Communications.
Images with thanks to the Uniting Church WA Archive collection.