Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Member Churches
Member Church
Head of Church
Dr Joe B. Goodall
Bishop Daniel
Bishop Suriel
Archbishop Stylianos
Julian Robertson
Bishop Mihail
Bishop Irinej
How We Work
The National Council of Churches in Australia is a national organisation that works in partnership
with state ecumenical councils around Australia.
Forum and Executive
While the National Forum of the Council meets every three years, ongoing oversight of the
Council is provided by the Executive, which is made up of the heads of national churches, their
appointed members, and some elected directly by the Forum.
The central administrative body of the NCCA is the General Secretariat, headed by the General
Secretary. Internally there is a Finance and Administration department, which handles the needs
of the whole organisation. There is also a Finance Committee that oversees the finances of the
entire organisation.
Departments
The NCCA works through a number of Commissions, Networks, and Programs. These constitute
the 'departments' of the NCCA and order its workplan.
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission works ecumenically
among Australian churches and wider society to advance indigenous rights and help the
churches understand the implications of their history and their current policies and actions. It has
a staff of two, headed by the Executive Secretary. With the NATSIECs guidance, the churches
are working together for a fair deal for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, and for
the healing of our nation.
Act for Peace (Christian World Service)
The largest Commission of the NCCA is Christian World Service, headed by the Executive
Director. Christian World Service trades as Act for Peace. It operates as an NGO in the overseas
aid sector on behalf of member Churches. Units within CWS are International
Programmes, Refugees and Displaced People and Education & Communication. The main
source of funds for the work of Act for Peace is the Christmas Bowl, which has been operating in
Australia since 1948 in Victoria.
Faith and Unity
The NCCA's Faith and Unity Commission is based in Melbourne, and operates on a small budget
with a small allocation of paid staff time. Much of the work is done by theologians from the
churches who act in a voluntary capacity.
Gender Commission
The Gender Commission was formed in 2002 out of the former network on women's issues. The
Commission operates with the support of the Churches on an entirely voluntary basis.
Social Justice Network
As a network, the SJN operates to bring Churches together on common social justice issues,
and draft material for the Council as a whole. The Network operates with support of the
Churches on an entirely voluntary basis.
Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel
In 2006, the NCCA committed itself to establishing a Australian desk of the Ecumenical
Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI). The EAPPI is a program of the
World Council of Churches (WCC). The EAPPI seeks to support local and international efforts to
end the Israeli occupation and bring a resolution to the Israeli-Paestinian conflict with a just peace,
based on international law and relevant United Nations resolutions. We are looking for volunteers
to become Ecumenical Accompaniers in Israel & Palestine.
Growing Churches in the Australia Context
In 2006 the NCCA established a working group to explore a new project that was eventually
called 'Growing Churches in the Australian Context'. The goal is to bring Australian Churches
together for a special consultation on mission. Mission work has a long history in the
Churches. Read about the history of mission work in the NCCA.
Safe Church Project
The Safe Church Project is challenged to confront the reality of sexual abuse by clergy and
church workers. This is a painful and difficult journey. In 2004, 2005,2007 and 2009 national
consultations were held attended by Church workers in the area of sexual abuse and
harrassment. The Safe Church Training Agreement program was initiated following the 2005
consultation. It is a way in which the Churches are able to provide a high standard of trained
staff, recognised across the Churches, to confront the problem.
Interfaith Dialogue
The NCCA is a founding partner in the Australian National Dialogue of Christians, Muslims and
Jews (ANDCMJ). The Dialogue was officially 'launched' in March 2003 after 12 months of formal
preparation, which was preceded by informal contact and discussions between the NCCA, AFIC
(Australian Federation of Islamic Councils) and ECAJ (Executive Council of Australian Jewry).
Involving Youth
The NCCA is committed to the involvement of youth ecumenically in all of our programs and
activities. It is important for the Christian community that the work of the whole Council is 'youth
friendly'. Since late 2007 there has not been a specific Youth Network. The member Churches of
the Council made a commitment at that time to ensure that Youth are always a part of the work
that we do, including young members on the wide range of committees, commissions, networks
and working groups that continue to do the work of the Council.
Churches' Tax Group
The Churches' Tax Group emerged out of the need for Australian Churches to work together on
issues relating to Australian Taxation Law. Although predominantly composed of representatives
of the larger churches, its work is ecumenical in character and benefits all Australian churches. In
November 2003, by a decision of the NCCA Executive, in consultation with the group, it became
a network of the NCCA.
Funds
The NCCA oversees two funds that are available for ecumenical work, the Ronald Wilson
Ecumenical Leadership Fund and the Glenburnie Fund.
Resource: http://www.ncca.org.au/