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National Council of Churches in Australia |
The National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) is an ecumenical organisation bringing together a number of Australia's Christian Churches in dialogue and practical cooperation.
It works in collaboration with state ecumenical councils around Australia. It is an associate council of the World Council of Churches, a member of the Christian Conference of Asia and a partner of other national ecumenical bodies throughout the world. Christian World Service, the international humanitarian and development agency of the NCCA, works with communities in 22 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific.
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The modern ecumenical movement began to take shape at the end of the 19th century. Initiatives among students and between church mission agencies led the way. In Australia, these included the Australian Student Christian Movement, formed in 1896, and the National Missionary Council, created in 1926.
Organised ecumenism in Australia at the national Church level was first formalised through the Australian Committee for the World Council of Churches (1946). Initially, this movement involved only the Anglican and Mainline Protestant churches. In the 1960s and 70s, however, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches joined the ecumenical movement. This developed into the Australian Council of Churches (ACC). Following the Second Vatican Council, the Roman Catholic Church in Australia began exploring possibilities for relationships with other churches. In 1994 the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) succeeded the ACC, with the Catholic Church as a member.
The symbol of the boat has long been used to represent the ecumenical movement, and its origins are unclear - perhaps in the Gospel story of the calling of the Galilean fishermen to be disciples. The boat represents the Church as a ship sailing the sea that is the world. The mast, in the shape of the cross, recalls the Christian faith.
The NCCA's version of the boat includes waves and the Southern Cross and was adopted at the formation of the NCCA in 1994. The use of the Southern Cross identifies the NCCA's geographical location.
An updated version of the logo, pictured above, was adopted in 2006.
The NCCA has seventeen member Churches.
| Member Church | Head of Church |
|---|---|
| Anglican Church of Australia | Archbishop Phillip Aspinall |
| Antiochian Orthodox Church | Archbishop Paul Saliba |
| Armenian Apostolic Church | Archbishop Aghan Baliozian |
| Assyrian Church of the East | Bishop Mar Meelis Zaia |
| Chinese Methodist Church in Australia | Bishop Albert Chiew |
| Churches of Christ in Australia | Richard Menteith |
| Congregational Federation of Australia | Harry Melkonian |
| Coptic Orthodox Church | Bishop Suriel & Bishop Daniel & Bishop Suriel |
| Greek Orthodox Church | Archbishop Stylianos |
| Lutheran Church of Australia | Mike Semmler |
| Mar Thoma Church | Geevarghese Mar Theodosius |
| Religious Society of Friends | Lindsay Farrell |
| Roman Catholic Church | Archbishop Philip Wilson |
| Romanian Orthodox Church | Patriarch Teoctist (deceased 30 July 2007 |
| The Salvation Army | Commissioner Les Strong & Commissioner James Knaggs |
| Syrian Orthodox Church | Archbishop Mor Malatius Malki Malki |
| Uniting Church in Australia | Gregor Henderson |
| Year | Name | Denomination |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 - | Richard Appleby | Anglican Church |
| July 2003 - 2006 | Professor James Haire | Uniting Church |
| 1999 - 2001 | Lance Steicke | Lutheran Church |
| 1997 - 1999 | Archbishop John Bathersby | Roman Catholic Church |
| 1994 - 1997 | Archbishop Aghan Baliozian | Armenian Apostolic Church |
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 2001 - | John Henderson |
| 1994 - 2001 | David Gill |
(Source: National Council of Churches in Australia)
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