Many Uniting Church resources on the theology and practice of Sacraments are available online, including official documents approved by the national Assembly meetings or the Assembly Standing Committee:

• The Basis of Union of the Uniting Church in Australia (also in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, and other languages – see MCM Resources for other translations)
• Constitution & Regulations (e.g. Reg. 3.1.3(p)) (see MCM Resources for other translations)
• Code of Ethics and Ministry Practice
• Guidelines for lay presiders approved by the Assembly Standing Committee (in July 2013)
• Uniting in Worship 2  (UiW2) is available in PDF format upon registration for the course, and includes services for the Service of the Lord’s Day (first and second services), Communion Beyond the Gathered Congregation, the Sacrament of Baptism (and the Reaffirmation of Baptism called Confirmation), Thanksgiving and Blessing of a Child, Congregational Reaffirmation of Baptism, Personal Reaffirmation of Baptism, Celebration of New Beginnings. Note that the PDF version of UiW2 is provided only for educational purposes, and may not be distributed more widely. See ABC Religion Report for an interview.

Doctrine Resources

from the Assembly’s National Working Group on Doctrine:

1. DocBytes on Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (as well as Worship and others)
2. Beliefs including Understanding Baptism
3. Issues including Being Church Differently

Worship Resources

from the Assembly’s National Working Group on Worship:

1. Alive to God in Worship
2. Guidelines including A Very Short Guide to the Service of the Lord’s Day, Serving Holy Communion, Wine, God Parents, Ordered Liberty in Worship, and Serving Holy Communion (2015).
3. Prayers and liturgies including a liturgy suitable for ecumenical occasions when a Eucharist cannot be celebrated
4. Orders of Service for the Ordering of the Church, including an act of recognition for a layperson authorised to celebrate the sacraments
5. ‘The little green book’ that replaces ‘the little blue book’ for Holy Communion

Additional Resources

Valuable additional resources  around the Sacraments include:

• Uniting in Thanksgiving: The Great Prayers of Thanksgiving of the Uniting Church in Australia, by Robert Gribben (Rev Prof Emeritus)

Ecumenical Resources

Ecumenical documents that discuss common ground and distinctive views on the Sacraments include:

• Life after drowning: making waves together, a study booklet by the Victorian Council of Churches and NSW Ecumenical Council
• The Church: Towards a Common Vision, World Council of Churches – Faith and Order Commission, 2013
• Study Guide – The Church: Towards A Common Vision, Uniting Church Assembly – Christian Unity Working Group
• Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry, World Council of Churches – Faith and Order Commission, 1982
• Other documents (including translations) from the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches on Unity: The Church and its mission, Worship and Baptism, Apostolic Faith, Interpretation – the meaning of our words and symbols, and others.