Church Council Resources

Assembly Church Council Guidelines have been recently produced by the Uniting Church Assembly. These guidelines have been developed to support Church Councils in understanding and carrying out their responsibilities within the life of the Uniting Church. They provide practical guidance on governance, decision-making, record-keeping, meeting procedures, and the role of Church Council members and office bearers.

We encourage you to take some time to familiarise yourself with these guidelines and to share them with your Church Council members. We believe they will be a valuable resource in strengthening the work of Church Councils and supporting healthy, effective governance in our congregations.

2026 UCA Assembly Church Council Responsibilities Guide

Lay Leaders Code of Conduct

Church Councils are encouraged to implement the Lay Leaders Code of Conduct and sign it annually.

Assembly Guidelines for implementing the Code of Conduct for Lay Leaders

Code of Conduct for Lay Leaders

Meeting Together

The Synod of Victoria Tasmania  equipping Leadership for Mission (eLM) unit has created a resource to assist councils of the Church in meeting together. It is a useful document that may be used, a chapter at a time, at the beginning of Church Council meetings. 

Meeting-Together – WorkBook -UCA-VicTas

We are aware that Church Councils, especially newer Church Council members may benefit from training. The NSW ACT Synod has a series of short videos that may be of assistance to your Church Council. You can find them here: Online Governance Training Videos for Congregations and Church Leaders – UCA

Other resources

Elders – Praying for Spiritual Discernment

Church Council Governance Resource Book

Roles, responsibilities and Regulations for a Congregation

Many other Uniting Church resources are available through the Assembly uHub.