A new Uniting Church alliance that claims to represent up to 80 per cent of members was formed yesterday to reverse gay ordination and restore "biblical principles".
"Action starts now," said Mary Hawkes, chairwoman of Reforming Alliance, launched after a three-day summit in Sydney of evangelicals and leaders of Aboriginal and migrant and ethnic churches.
The new group means a schism in Australia's third-largest church is avoided for now. One option discussed was for churches to leave en masse and form a new network.
The national president of the Uniting Church, Dr Dean Drayton, said last night he welcomed the decision of the overwhelming majority to stay and address their concerns in the church. "We're always open to reform, but have not done that by forming factions around a single issue," Dr Drayton said.
"I'm disappointed that it was a closed caucus that met, and that I, as national president, was specifically excluded from it.
Mrs Hawkes said the alliance would carry out a nationwide survey next month to gauge church opinion on leadership and sexuality.
Evangelicals believe the national assembly, which voted to recognise gay ordination two months ago, is dominated by professional committee people and is out of touch with the church grassroots. Mrs Hawkes said the orthodox Christians, congregations and councils who would be invited to join the Reforming Alliance could represent 70 to 80 per cent of the church. The survey would authenticate this.
"We're very determined. We're not in the mood for playing games and sitting round tables," she said. "We're ready for some serious action, working to change the way the church operates and to bring it back to biblical principles. If we can't get a change in leadership we'll work around them."