| Assembly of Confessing Congregations | |
| Main Classification: | Protestant |
| Type: | Confessing Movement |
| Theology: | Evangelical, Wesleyan |
| Associations: | An organisation within the Uniting Church in Australia |
| Founded Date: | 13–14 October 2006 |
| Founded Place: | Sydney |
| Defunct: | March 2023 |
| Area: | Australia |
| Congregations: | 112 http://www.confessingcongregations.com/states/ |
The Assembly of Confessing Congregations (ACC) was an evangelical or conservative Christian group, an expression of the Confessing Movement, within the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) that formed after the 11th Assembly, on 13–14 October 2006 following a joint summit on 12 July 2006 between the Evangelical Members within the Uniting Church in Australia (EMU) and the Reforming Alliance within the Uniting Church in Australia.[1] The group also includes a number of UCA congregations drawing their membership from various Pacific Islands nations, as well as Chinese, Korean and Aboriginal congregations.[2]
The organisation ceased operations in March 2023 and called for evangelical members and churches from within the Uniting Church to separate from it.[3]
EMU (previously known as Evangelical Ministers of the UCA) was strongest in South Australia where Methodism was the strongest strand coming into the UCA. EMU had gained prominence as a result of their opposition to gay ordination in the lead up to the 1997 Assembly, however while gay ordination was the catalyst in forming this group, EMU focused on the issue of Biblical authority.
The purpose of EMU was stated to be:[4]
The RA within the Uniting Church was established in 2003 in response to the 10th Assembly's decision not to ban outright the ordination of non-celibate gay people.[5]
The Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the Uniting Church in Australia (ACC) formed in response to the 11th's Assembly decision to pass a resolution which they believed brought the church closer to accepting ordained ministers in same gender relationships.[6] It was inaugurated on the 13–14 October 2006 at Wesley Mission, Sydney 71 congregations formed the ACC at that time. They promulgated a statement on sexuality in response to this.[7] They declared that the Uniting Church had been "apostate"[8] in their decision making in regards to sexuality and leadership within the Uniting Church, with some Uniting Church members felt that the ACC was a church within a church.[9]
The ACC is composed of congregations that each decided through a formal meeting to join.
A statement of sexuality, The Charter and a Confessing Statement.[10]
112 Congregations are listed as being members of the ACC, with the majority located in South Australia (40), NSW (33) and Queensland (23).[11] The Uniting Church overall has 2000 congregations.