| St Michael's Uniting Church | |
| Other Name: | Collins Street Uniting Church |
| Coordinates: | -37.8143°N 144.9692°W |
| Country: | Australia |
| Denomination: | Uniting (since 1977) |
| Address: | Corner of 120 Collins Street and Russell Street, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Founded Date: | 1839 |
| Dedication: | Saint Michael |
| Dedicated Date: | 1867 |
| Architect: | Joseph Reed |
| Architectural Type: | Church |
| Style: | Lombardic Romanesque |
| Years Built: | 1866–1867 |
| Parish: | St Michael's Uniting |
| Synod: | Victoria and Tasmania |
| Presbytery: | Yarra Yarra |
| Seniorpastor: | Rev. Dr Margaret Mayman |
St Michael's Uniting Church is a Uniting church located on Collins Street in central Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Originally the Collins Street Independent Church, a Congregational Union of Australia church, and later Collins Street Uniting Church, St Michael's has become well known as a centre of liberal theology and political radicalism under its recent Executive Minister Dr Francis Macnab (1971–2016).[1]
The first church on this site was built in 1839–41, one of the first Churches in the Port Phillip District (now the state of Victoria). That Church was demolished in 1863 to make way for the present building, completed in 1866.[2] It was designed by noted and successful architect Joseph Reed, who had also designed the Melbourne Town Hall, and later the Royal Exhibition Building. It is classified by the National Trust of Australia and listed by Heritage Victoria. In 1978 the interior underwent a major restoration, refurbishment and modification of the church was undertaken, raising the communion table, replacing the lectern, the choir and organ console moved, and the timber pews replaced with padded metal ones. Two candelabras flank the communion table representing the ‘Divine presence’ and the “Light of the World’.[3]
As part of Australia's Bicentennial in 1988, new stained glass windows by artist Klaus Zimmer were installed in the ground floor. The windows tell of the journey of humanity from the experience of aloneness and questioning towards the symbolic gateway of the New Jerusalem.
It was variously known as the Independent Church and the Congregational Church before it was given its present name in 1990.[4] In 1991, the office tower development 120 Collins Street that surrounds the church was completed, built in part on church owned land.
The building is described as Lombardic Romanesque in style, and is considered the first example of polychrome brickwork in Victoria, a style that became very popular for all manner of buildings by the 1880s. It features a tall square bell tower marking the important street corner, and round Romanesque arches around doors and windows and the open cloisters in each side.
The interior was designed in the form of a theatre auditorium, in accordance with the principles of the Congregationalist Church, as a place where all members of the congregation could both hear and see the preacher. It features a sloping floor with tiered seating, and a steep gallery behind a ring of high aches on slender cast iron columns, ensuring good sight lines.
Rev Dr Margaret Mayman was inducted as minister with St Michael's Uniting Church in February 2020. Margaret was born in New Zealand, and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1983. She holds a PhD in Christian social ethics from Union Theological Seminary in New York, where she lived, studied and taught for 12 years. She was a parish minister in New Zealand for 18 years before moving to Sydney in December 2013 to be the minister at Pitt Street Uniting Church.
Dr Francis Macnab was the executive minister of St Michael's from February 1971 to December 2016. In addition to his duties as a minister, Macnab was also the founder and previous executive director of The Cairnmillar Institute, a non-for-profit clinic for counselling available to the general public and a postgraduate school of psychology, counselling and psychotherapy. Dr Macnab holds a Doctor of Divinity degree from the University of Aberdeen. He has honorary doctorates from the University of Melbourne and RMIT in psychology and applied science.
Through Cairnmillar and St Michael's, Macnab developed a healthy ageing program called Successful Ageing, Growth and Enjoyment (S.A.G.E.) for people aged between 55–105. He also recognised a need for The Big Tent Project, aimed at supporting kindergarten aged children suffering from mental health issues.
Since 1 January 2017 there have been supply ministers such as Reverend David Dawes, Rev Ric Holland, Reverend John Smith, and Reverend Peter Burnham and others visiting ministers.
"Mingary – the Quiet Place" is a contemplative space at St Michael's opened in 1999. Mingary-Cairnmillar Counselling Service also offers low-cost counselling.[5] Mingary is run in conjunction with the Cairnmillar Institute, founded by previous minister Francis Macnab.[5] [6]
In September 2008, Dr Francis Macnab launched what he called a "New Faith" including posters reading "The Ten Commandments, one of the most negative documents ever written."[7] [8] Macnab described Moses as a mass murderer, Abraham as concocted and Jesus as a Jewish peasant and certainly not God.[7] The then Moderator of the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, the Rev'd Jason Kioa, described Dr Macnab's comments challenging the divinity of Jesus as questioning some of the faith's most basic beliefs, turning away from 2000 years of "orthodox Christian belief".[8] [9] [10] Other members of the Synod published their concerns.[11] [12] The Synod of Victoria and Tasmania directed St Michael's Uniting Church to remove advertising for its new faith and apologise to Jews, Christians and Muslims for the comments it contained about the Ten Commandments.[8] [13] The Uniting Church did not move to discipline Macnab because no formal complaint had been received.[8] [9]
In an address on 5 October 2008, Dr Macnab defended his comments, including against suggestions they were offensive to Jews, citing his study in undergraduate and postgraduate work in Hebrew language and history, including distinctions, and saying "Some of the comments have been knee-jerk reactions, uninformed and heavily overloaded with bad manners."[14] He also stated, "While I have no intention of denigrating the Ten Commandments as a sacred symbol of the Jewish Torah and the Old Covenant, I say they are negative."[14] He gave eight reasons why he believes the Ten Commandments to be negative and outlined his alternative 10 Commandments, which he described as "positive, plausible and powerful"