# Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Queensland

The Synod of Queensland or Queensland Synod is a state council of the Uniting Church in Australia.
Synod also describes the regular meeting (every 1.5 years) of representatives of the state-wide church. These meetings are known as the Synod in Session.

## Overview

The Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia is the national council of the Uniting Church, headed by the President of the Uniting Church, with a general secretary as chief executive officer. The six geographically based synods are responsible for overall support and resourcing of the church in their area especially in community services, mission planning, theological education and other educational services, administration relating to ministers, and property and financial services. The elected head of each synod is the Moderator, and a general secretary is usually appointed as the chief executive officer.
The Moderator is the spiritual head and the main spokesperson for the Uniting Church in Queensland. The current Moderator is Reverend Bruce Moore, who was inducted at the 37th Synod on 20 October 2023.

## Presbyteries

The Synod of Queensland contains several presbyteries within its bounds. A presbytery is a council of the Uniting Church which has oversight of congregations, ministries and programs within a region. Ministers of the Word and deacons are responsible to their presbytery, which has the duty of caring for them and ensuring their work is carried out faithfully. Presbytery meetings include ordained ministers, lay pastors, and elected lay persons from every congregation.
The Synod of Queensland has seven presbyteries.
* Bremer Brisbane Presbytery
* Carpentaria Presbytery (formerly Calvary Presbytery and North Queensland Presbytery)
* Central Queensland Presbytery
* Mary Burnett Presbytery
* Moreton Rivers Presbytery
* South Moreton Presbytery
* The Downs Presbytery

## Education

Trinity College Queensland provides theological education for ministers and laypeople. Degree courses are accredited by the Australian College of Theology.
Raymont Residential College is a residential college for tertiary students. It is co-located at the Uniting Church Centre in Auchenflower, Brisbane with Trinity College Queensland. Grace College is at the St Lucia campus of the University of Queensland and caters only for women.

## Moderators

The following individuals have served as the Moderator of the Queensland Synod:
| Ordinal | Officeholder | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Notes |
| 1 | Rev Prof Rolland Busch | 1977 | 1979 | 1–2 years | |
| 2 | Rev Ronald Elvery | 1979 | 1980 | 0–1 years | |
| 3 | Rev Duncan Harrison | 1980 | 1981 | 0–1 years | |
| 4 | Rev Dr Douglas Brandon | 1981 | 1982 | 0–1 years | |
| 5 | Rev Dr Lewis Born | 1982 | 1983 | 0–1 years | |
| 6 | Rev Alan Kidd | 1983 | 1984 | 0–1 years | |
| 7 | Rev Eric Moore | 1984 | 1985 | 0–1 years | |
| 8 | Rev Ray Hunt OBE | 1985 | 1986 | 0–1 years | |
| 9 | Rev Barry Dangerfield | 1986 | 1987 | 0–1 years | Recognition withdrawn in 2019 |
| 10 | Rev Ray Thompson | 1987 | 1988 | 0–1 years | |
| 11 | Rev John Mavor | 1988 | 1989 | 0–1 years | |
| 12 | Rev Don Whebell | 1989 | 1990 | 1–2 years | |
| 13 | Dr John Roulston | 1990 | 1991 | 0–1 years | First lay person to be Queensland Moderator |
| 14 | Rev Bryan Gilmour | 1991 | 1992 | 0–1 years | |
| 15 | Rev Cecil Schloss | 1992 | 1993 | 0–1 years | |
| 16 | Rev Don Whebell | 1993 | 1996 | 2–3 years | First full time Queensland Moderator |
| 17 | Rev Dr David Pitman | 1996 | 1999 | 2–3 years | |
| 18 | Rev Dr Ray Reddicliffe | 1999 | 2002 | 2–3 years | |
| 19 | Rev Allan Kuchler | 2002 | 2005 | 2–3 years | |
| (17) | Rev Dr David Pitman | 2005 | 2008 | 2–3 years | |
| 20 | Rev Bruce Johnson | 2008 | 2011 | 2–3 years | |
| 21 | Rev Kaye Ronalds | 2011 | 2014 | 2–3 years | First female Queensland Moderator |
| 22 | Rev David Baker | 2014 | 2020 | 5–6 years | |
| 23 | Rev Andrew Gunton | 22 October 2020 (2020-10-22) | October 2023 | 3 years | |
| 24 | Rev Bruce Moore | October 2023 | Current | Ongoing | |