Member Churches

The National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) is an ecumenical organisation bringing together the largest Australian Christian Churches in dialogue and practical cooperation.

It works in collaboration with state ecumenical councils around Australia.   It is an associate council of the World Council of Churches, a member of the Christian Conference of Asia and a partner of other national ecumenical bodies throughout the world.   Act for Peace is the international aid agency of the NCCA, which aims to empower war-torn communities to protect refugees, reduce poverty, prevent conflicts and manage disasters.

The modern ecumenical movement began to take shape at the end of the 19th century.   Initiatives among students and between church mission agencies led the way.   In Australia, these included the Australian Student Christian Movement, formed in 1896, and the National Missionary Council, created in 1926.

Organised ecumenism in Australia at the national Church level was first formalised through the Australian Committee for the World Council of Churches (1946).   Initially, this movement involved only the Anglican and Mainline Protestant churches.   In the 1960s and 70s, however, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches joined the ecumenical movement.   This developed into the Australian Council of Churches (ACC).   Following the Second Vatican Council, the Roman Catholic Church in Australia began exploring possibilities for relationships with other churches.   In 1994 the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) succeeded the ACC, with the Catholic Church as a member.

The NCCA logo was adopted in 1994 and updated in 2006. It shows a boat which has long been used to represent the ecumenical movement and the constellation the Southern Cross which also appears on the Australian flag.