The Queensland Synod archives are the records created by the Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod, presbyteries, congregations, agencies and special groups.
Records of state significance and with accompanying provenance are forwarded to the John Oxley Library, where they are catalogued, preserved and made available for public access (conditions apply).
Other records are retained at the Uniting Church Centre in Auchenflower and off-site, and are available for public access (conditions apply) depending on the type of record, sensitivity of content and the authority of the person wanting to see the record.
Archives are those records which must be kept permanently for legal reasons or which have historical value.
Archival records kept for legal reasons include important financial or administrative information. These documents may provide evidence about vital matters such as the church’s origins, structures, policies, programs and functions.
Archival records kept for their historical value may be used to answer questions about precedents and to assist researchers to document church or social history. Such records include minutes of meetings, annual reports, property plans, files, registers, photographs and so on.
Some of this information may be in electronic form only.
Source: Uniting Church in Australia, National Assembly Historical Reference Committee. Archives of the Uniting Church in Australia.
Congregation Document Preservation Policy
Guidelines for Assembly Agencies
Heritage Guidelines for Church Buildings
Guidelines for Closure of Church Building
Source: Uniting Church in Australia, National Assembly Historical Reference Committee. Archives of the Uniting Church in Australia.
Records of archival importance should be transferred to the Queensland Synod Archives when they are no longer needed for the day-to-day business of congregations. The recommended time limit before records are transferred is 5-7 years after they were created. Church councils are encouraged to review material regularly.
Each transferring body retains some rights to their own records, such as copyright, and may request that certain records be restricted for a specified period.
The Queensland Synod Archives provides assistance to those wishing to locate records for historical purposes.
Further online assistance is available from archives and historical societies throughout Australia:
Associations:
Australian Society of Archivists
Council of Australasian Archives and Records Authorities
Links to archives directories and portal sites, professional associations, federal, state and territory archives in Australia and New Zealand.
Queensland government archives:
John Oxley Library (State Library of Queensland)
Picture Queensland (State Library of Queensland)
Uniting Church archives:
National Assembly Historical Reference Committee & Archives
Synod of Victoria and Tasmania Archives and Historical Society
Synod of Western Australia & J.S. Battye Library of West Australian History
Uniting Church SA Historical Society & Australian Christian Commonwealth
Other church archives:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (Queensland) archives:
The Queensland Synod undertakes searches for Queensland baptism records on request. Most of the records (not all) prior to 1977 are held at the State Library. Requests for Baptism records after 1977 are directed to the relevant Congregation (if they still exist).
Please supply as much information as possible using the Baptism Record Request.
The cost of a baptism record search is $44.00 (including GST).