Rev. Pablo Nunez steps into the role of Moderator Elect, bringing years of grounded and diverse ministry across rural, regional and urban Australia.
Rev. Nunez began his acceptance speech by honouring his South American roots and connection to the Charruas on the east coast of the Uruguay River. He expressed his deep gratitude for being nominated to the role and recognised the strength of his fellow candidates.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for your trust, your prayers, your stubborn hope in the gospel, and for daring to dream with me about what our church can become. Thank you very much to the other nominees for what a great sign of the quality of people and leadership we have in our Church.”
“I stand here only because of those who have gone before me, so I honour the faithful generations that built and kept the traditions that form us alive and have been holding on to faith and hope so we can stand here today. Thank you to the past Moderators, mentors, Elders, ministers, lay leaders, congregational kitchen saints, youth groups, van drivers, the accidental theologians in our church councils, and to every choir member that either writes a note, even if it was just on the third try, thank you very much for being the church,” Rev. Nunez said.
"I’m particularly thankful for the immigrant communities, like my own, who brought fire, faith, and food to the table. We might have come with accents and empanadas, but we also brought a deep love for Jesus and a radical belief that the church can still change lives. To every member, from every culture, from every generation, thank you for making the Uniting Church a unique expression of the body of Christ."
The Moderator Elect’s ministry has been diverse including positions in regional and rural area where he witnessed the resilience of faith communities grappling with ageing demographics, climate challenges, and changing social contexts.
Through his ministry he also saw the extraordinary creativity of rural congregations living out the Gospel in kitchens, op shops, paddocks and local festivals. Rev. Nunez served most recently as Minister at Ballina Church, where he walked alongside a vibrant, intergenerational and increasingly intercultural community.
“I’ve learned what it means to hold grief and celebration together — through bushfires, floods, pandemic, and beyond — and to preach the Gospel with both tenderness and prophetic fire,” Rev. Nunez said.
Rev. Nunez recognised that this was a pivotal time in the history of the Church.
“This is a vital time in the life of the Church. The fears are climbing in some places. The questions are getting deeper. And the world out there often thinks that we have lost our relevance. But let me repeat something that I said yesterday. God is not finished with us yet.”
“We have been entrusted with a gospel that still raises the dead, still heals the broken, still builds communities of grace in unexpected places, with unexpected people. The Synod has chosen transforming communities as its theme, and I believe that's not a slogan. It's a call to action. Not to build empires or fix everything with a community report, but to be out there on the margins, in the mess, and in the mystery,”
“I see a church that is intercultural, intergenerational, and courageous. A church that isn't afraid of the hard questions. A church that believes in the children's voices, in First Peoples' leadership, in migrants dreaming of others, on local mission that smells like sausages and inclusion. A church that can hold lament and laughter in the same liturgy. We are not going back to the church of the 1950s, and praise the Lord for that.”
"So, with a bit trembling knees and a full heart, I accept this call. Not because I have all the answers. But because I believe in the Jesus who walks on water and also sits by the fire with the broken-hearted. I accept it because I trust the Spirit who speaks in many languages, and sometimes even through Synod resolutions. I accept it because I love this church—imperfect, beautiful, brave, and blessed."
"So may the road ahead be paved with grace. May we be bold in our love, stubborn in our hope, and ridiculous in our generosity. And may God, who is always doing a new thing, find us willing—sometimes even eager—to follow."
“We are the Uniting Church. We were born in hope, not in certainty. We were raised on mission, not on institution. We are built on covenant, not on comfort. Friends, we are not done yet,” Rev. Nunez said.
Rev. Nunez will be installed as Moderator in 2027.