The new preamble was approved by the Uniting Church's 12th Triennial Assembly, meeting at the University of New South Wales from 15-21 July and it has been hailed as a "revolutionary" change.
Though some churches have already apologised to Aboriginal Australians for the past misdeeds of their missionary flock, it's the first time one has officially conceded any theological territory.
The language of the preamble was drafted by a special task group in consultation with the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress and the general secretaries of each state-based synod and the Assembly.
The Rev. Dr Chris Budden, chair of the task group, recalled the comment of a Congress chairperson who said, "Growing up in a nation that doesn't recognise you makes it impossible to dream."
Dr Budden said the new preamble sought to move the Uniting Church in Australia, the third largest Christian denomination beyond the story of the three denominations - Congregational, Presbyterian and Methodist that came into union in 1977.
"The present preamble tells how we became 'Uniting'," he said. "The new preamble tells what it means to be 'in Australia'."
The new document was the result of a two years consultation across synods and presbyteries, and extensive theological input, he said.
"We have started to talk about ourselves and our history in a more honest way. In owning your history you own your relationships more hopefully and helpfully."
In a nation where claims that indigenous Australians had no religion were common, the Uniting Church's Reverend Murray Muirhead, a resource worker with its Aboriginal wing in central Australia's Alice Springs, says the "change is revolutionary."
"Aboriginal theologians are asking the church to give them the same freedom that was given in the Reformation in the 16th century when the Protestant church said to the Catholic church we have the freedom to go back and interpret the scriptures for ourselves," Muirhead told the Guardian newspaper in UK.
Christianity is stronger in the Aboriginal community than in the non-indigenous community. Around 73 percent of Aboriginal people identify as Christians compared to around 63 percent of non-indigenous Australians.
Uniting Church is the third largest Christian denomination in Australia after Roman Catholics and Anglicans.