Uniting Church in Australia
- Assembly Standing Committee
16 November 2003
RESOLUTIONS ON MINISTRY, MEMBERSHIP AND SEXUALITY
Standing Committee resolved:
to receive the resolutions
of the Synods of New South Wales, Queensland. South Australia and the Northern
Synod on Assembly resolution 03.12 04 as varied by the Assembly Standing Committee;
to receive the reports
on responses from Synods, the Congress, the General Secretary and the President;
in response to requests
from councils of the Church, to establish a process to clarify the doctrine
of the Church regarding people in committed same-gender relationships being
in leadership roles, including ordained ministries, with a view to decision-making
at the 11th Assembly:
(a) Step 1 - responding to the requests of synods and presbyteries
refer Assembly minute 03.12.04 as varied by ASC minute 03.69 (proposal 84)
to
congregations and presbyteries for their responses by 30 April 2004;
(b) Step 2 - wrestling with the issues
a period of Biblical and theological study throughout the Church, from June
2004 to
June 2005, whereby members and councils, guided by the Basis of Union especially
Paragraphs 5 and 11, seek further to discern God's will in this matter;
(c) Step 3 -
towards decision-making
prepare a full report on steps 1 and 2 by September 2005. in order to resource
synods and presbyteries as they prepare for the 11th Assembly;
to request the Assembly
officers (Dean Drayton, James Haire. Gregor Henderson, Terence Corkin), in
consultation with Synod Moderators, to approve the documentation for step
1 of the process;
to appoint a working
group to bring recommendations to the next meeting of Standing Committee on
the processes and resources needed for step 2 of the process;
to request the working
group to initiate conversations with representatives from migrant-ethnic congregations,
the Congress, the Reforming Alliance and Uniting Network concerning the process
of discernment;
to appoint Sue Gormann
(convener). Rob Bos, lan Breward, Bev Fabb, James Haire, Jione Havea, Graham
Humphris. Sarah Mitchell and Isabel Thomas Dobson as the members of the working
group (subject to their agreement);
to request councils of
the Church to consider carefully the implications of their decisions on others
in the life of the Church when they make decisions on these matters leading
UD to the 11th Assembly.