New Times - October 2006 - Uniting Church in Australia

8 M A G A Z I N E
New Times
Proposed Assembly of Confessing Congregations
REPRESENTATIVES of the Assembly,
including the President and General
Secretary met with representatives of
the proposed Assembly of Congressing
Congregations in Sydney recently to
discuss how it would relate to official
Councils of the Church.
One of the main areas of discussion
at the recent meeting was legal advice
received by the Reforming Alliance
which claims the decision of the 10th
Assembly in relation to sexuality and
leadership are invalid or irregular.
Meeting in Sydney on August
26 and 27, the Assembly Standing
Committee received a report on the
meeting from the General Secretary
as well as its own legal opinion
in response to the claims made by
Reforming Alliance.
The ASC accepted the opinion it
had received that there is no validity
to the claims made by the Reforming
Alliance. The ASC expressed
concern that members of the church
felt compelled to take theological
differences to a civil court and made
it clear that the proposed Assembly
of Confessing Congregations has no
status or formal recognition within the
councils of the Church.
It asked the General Secretary
to seek more information from
representatives of the proposed
Assembly of Confessing Congregations
about the exact nature of how it will
operate within the existing church
structures. When answers have been
received to these questions, this
information will be distributed across
the church.
Text of letter
HERE IS the text of the letter sent
to the wider church by Rev Corkin on
August 30.
Dear Colleagues,
As many of you will be aware
the Reforming Alliance has been
proposing to develop an organisation
known as the Assembly of Confessing
Congregations. The information
O C T O B E R 2 0 0 6
shared in meetings, the media and
through official Reforming Alliance and
EMU channels has raised a number of
questions about the objectives of the
organisation and how this group will
relate to the official Councils of the
Uniting Church.
Less well known, but certainly
communicated through the Reforming
Alliance and its members, is the fact
that Reforming Alliance has received
legal advice. This advice leads
Reforming Alliance to claim that the
decisions of the 10th Assembly in
relation to sexuality and leadership are
invalid or irregular.
The National Executive of Reforming
Alliance wrote to the Assembly
Standing Committee and made a
series of requests in the light of their
legal advice. The Assembly Standing
Committee meeting held over the
weekend of August 25 to 27 addressed
itself to the correspondence received
from the Reforming Alliance dated
August 1 and 25, and to consideration
of the legal advice provided to it by the
National Executive of the Reforming
Alliance. Having received advice from
the Assembly’s legal advisers the
Standing Committee denies the validity
of the claims made by Reforming
Alliance.
The Standing Committee gave
serious consideration to the issues
and questions that were put before it.
After long and careful discussion the
Standing Committee came to the views
that are expressed in the resolution that
is enclosed with this letter. The Standing
Committee decision indicates its
willingness for representatives to meet
with representatives of the National
Executive of the Reforming Alliance to
discuss this resolution and additional
questions that the Standing Committee
has in relation to the proposed
Assembly of Confessing Congregations.
When the Assembly has a response
to these questions it will offer further
advice to the Church. The proposed
Assembly of Confessing Congregations
has no status within the church.
Members of the Assembly Standing
Committee were very concerned for the
pastoral dimensions of this issue. They
are very aware that there are members
of the church who are still working
through the way they can live and work
within the worship, witness and service
of the Uniting Church.
Standing Committee believes that
clear guidance is one of the pastoral
responses that it can offer to the church.
I request that you make this
correspondence and the resolutions
of the Assembly Standing Committee
known to Ministers, persons serving
in the Specified Ministries and Church
Council Secretaries.
• An extract from the unconfirmed
minutes of the Assembly Standing
Committee was sent with the letter. The
extract is on the Uniting Church SA and
the Assembly websites.
Guidance offered
THE NATIONAL Assembly has
responded to requests from members,
congregations and presbyteries
for guidance on the proposed
ACC (Assembly of Confessing
Congregations).
Here is the full text of Assembly’s
letter, dated September 7.
1. We welcome the fact that the
Steering Committee of the proposed
Assembly of Confessing Congregations
(ACC) state clearly they wish ACC
supporters to remain within the Uniting
Church and adhere to the Basis of
Union. We applaud this acceptance of
the church’s unity in Christ. We believe
this provides us with a firm basis for
positive relationships between councils
of the Uniting Church and the ACC.
2. We are concerned that aspects
of the proposed ACC may lead
congregations to believe they can pick
and choose which parts of the Uniting
Church’s polity and discipline they
can abide by and which they might
reject. We remind all ministers and
members that every congregation in the
Uniting Church is under the pastoral
and administrative oversight of the
Presbytery and the general oversight
of the Synod. Joining the ACC will not
alter these relationships of oversight
and accountability.
3. We are concerned at aspects
of the proposed “Association of
Confessing Ministry Workers”.
Information issued by the ACC
Steering Committee appears to
suggest that those joining the
proposed Association will somehow
be outside the requirements of
the Uniting Church in relation to
their accountability, oversight and
discipline. We remind ministers and
other ministry agents that joining
the Association will not remove you
from the requirements of the Uniting
Church’s Constitution and Regulations
with regard to your accountability,
oversight and discipline.
4. We are concerned at suggestions
that the ACC may seek to fulfil
church functions which belong
clearly to the Assembly – for example
our relationships with ecumenical
partners and the setting of standards
for ministerial education. While the
Assembly always welcomes input from
church members on these national
functions, they will always remain
responsibilities of the Assembly.
5. The President and General
Secretary, along with two Synod
Moderators, expect to meet again this
month with leaders of the Reforming
Alliance and Evangelical Members
within the Uniting Church. After that
meeting, we expect to issue further
advice to the church. We are very
hopeful that our meeting will serve
to allay our concerns and will build
positive relationships for the future.
6. In the meantime we encourage
church members and congregations
to take care in their decision-making.
We trust that all decisions taken
in the church are surrounded by
prayerfulness and by respect for others
whose convictions on particular issues
may differ from our own.