The Parish Guide is a resource for leaders within the parishes and ministry units of the Anglican Diocese of Grafton. It is a quick reference tool that provides guidance on a broad range of questions, issues and scenarios that affect parishes.
To use the Parish Guide, please use the dropdown in the subject area that best relates to the guidance that you are seeking.
We hope that you find this Guide useful.
Assets
View Assets| Disposal of assets | Refer to delegation provided under MUP-005 Parish Delegations |
| Motor Vehicle – Insurance | All motor vehicles owned by the church are to be included in the Anglican Diocese of Grafton insurance policy. Details of any motor vehicle to be either added to or removed from the list of insured vehicles is to be provided to the Insurance Officer insurance@graftondiocese.org.au |
| Motor Vehicle – Leasing | Refer to delegation provided under MUP-005 Parish Delegations |
| Motor Vehicle – Purchase | Refer to delegation provided under MUP-005 Parish Delegations. The vehicle is to be registered in the name of The Corporate Trustees of the Diocese of Grafton. A Stamp Duty Exemption is available. |
| Motor Vehicle – Registration | Vehicles owned by the Church are to be registered in the name of The Corporate Trustees of the Diocese of Grafton. |
| Office assets – Photocopiers and computers | Refer to delegation provided under MUP-005 Parish Delegations |
| Purchase of furniture, whitegoods and other chattels | Refer to delegation provided under MUP-005 Parish Delegations |
Clergy
View Clergy| Allowances | See the entry under Payroll and Employment – Clergy conditions |
| Study Leave | Members of the clergy are encouraged to attend to their personal development needs and to ongoing study. Where formal study is being undertaken, Study Leave can be considered after consultation with the Bishop and Churchwardens. Parish Council and Diocesan payroll are to be informed in writing of any decision concerning the availability of Study Leave. |
| Annual Leave | The standard conditions for stipended clergy includes the equivalent of 4 weeks of annual recreational leave per annum. A clergyperson taking this leave is paid at their full stipend plus a leave loading equivalent to 17.5% of the stipend. Allowances do not receive a leave loading although all allowances and any housing, car or utlities provided continue through a period of annual leave. |
| Concluding a ministry position | Refer to procedure GEN-014 Clergy Resignation/Retirement |
| Housing | Requirements for clergy housing are detailed in MUP-002 Clergy Housing Standards. These standards are also to be referenced in consideration of maintenance of housing and paying of housing allowances. |
| Housing Allowance | See the entry under Clergy – Housing |
| New clergy – Removal expenses | Those stipended clergy in receipt of an offer of appointment from the Bishop are to obtain at least 2 quotes for removal and submit those to the Registrar. Quotes are to not include insurance as insurance covering this activity is held by the Diocese. The Registrar advises the clergy person of the accepted quote. The removal contract is to be on the Anglican Diocese of Grafton which is to be invoiced directly. The clergyperson is to act as the contact person for packing, uplift and delivery. Please refer to REG-006 Clergy Removal Fund. |
| Parental Leave | Details of parental leave provisions for ministers can be found in MUP-001 Parental Leave – Ministry |
| Stipend | See the entry under Payroll and employment – Clergy conditions |
| Stipend – Annual Adjustment | Annual changes to clergy stipends are in accordance with the Wage Price Index (WPI) statistic provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Stipends change on 1 January of each year depending on the annual change in the WPI reported in the previous September Quarter. The September Quarter statistic is usually published in mid-November of each year. |
| Stipend Sacrifice/ Salary Sacrifice | Ministers of Religion can more broadly use salary sacrifice in a tax beneficial manner. Conditions and processes relating to Salary Sacrifice by ministers are contained in GEN-011 Clergy Salary Sacrifice. Clause 130.3 of the Diocesan Governance Ordinance 2008 is also relevant. |
| Surplice Fees | Surplice fees are monies paid for clergy to take weddings or funerals. Clergy are to reach agreement with the Churchwardens regarding how these funds are used. Where surplice fees or other non-stipended income is retained by a member of the clergy, they must be included as income in their taxation return. |
Compliance
View Compliance| Copyright | Parishes are encouraged to maintain a CCLI copyright licence to cover many of their copyright needs. However, the standard copyright licence that most parishes have with CCLI does not include the right to live stream the copyrighted material. CCLI has another level of licence that permits live streaming of material. Parishes are also alerted to the fact that the CCLI licence does not cover all frequently used hymns, songs and materials and other copyright licences may need to be considered. |
Governance
View Governance| Contracts | The authority and capacity to bind the church in a contract is vested in The Corporate Trustees of the Diocese of Grafton. (See clause 75.6 of the Diocesan Governance Ordinance 2008.) The Corporate Trustees have delegated to limited powers to the officers of a parish to enter into a contract. Details of the delegated powers are contained in MUP-005 Parish Delegations. |
| Litigation | Any litigation or threat of litigation against the church, part of the church or officer(s) acting on behalf of the church is to be referred to the Corporate Trustees of the Diocese of Grafton via the Registrar. The Corporate Trustees are the incorporated entity with both the responsibility and capacity to make or defend legal claims. Parishes do not have the authority or capacity to make or defend legal claims. Consistent with this, the Registrar is to be informed of any incident or situation that is considered likely to result in a legal claim. |
| Meeting Procedure – Recording of Correspondence | What correspondence should be presented to a Parish Council or other governance meeting? Should it be all correspondence received by the parish and its officers or should the list be much more selective? The following is guidance on this matter. Long gone are the days when all correspondence would arrive as a letter in the parish mail box delivered by a postman (yes, it would have been a man in that era) and all outward correspondence would be sent in the same manner. In such times, it would be relatively straightforward to present a list of mail (inward and outward) for the ratification of the meeting. In the current era, post box mail would be only a small portion of correspondence that would now include emails and could feasibly include instant messaging (SMS, Messenger, WhatsApp, etc.) and comments received on the parish website, Facebook page and other media. Furthermore, the messages are not just received by ‘the parish’ but also by specific parish officers in either a personal or an organisational capacity. Adding advertising and spam to this mix, it is easy to see that only a selection of correspondence can (and should) be reported. While specific guidance on this issue is hard to find, the common view is that the meeting should be advised of “major correspondence” (Institute of Directors in New Zealand). On this basis, it is advised that Parish Council meetings should be advised of “major correspondence” inward and outward whether posted, hand delivered or sent electronically including correspondence: · from the Bishop or Registrar intended for the Parish, Churchwardens or Parish Council; · from the ATO, ACNC or other regulator or agency to the parish; · from the local government or a government agency to the parish (excepting general advertising and invoices for usual fees and charges); · foreshadowing legal action that implicates the parish; · identifying an actual or potential regulatory non-compliance by the parish; · conveying petitions or complaints from members or non-members concerning the parish, its officers and/or its members; and · relating to projects and special agenda items of the Parish Council |
| New organisation | Parish Councils do not have the authority to establish a new company, incorporated association, a new charity or similar without the approval of the Bishop-in-Council. Parish Councils with plans that involve the establishment of a new organisational entity or governance structure are to consult with the Registrar prior to making any commitment or application relating to those plans. |
| Parish Council – Flying Minutes | “Flying Minutes” are sometimes called “Circular Resolutions” and are a way of enabling a council or a board to make a binding decision between meetings. It involves the draft resolution and supporting information being circulated in written form to each councillor or board member who will then respond, in writing, advising whether they are in favour of the draft resolution. The Diocesan Governance Ordinance 2008 is silent on the use of Flying Minutes. Despite the silence of the ordinance, Flying Minutes are available for Parish Councils to use. The following guidelines are to be observed when using Flying Minutes: • Flying Minutes should be used for matters that need to be decided before the next scheduled meeting. • If a matter is complex, contentious or requires discussion to consider a range of options, Flying Minutes are usually not appropriate. These matters should be discussed within a meeting and a special meeting called if there needs to be a decision before the next scheduled meeting. • Flying Minutes are to include a draft resolution and supporting information in written form with the same information and resolution provided to all members of Council. • Responses to the draft resolution are also to be written. (When email is used, an email response is usually sufficient. Hand delivered resolutions should include a place where members in agreement add their signature.) • Sufficient time should be allowed for each member to consider and reply to the Flying Minute. (Bishop-in-Council allows 72 hours for response. Parishes may need to allow more time if not all councillors are regular email users.) • Flying Minutes have a weakness in that alternative views are often not heard. For that reason, a majority vote in favour of a draft resolution is not sufficient. If any of the following occur, the Flying Minute should be withdrawn and the matter considered at a meeting: – Any councillor votes against the draft resolution; – Any councillor fails to vote (except where that councillor is known to be absent and not able to connect to reliable communication); – Any councillor abstains from voting for a reason other than a conflict of interest; • Voting by proxy is not permitted. • The papers of the following Parish Council meeting should include the material that was circulated as a Flying Minute plus a record of the votes. The Parish Council should record a vote to ratify the Flying Minute decision. |
| Proxy Votes | Voting by proxy (i.e. a vote cast by one person as a representative of another) is not permitted in any governance process of the Anglican Diocese of Grafton. Only votes cast personally by authorised participants in meetings or members of governance bodies can be valid. |
Health and Safety
Health and Safety| COVID-19 | Practices to manage the risk of COVID-19 to workers, members and visitors need consideration by each Parish Council. Government legislation and regulations are to be observed as a minimum requirement. The Diocesan procedure GEN-012 Vaccination for COVID-19 is no longer applicable. |
| General | Diocesan policy and key principles on health and safety are included in GEN-013 Work Health and Safety. |
Information Management
View Information Management| Media relations | If approached by a media outlet for comment on behalf of the Anglican Church, please advise The Reverend Viv Hoskins vivian.hoskins22@gmail.com or 02 6657 2860. Comments to the media representing the church are by the Bishop or the Incumbent of the Parish or those delegated by them to comment. |
| Privacy Standards | Privacy Standards are covered in GEN-001 Privacy Policy |
| Social media use | The policy and procedures relating to use of social media are in GEN-008 Use of Social Media |
Insurance
View Insurance| Insurance claims | Any incident that may lead to a claim is to be recorded on an incident report form which is to be forwarded to the Diocesan Insurance Officer (DIO) (insurance@graftondiocese.org.au) as soon as practicable. Where there will be a delay in completing the form, the DIO should be advised by email or phone (02 6642 4122) as soon as possible. The Accident Incident Report form can be found on the Diocese’s website www.graftondiocese.org.au by choosing “Documents” from the menu then “Administration“ |
| Property Claims and Aggregate Deductible | The Industrial Special Risks (ISR) policy, which includes property insurance, is commercial insurance and therefore has an excess (deductible) set at $30,000 for parishes. To reduce the financial shock of claims, the Diocese operates an Aggregate Deductible Insurance Fund to reduce the effective claims excess for parishes. Details can be found in REG-005 Aggregate Deductible Insurance Fund. |
| Purchase of insurance | All parishes and agencies of the Diocese of Grafton have insurance cover purchased by the Diocese and pay a prorata share of the premium. Where a parish or agency believes that further or particular insurance needs are required, they should inform the Diocesan Insurance Officer insurance@graftondiocese.org.au |
Ordinances
View Ordinances| Diocesan Governance Ordinance | The Diocesan Governance Ordinance 2008 is the key ordinance prescribing governance practices in the Diocese of Grafton. Chapter 10 Parish Administration is the most relevant part of this ordinance for parishes. The current copy of The Diocesan Governance Ordinance 2008 can be found on the Diocese’s website www.graftondiocese.org.au by choosing “Documents” from the menu then “Ordinances“ |
Parish finance and accounting
View Parish finance and accounting| Clergy removal fund | This is an amount approved by the Synod charged on parishes to create a pool of funds from which the expenses of moving clergy into a new parish position is funded. This fund exists to protect parishes from the cashflow implications of a large removal expense and allows clergy applicants to be equally considered regardless of their current location. The costs of moving out of a parish is usually paid by the recipient parish or by the clergyperson moving into retirement or career change. Please refer to REG-006 Clergy Removal Fund |
| Donations to support mission and ministry | In general, a Parish Council can use its discretion concerning donating parish funds to support mission or ministry by individuals or organisations beyond the parish. However, if the funds are applied to a mission, ministry or given to an individual outside of Australia, it is essential that such a donation complies with GEN-009 Overseas Donations. This direction also applies to funds from special collections or special donations by members. Parishes are reminded that the Diocese of Grafton has been a long-term supporter of the work of the Anglican Board of Mission – Australia and the welfare work of Anglicare Australia organisations. |
| Employment Practices Fund | For each payroll participant, a levy of 1.2% of payroll costs is charged on a monthly basis and added to the Employment Practices Fund. The EPF is to meet the initial costs of any employment related dispute or claim that is not covered by the Diocese’s insurance. Please refer to REG-008 Employment Practices Fund. |
| Financial reports – property and trust funds | The Corporate Trustees of the Diocese of Grafton have a legal responsibility for real property across the Diocese and the various trust funds. It is for this reason that real property and trusts are reported in the Corporate Trustees’ audited financial statements and not in the financial statements of each parish. However, it is appropriate for parish members to be informed of the real property and trust funds that benefit their parish so parish financial reports that are presented at the Parish AGM may include a note outlining the real property and trusts that benefit the parish. Real property and trusts are to be shown as “off balance sheet” items. |
| Grant applications | Refer to delegation provided under MUP-005 Parish Delegations |
| Parish Pledge | This is an amount determined by the Registry and approved by the Synod, proportional to the average income of the parish, that is charged on the parish and paid in monthly instalments. Parish Pledge is to meet some of the Registry operating costs. |
Parish roles
View Parish roles| Conflict of Interest | Those who hold roles within a parish (or more generally) in the Diocese of Grafton are reminded that each role comes with the expectation that the holder will manage any conflict of interest that arises. The relevant procedure is GEN-010 Conflict of Interest Management. |
| Duties of Churchwardens | The duties and responsibilities of members of a Parish Council are listed at clauses 76.1 and 76.2 of the Diocesan Governance Ordinance 2008. |
| Duties of Parish Councillors | The duties and responsibilities of members of a Parish Council are listed at clause 75.3 of the Diocesan Governance Ordinance 2008. |
| Duties of Parish Secretary | The duties of the Secretary of the Parish Council are listed at clause 78.1 of the Diocesan Governance Ordinance 2008. |
| Duties of Parish Treasurer | The duties of the Treasurer of a Parish and special conditions regarding their appointment are listed at clauses 77.1 and 77.2 of the Diocesan Governance Ordinance 2008. |
Payroll and employment
View Payroll and employment| Clergy conditions | The prescribed stipends and allowances are communicated at least annually in the Registry Update. Stipends are adjusted on 1 January each year. For the current rates of stipend, please refer to the Registry Updates on the Diocesan website or contact the Payroll Officer. Other clergy conditions and entitlements are outlined in Chapter 12 of the Diocesan Governance Ordinance 2008. No clergy appointments are to be made except those approved by the Bishop. All letters of appointment are to be approved and signed by the Bishop. |
| Employment (not clergy or Stipended Lay Minister roles) | Before any act to employ a person in a paid role whether a new role or a vacancy in an existing role, the Churchwardens are to discuss the role, conditions and process with the Registrar. This is to take place prior to advertising or interviewing for the role. |
| Honorarium payments | If a parish is considering using an honorarium in lieu of placing a person on the Diocesan Payroll or setting up a fee-for-service arrangement, care should be taken. An honorarium cannot be regarded as a way of making a regular small payment for work in a way that avoids the obligations of the payroll system. The Australian Taxation Office has published specific advice relating to honorariums for volunteers in NFP organisations. The link to this advice is Paying volunteers and Honorariums Some key points from the ATO’s advice: · Honorariums are typically smaller amounts of money · It should not be for a service that is connected with the person’s usual income producing activities. For example, not for a clergy person conducting pastoral visiting or worship services or for a cleaner doing cleaning work; But rather, for volunteered work outside of a person’s usual work such as for an engineer assisting by establishing the parish’s website. Sometimes the use of honorariums may also be interpreted as a way of illegitimately avoiding other obligations such as the requirements of an Industrial Award. Insurance arrangements can be complicated by using honorariums. The insurance cover for injury to volunteers and for injury to workers is separate and the policies are held with different insurance companies. An incorrect use of an honorarium could create a dispute over whether the injured person is a worker or a volunteer and lead to a situation where the injured person is not adequately covered by insurance. It is recommended that the use of honorariums is restricted to those circumstances that clearly fit within the ATO guidelines. It is strongly preferred that employment arrangements are through the central payroll with a letter of appointment clearly setting out the person’s working arrangements and remuneration. |
| Leave accumulation | It is Diocesan policy that annual leave should not accumulate to more than 8 weeks of entitlement. Managers or supervisors of those on the payroll should have conversations with the payroll participant when leave accumulation reaches 6 weeks. The conversation should encourage the taking of leave and any structural or personal impediments to the taking of leave. |
| Long Service Leave – Clergy | Stipended clergy are to be participants in the Anglican Church of Australia Long Service Leave Fund in accordance with The Anglican Church of Australia Long Service Leave Canon 2010. Parishes are to make monthly payments to the Diocese for each participating member of the LSL Fund. The contribution amount is revised and advised annually. Because of the LSL Fund, parishes do not need to record a liability in their financial statements relating to clergy LSL. |
| Long Service Leave – Non-clergy | Where a Stipended Lay Minister has membership of the Anglican Church of Australia Long Service Leave Fund as a condition of appointment, the arrangements mirror those described for Long Service Leave – Clergy. For all paid roles, that are not participants in the Anglican Church of Australia Long Service Leave Fund, the provisions of the Long Service Leave Act 1955 [NSW]. Long term casual employees may be eligible for LSL payments especially where their service has been regular and continuous. |
| New employees | The manager or supervisor of any new payroll participant should note the requirement for consultation with the Registrar prior to the advertising for or engagement of a new employee or payroll participant. Once the new payroll participant is confirmed the manager and supervisor shall ensure that the Payroll Officer receives all relevant details of the new payroll participant and the working conditions prior to their commencement. |
| Payroll Self Service Portal | The Diocese launched the MYOB Self Service Portal in November 2024. The portal enables:
Guides for using the system can be found on the Administration page of the Diocesan website, under the ‘Payroll and Human Resources’ heading. |
| Stipended Lay Ministers | Although the conditions of appointment for Stipended Lay Ministers in many ways reflect those of clergy appointments, each appointment is considered on a case-by-case budget. No Stipended Lay Minister appointment is made except those approved by the Bishop. All letters of appointment are to be approved and signed by the Bishop. |
| Taking leave | All taking of leave such as long service leave, annual leave, sick leave, or compassionate leave shall be applied for on a Diocesan leave form. Forms are available at Administration. This applies to both clergy and lay employees. When clergy, for any reason, are to be absent from their ministry unit for 48 hours or longer, including annual leave, they must advise their Churchwardens and their Archdeacon of the fact in case urgent contact needs to be made. |
| Termination of employment | Prior to any consideration of terminating an employee or taking action that may lead to the termination or resignation of the employee, the people responsible for managing or supervising the position should have a timely discussion with the Registrar about the proposed course of action. If the Registrar considers that legal advice is necessary, REG-008 Employment Practices Fund may be utilised. |
Policies and Procedures
View Policies and Procedures| Where to find a Policy and Procedure Document | Policy and Procedure Documents are practices and policy information approved for use in the Diocese by the Bishop-in-Council. The current copy of each approved and current Policy and Procedure Document can be found on the Diocese’s website www.graftondiocese.org.au by choosing “Documents” from the menu then “Policies & Procedures“ |
Property
View Property| Building and Property Projects – Capital Expenditure | Where a building or property project is being contemplated, the responsible people should refer to MUP-004 Building and Property Projects – Approval Process for guidance. |
| Church renting a residence from another party | Refer to delegation provided under MUP-005 Parish Delegations |
| Faculty | A Faculty must be obtained from the Bishop for any alteration, addition or removal of any part of the fabric of any Church building or the furnishings, fittings or ornaments of a licensed church. See clauses 101.1 to 101.5 of the Diocesan Governance Ordinance 2008 for more detail. |
| Hiring of Church Hall (or equivalent) | Refer to the provisions contained in MUP-006 Parish Facility Hire |
| Honouring Individuals | Prior to honouring any individual through the naming of a building, room, garden or some other place or the through the installation of a plaque, foundation stone or some other memorial, the Incumbent shall seek the approval of the Bishop. See also the reference to Faculty. Note also GEN-003 Policy on the Use of Names of Dishonoured Persons. |
| Insurance | All buildings and contents owned by the church are to be included in the Anglican Diocese of Grafton insurance policy. Updated details of insured property is be provided to the Insurance Officer insurance@graftondiocese.org.au at least annually. |
| Renting of church owned residence to another party | Refer to delegation provided under MUP-005 Parish Delegations |
| Requests to use church buildings | Requests may occasionally be received from ministers of other Christian traditions seeking the use of church buildings of the Diocese. Requests for the use of church buildings of the Diocese from ministers of other Christian traditions should be discussed with the Bishop. Requests for use of church buildings of the Diocese from Civil Celebrants should not in ordinary circumstances be agreed to. However, if the Incumbent believes exceptional circumstances exist, the matter should be referred to the Bishop for determination. |
Publications
View Publications| North Coast Anglican | Contributions to the North Coast Anglican are to be sent to nca@graftondiocese.org.au It is preferred that text is sent as a Microsoft Word document and that a high resolution picture accompanies any NCA story. |
| Prayer Diary | Late in each calendar year, the Registry updates the Prayer Diary for the following year. Parish priests are encouraged to submit appropriate prayers and information relevant to the needs of the Ministry Unit. The Prayer Diary is an important aid to corporate prayer. |
| Year Book | The Year Book is an annual publication of the Diocese and is a snapshot in time. A Year Book relates to the period from 1 January to 31 December of the specified year and is published early in the following year. The Year Book shows officeholders as at 31 December. The Registry relies on all Parishes and organisations of the Diocese to provide information on changes to office bearers and other important information in a tiely manner. |
Records and Archives
View Records and Archives| Parish Records | Each Parish is required to maintain the following Registers: 1. Register of Services (for each church in the Parish) 2. Register of Marriages (as required by the Australian Government) 3. Registers of Baptisms, Admissions to Communion, Receptions, Confirmations Each Parish is required to keep Minute Books for the Parish Council (including the Annual General Meeting Minutes), and for any congregational committees. It is useful to retain two copies of special services and photographic records of special events in the life of the Parish. For further information refer to REG-003 Retention of Records |
| Archives | The Diocesan Archive is maintained by the Diocesan Archivist. Enquiries regarding material should be directed in writing to the Archivist via the Registry Office. Parishes are required to forward to the Registry for archiving any filled Registers and any other records worthy of preservation, including filled Parish Council Minute Books, and copies of special services (e.g. Confirmations, anniversaries, openings). Printed copies of photographs having possible historic significance should be retained as well as in electronic form. For further information refer to REG-003 Retention of Records |
| Enquiries – Baptism, Family History, etc. | In view of State legislation and other legal considerations, unless the entry is more than 80 years ago, response to inquiries should merely state that a person has received the ministrations of the Church (baptism, marriage or burial), the date on which it took place, and the name of the officiant, for further information refer to REG-003 Retention of Records. If in doubt contact the Registrar. |
Safe Ministry
View Safe Ministry| Bullying and Harassment | The policy and procedures relating to bullying and harassment are in GEN-004 Prevention of Bullying and Harassment |
| Code of Conduct – What is it? | The default code of conduct for churchworkers is GEN-002 Faithfulness in Service. |
| Code of Conduct – Who requires training? | Those who require training in the Code of Conduct Faithfulness in Service are those referred to in clause 79.1 of the Diocesan Governance Ordinance 2008 and those referred to in 4.1 of GEN-006 Background Checks and Minimum Training Requirements for Community Protection. Attachment A of GEN-006 is a useful quick guide. |
| Criminal Record Checks – Who requires this? | Those who require a Criminal Record Check are those referred to in 3.1 of GEN-006 Background Checks and Minimum Training Requirements for Community Protection. Attachment A of GEN-006 is a useful quick guide. |
| Grievances | The policy and procedures relating to the handling of grievances are in GEN-005 Grievances |
| Reporting Criminal Behaviour | All matters suspected of involving sexual abuse shall be reported as soon as practicable to the Diocese’s Director of Professional Standards (DPS) on 1800 370 757. If further reporting is required the DPS will advise. If the behaviour is suspected as criminal (but not sexual abuse) use GEN-007 Handling Suspected Misconduct for guidance. Policies & Procedures – Anglican Diocese of Grafton (graftondiocese.org.au) |
| Reporting Misconduct | If behaviour is suspected as misconduct but is not suspected as criminal behaviour, use GEN-007 for guidance. Policies & Procedures – Anglican Diocese of Grafton (graftondiocese.org.au) |
| Reporting Sexual Abuse | All matters suspected of involving sexual abuse shall be reported as soon as practicable to the Diocese’s Director of Professional Standards (DPS) on 1800 370 757. If further reporting is required the DPS will advise. |
| Safe Ministry Check – Who requires this? | Those who require a Safe Ministry Check are those referred to in 3.3 of GEN-006 Background Checks and Minimum Training Requirements for Community Protection. Attachment A of GEN-006 is a useful quick guide. |
| Safe Ministry Recordkeeping | Churchwardens are to ensure that records relating to safe ministry compliance are securely stored at the Parish and provided to the Registry so that Diocesan records can be maintained. Relevant procedures are GEN-006 Background Checks and Minimum Training Requirements for Community Protection and REG-003 Retention of Records. |
| Safe Ministry Training – Who requires this? | Those who require training in the Code of Conduct Faithfulness in Service are those referred to in 4.2 of GEN-006 Background Checks and Minimum Training Requirements for Community Protection. Attachment A of GEN-006 is a useful quick guide. |
| What to do with a plaque or dedication when the person is now dishonoured | The consideration of plaques, memorials and dedications where the person who is included in the plaque, memorial or dedication is now under scrutiny because of their behaviour or are now disgraced is guided by GEN-003 Policy for Use of Names of Dishonoured Persons |
| Working with Children Checks – Who requires this? | Those who require Working With Children Checks (WWCC) are those referred to in clause 79.1 of the Diocesan Governance Ordinance 2008 and those referred to in 3.2 of GEN-006 Background Checks and Minimum Training Requirements for Community Protection. Attachment A of GEN-006 is a useful quick guide. |
Stipended Lay Ministers
View Stipended Lay Ministers| Parental Leave | See the entry under Clergy – Parental Leave |
| Stipend | There are no prescribed stipend rates for Stipended Lay Ministers. Those seeking to make an appointment should obtain approval from the Bishop and Registrar for the stipend and working conditions. The decision on stipends and working conditions should take into account clergy conditions, National Employment Standards, Minimum Wage and Award Rates, and equity with comparable ministers. |
| Stipend Sacrifice/ Salary Sacrifice | See the entry under Clergy – Stipend Sacrifice/Salary Sacrifice |
Synod
View Synod| Parish representation at Synod | The membership of the Synod is covered by clause 43.2 of the Diocesan Governance Ordinance 2008. The representation from a parish is usually provided for by sub-clauses (c) (d) (f) and (g). |