Uniting Church Australia protocol

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Uniting Church (Australia) Protocol

At the time of publication in 2004, the UCA protocol consisted of two sections: the 2001 Policy on Sexual Misconduct and the section of the church regulations which deal with discipline of clergy and church workers. Both are available here. In brief, a complaint is assessed according to the Policy by the Synod Sexual Misconduct Complaints Committee, and if substantiated, the SSMCC makes recommendations to the Committee for Discipline, who then applies discipline to the church worker according to the Regulations. Each state is administered by a different Synod, and hence a different committee.

To view the Policy, click here

To view the Regulations, click here.

(Note: these are pdf files, so you will need to have a pdf reader on your device.)

The Uniting Church also has a separate Code of Ethics for "ministers" (which covers Community Ministers, Deacons, Deaconesses, Lay Pastors, Ministers of the Word and Youth Workers). Of particular note is section 4.4, which specifies how ministers should behave if they begin to feel attachment to someone in their pastoral care. To view the Code of Ethics, click here.

All these files are from the 2004 edition of the Regulations and were correct at the time they were provided (Sep 2004). If you wish to press a complaint through the Uniting Church, it is strongly recommended that you contact them for the most recent version. This version is left here for historical reference.

My thanks to Terence Corkin, Assembly General Secretary, and the Uniting Church National Assembly for supplying the files and permission to reproduce them.

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