Ninth Assembly Proposals 11-14

11. ASSOCIATION OF PERSONS WITH THE ASSEMBLY (Business Committee)

That the Assembly associate the following persons with the Assembly for the business as listed, with the right to speak but not vote:

(a) Ecumenical guests

(i) from other Australian churches and the National Council of Churches in Australia, for the whole of the Assembly:
(names to come)

(ii) from overseas churches and from international ecumenical bodies, for the whole of the Assembly:
(names to come)

(b) persons who will assist in resourcing the Assembly:
· Jill Tabart, for the whole of the Assembly;
· John Adams, for the business of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress and Covenanting and related business;
· Bubsy Arulampalam, John Barr, Robin Boyd, Rob Gallacher, Laurie Fitzgerald and Julie Woolcock for the report of Unity and International Mission and related business;
· May Chang, for the report of National Finance and related business;
· Philip Creed, for the report of Uniting Education and related business;
· Rod Dungan, for the report of Uniting Education and business relating to children's and youth ministry;
· Bob Macintosh and Bill Reddin, for the report of Defence Force Chaplaincy and related business;
· Anita Monro, for the reports of Coolamon College and Gospel and Gender and related business;
· Stephen Pearson, for the report of National Finance and related business;
· Ruth Powell, for the report of the Strategic Planning Unit and related business;
· Brian Robins, for the reports of the Facilitation Group and related business;
· Laurie Turner, for the report of the Beneficiary Fund and related business;
· Rosemary Young, for the report of Frontier Services and related business.
(further names to come)

12. COMPOSITION OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE (Standing Committee)

That the Assembly determine that the elected membership of the Standing Committee shall include:
· at least two persons 25 years or under;
· no fewer than eight women and no fewer than eight men;
· at least two persons recognised by Multicultural Ministry as being among the migrant-ethnic members of the Assembly, at least one of whom shall be a lay-person.

Rationale:
Approval of this proposal will ensure that within the membership of Standing Committee there is a balance in age, gender and ethnicity. Note that the Regulations provide for ministerial/lay balance, representation from all synods, and for the ex-officio membership of the two national leaders of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress. See also report E1 paragraphs 2.1 and 2.2.

13. RECEIPT OF OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS (General Secretary)

That the Assembly receive the listing of official communications to the Ninth Assembly, as presented by the General Secretary.

Rationale:
While synods and presbyteries are able to submit proposals for the consideration of the Assembly, some choose to make comments rather than advance specific proposals. These comments form the main component of the official communications, which can be found in section H of the working papers. The General Secretary may also choose to summarise in section H comments received from other councils of the church or from church members, which they wish conveyed to the Assembly.

14. APPLICATION OF CONSTITUTION CLAUSE 39 (Standing Committee)

That the Assembly adopt the following process concerning the operation of Constitution clause 39 for each meeting of the Assembly and the Assembly Standing Committee:

1. At the commencement of each meeting of the Assembly-in-session, the attention of members should be drawn to Clause 39 of the Constitution. The Business Committee may indicate its view on what agenda items could potentially be deemed to be matters "vital to the life of the Church".

2. In the course of the Assembly's consideration of its business the question as to whether the matters before it are considered "vital to the life of the church" shall be asked. The initiative in raising the question may be taken by the Business Committee, the President, the General Secretary, or any member of the Assembly.

3. If the Assembly determines by the required two thirds majority that it deems a particular matter before it to be "vital to the life of the Church", then the Assembly, before that meeting closes, shall determine:
· which other sectors of the church shall be approached for concurrence (synods and/or presbyteries and/or congregations);
· the time-frame for its seeking of concurrence;
· what action will be taken, if any, prior to the response of those councils;
· what action will be taken if concurrence is not obtained (eg. reconsideration by the next Assembly; authorisation of the Standing Committee to act as it sees fit; implementation of the decision notwithstanding the lack of concurrence).

4. The question whether a matter is considered to be vital to the life of the Church may be decided at the time when the Assembly is considering and making a decision concerning the substantive matter or at any time before that meeting of the Assembly concludes.

5. If a decision is not made on the question at the time when the substantive matter is decided by the Assembly, the decision on the substantive matter shall be a provisional decision. The decision shall cease to be provisional at the conclusion of the meeting of the Assembly unless the Assembly in the meantime has decided that it deems the matter to be vital to the life of the Church.

Rationale:
See report C6, section 4.

As a commentary on this process Standing Committee adds the following notes:

A. The question is not "Is this a matter which should be referred to synods and/or presbyteries and/or congregations?" but "Is this a matter vital to the life of the Church?"

B. Matters on which the question might be raised include doctrine, worship, government, discipline, mission, ecumenism, polity and any matter which might prejudice the unity of the church.

C. The Assembly-in-session, in considering whether it deems a matter to be "vital to the life of the Church", and in considering from which sectors of the church it shall seek concurrence, may take into account:
· whether the matter requires amendment of the Constitution, and is therefore a matter which under clause 72 requires the approval of a majority of synods and of two thirds of presbyteries;
· the results of any consultation with sectors of the church prior to the matter being considered by the Assembly-in-session;
· whether the matter before the Assembly may be deemed to be inconsistent with clause 2 of the Constitution: "The Church, affirming that it belongs to the people of God on the way to the promised end, lives and works within the faith and unity of the one holy catholic and apostolic church, guided by its Basis of Union".

D. The Assembly Standing Committee, because of its powers under clause 47 of the Constitution, shall follow a similar process at each of its meetings.