The Presbyterian Church of New South Wales,
the Presbyterian Church of Victoria, the Presbyterian Church
of Queensland, the Presbyterian Church of South Australia,
the Presbyterian Church of Tasmania and the Presbyterian Church
of Western Australia, holding the same doctrine, government,
discipline, and form of worship, believing that it would be
for the glory of God and the advancement of His Kingdom that
they should form one Presbyterian Church, as hereinafter provided,
to be called the Presbyterian Church of Australia, and under
authority of Christ alone, the Head of the Church and Head
over all things to His Church, agree to unite on the following
basis and subject to the following articles to be subscribed
by the Moderators of the respective churches in their names
and on their behalf.
Basis of Union
I. The Supreme Standard of the united church
shall be the Word of God contained in the Scriptures of the
Old and New Testaments.
II. The Subordinate Standard of the united
church shall be the Westminster Confession of Faith, read
in the light of the following declaratory statement:-
1. That in regard to the doctrine of redemption as taught
in the subordinate standard, and in consistency therewith,
the love of God to all mankind, His gift of His Son to be
the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, and the
free offer of salvation to men without distinction on the
grounds of Christ's all sufficient sacrifice, are regarded
by this Church as vital to the Christian faith. And inasmuch
as the Christian faith rests upon, and the Christian consciousness
takes hold of, certain objective supernatural historic facts,
especially the incarnation, the atoning life and death, and
the resurrection and ascension of our Lord, and His bestowment
of His Holy Spirit, this Church regards those whom it admits
to the office of the Holy Ministry as pledged to give a chief
place in their teaching to these cardinal facts, and to the
message of redemption and reconciliation implied and manifested
in them.
2. That the doctrine of God's eternal decree,
including the doctrine of election to eternal life, is held
as defined in the Confession of Faith, Chapter III, Section
1., where it is expressly stated that according to this doctrine, "neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered
to the will of the creature, nor is the liberty or contingency
of second causes taken away, but rather established";
and further, that the said doctrine is held in connection
and harmony with the truth - that God is not willing that
any should perish, but that all should come to repentance,
that He has provided a salvation sufficient for all, and adapted
to all, and offered to all in the Gospel, and that every hearer
of the Gospel is responsible for his dealing with the free
and unrestricted offer of eternal life.
3. That while none are saved except through
the mediation of Christ and by the grace of the Holy Spirit,
Who worketh when and where and how it pleaseth Him; while
the duty of sending the Gospel to the heathen who are sunk
in ignorance, sin and misery is imperative; and while the
outward and ordinary means of salvation for those capable
of being called by the Word are the ordinances of the Gospel,
in accepting the subordinate standard it is not required to
be held that any who die in infancy are lost, or that God
may not extend His Grace to any who are without the pale of
ordinary means, as it may seem good in His sight.
4. That in holding and teaching, according
to the Confession of Faith, the corruption of man's nature
as fallen, this Church also maintains that there remains tokens
of man's greatness as created in the image of God, that he
possesses a knowledge of God and of duty - that he is responsible
for compliance with the moral law and the call of the Gospel,
and that, although unable without the aid of the Holy Spirit
to return to God unto salvation, he is yet capable of affections
and actions which of themselves are virtuous and praiseworthy.
5. That liberty of opinion is allowed on
matters in the subordinate standard not essential to the doctrine
therein taught, the Church guarding against the abuse of this
liberty to the injury of its unity and peace.
6. That with regard to the doctrine of the
civil magistrate and his authority and duty in the sphere
of religion, as taught in the subordinate standard the church
holds that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only King and Head
of the Church, "and Head over all things of the Church,
which is His body." It disclaims, accordingly, intolerant
or persecuting principles and does not consider its office-bearers,
in subscribing the Confession, as committed to any principles
inconsistent with the liberty of conscience and the right
of private judgement, declaring in the words of the Confession
that "God alone is Lord of the conscience".
III. Any proposed revision or abridgment
of the subordinate standard of the Church, or restatement
of its doctrine, or change of
the formula, shall, before being adopted, be remitted to the
local assemblies, and through them to the presbyteries, and
no change shall be made without the consent of a majority
of the local assemblies, three-fifths of the presbyteries
of the whole Church, and a majority of three-fifths of the
members present when the final vote of the General Assembly
is taken.
IV. On any change being made in the Basis
of Union in accordance with Section III, if any congregation
thereupon refuses to acquiesce in the change and determines
to adhere to the original basis of union, the General Assembly
is empowered - (1) to allow such congregation to retain all
its congregational property; or (2) to deal in such other
way with the said property as to the Assembly may seem just
and equitable.
V. Any proposed change in either of the
two preceding Sections III and IV shall be made only under
the provisions contained in section III.
VI. Formula to be signed by ministers and
elders at their ordination or induction, and by probationers
on receiving licence:-
I own and accept the Subordinate Standard of this Church,
with the explanations given in the articles contained in the
declaratory statement, as an exhibition of the sense in which
I understand the Holy Scriptures, and as a confession of my
faith. I further own the purity of worship practised in this
Church, and the Presbyterian government thereof to be founded
on the Word of God, and agreeable thereto; and I promise that
through the Grace of God I shall firmly and constantly adhere
to the same, and to the utmost of my power shall in my station
assert, maintain, and defend the doctrine, worship and government
of this Church.
Articles of Agreement
I. There shall be a Supreme Court of the
Church, which shall be called the General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church of Australia.
II. The General Assembly shall meet in such
places as it shall itself determine, and it shall endeavour
to arrange the business so as to meet only once in two years,
but shall have power to meet oftener if found necessary; the
place and time of the first meeting to be fixed by the Federal
Assembly.
1903 Min.67 (1) 1916 Min. 68:1962 Min
122 (5)(c)
III. The General Assembly shall be representative,
and shall consist of an equal number of ministers and elders;
elected as hereinafter provided. Each State Assembly shall
elect one minister and one elder for every sixteen sanctioned
charges or portion thereof within its bounds. A State Assembly
may elect an alternate or alternates to take the place of
a member or members who may be unable to attend, provided
that any such change is certified by the Clerk of the State
Assembly to the Clerk of the General Assembly prior to the
opening of the General Assembly.
Each Presbytery shall elect one minister
and one elder (footnote 1) for every five sanctioned charges
or portion thereof within its bounds. A presbytery may accept
the resignation of a member or members who may be unable to
attend, and elect another member or members, or may appoint
alternates as in the case of State Assemblies, provided that
any such change is certified by the Clerk of Presbytery to
the Clerk of the General Assembly prior to the opening of
the General Assembly.
Conveners of the General Assembly committees
in presenting their reports, the office-bearers holding General
Assembly appointments, such as the General Secretary and the
Assistant Secretary of the Board of Missions, the Superintendent
of the Australian Inland Mission, and the Chaplain-General,
shall have all the rights of members of the General Assembly
while the Assembly is discussing the report of their respective
committees, when they have not been elected members of the
General Assembly of Australia.
1909 Min. 51: 1928
IV. The General Assembly shall have functions legislative,
administrative, and judicial; supreme with respect to the
doctrine, worship and discipline of the Church, the missions
to the heathen, the training of students, the admission of
candidates to the ministry, the reception of ministers from
other churches, Christian Education, and home missions, and
the publication of a National Church Journal in so far as
hereinafter provided.
Min. 60,1964 Min.58 (3);1967 Min.22 (6)
(c) (i)
V. The judicial functions of the General Assembly in the cases
hereafter stated shall be delegated to a
Commission to be appointed at each ordinary meeting of the
General Assembly, and which shall be called the Judicial Commission
of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, and hereinafter is
called the judicial commission.
(a) The judicial commission shall hear all appeals to the
General Assembly of Australia from State Assemblies in cases
where a judicial process has been proposed, whether the decision
has been for or against proceeding by such process, or where
the decision on the case has been arrived at by a State Assembly
in the course of judicial process. The decision of the Judicial
Commission shall be final except in such cases where appeals
or references involve the interpretation of Doctrine. In cases
involving interpretation of Doctrine, the Judicial Commission
shall hear the case and come to a preliminary judgement, which
will not, however, take effect until it is reported to the
General Assembly by whom it may be affirmed, reversed, varied
or suspended. In this review, instead of a record of the case
the finding of the facts only by the Judicial Commission shall
be reported to the General Assembly, but the records shall
be laid upon the table of the Assembly. The Clerk of the Commission
shall be responsible for certifying and forwarding to the
Clerk of the General Assembly the preliminary judgement with
such documents as are necessary in the case. The members of
the Judicial Commission shall take no part in this review
by vote or otherwise in the General Assembly.
(b) The Judicial Commission shall also receive
and deal with all references from a State Assembly where a
judicial process has been proposed as above, or entered upon.
In all appeals or references the Commission shall have authority
to deal with the whole case so as to dispose of it finally,
subject to the above right of the General Assembly in cases
involving Doctrine.
(c) The Judicial Commission shall be summoned
to meet at a convenient time and place by the Moderator or
Acting-Moderator. The Chairman of the Judicial Commission
in each case shall be appointed by the Commission from among
its own members at its first sitting, and until such appointment
the Moderator or senior ex-Moderator present shall preside
and constitute the Commission. Every decision of the Commission
shall be deemed to be carried if a majority of the members
of the Commission voting vote in favour of it. The Chairman
shall have a deliberative, but no casting vote. If the voting
be equal the Chairman shall declare the motion lost. Where
a point of order is raised by any member of the Commission
the Chairman shall give a preliminary ruling which shall then
be put to, and determined by vote of, the Commission.
(d) The Judicial Commission shall consist
of 38 members, ministers and elders, 26 of whom shall be appointed
on the nomination of the State Assemblies - 8 by the Assembly
of Victoria, 8 by New South Wales, 4 by Queensland, 2 by Tasmania,
2 by South Australia and 2 by Western Australia, the remaining
12 by the General Assembly itself. Should an Assembly fail
to nominate the General Assembly shall appoint in its stead;
16 shall form a quorum.
(e) The prosecutors in any case, or the
appellants or respondents who plead at the bar of the Judicial
Commission shall not, if they are members of the Commission,
adjudicate in the case at any stage of the proceedings of
the Judicial Commission. By prosecutors, appellants or respondents
are to be understood those prosecuting or appealing or responding
on their behalf, or acting on behalf of the lower court.
VI.
(a) The General Assembly, at each ordinary
meeting, shall appoint a body of assessors, whose members
shall be other than the members of the judicial commission,
to assist any presbytery, or state assembly, which may seek
their aid in conducting any case involving a question of life
or doctrine.
(b) The request for such assistance shall
be made to the Moderator or Acting-Moderator, who shall appoint
the assessors from among the body of assessors. The number
of assessors so appointed shall not be less than three or
more than six. A certificate of appointment over the signature
of the Moderator or Acting-Moderator shall be deemed proof
of appointment.
VII. There shall be a Committee on Missions of the General
Assembly entitled the Committee for Australian Presbyterian
World Mission, formerly known as the Board of Missions and
Ecumenical Relations. It shall be the responsibility of the
Committee:
(a) To enunciate and carry through the Assembly's policy in
regard to the missionary service and outreach of the church
to peoples of other cultures and other countries;
(b) To enter on behalf of the Assembly,
into formal relationships and agreements with other churches
and mission bodies;
(c) To establish and maintain partnership
relationships with approved overseas churches;
(d) To establish relationships with overseas
Churches worldwide and, where useful and possible, to work
through them on behalf of the Assembly;
(e) To encourage at all levels of the church's
life, especially at the level of the congregation, an enlightened
and wholehearted personal commitment to the missionary task
of the church;
(f) To negotiate on behalf of the Assembly
with approved mission bodies and members of the Presbyterian
Church working with them to establish dual membership agreements
and to encourage support for our members so involved.
VIII. 1994 Min. 76 1997 Min.22(3)
1. There shall be a course of training the
ministry of Word and Sacrament as hereinafter in the Article
provided.
2. The General Assembly shall prescribe
the course of training, together with the prerequisites for
entry to the course.
3. The General Assembly shall appoint a
committee to be known as the College Committee, which shall
supervise the course of training. It shall admit candidates
for the ministry to the course of training, grade students
throughout the course, approve syllabi, conduct examinations
as necessary, and issue certificates on completion of the
course of training.
4. The State Assemblies shall administer
the course of training through the operation of such theological
halls or colleges as may be recognised from time to time by
the General Assembly.
5. Each State Assembly operating a theological
hall or college shall appoint professors or lecturers, together
with faculty and a committee to administer each such hall
or college.
6. The course of training shall consist
of a theological course, at degree standard, whose subjects
are prescribed in regulations approved by the General Assembly
after receiving advice from the College Committee .
7. A candidate for the ministry shall be
licensed only after such a candidate has been issued with
a certificate when all requirements have been met.
8. The Colleges/Halls the General Assembly
shall recognise for the training of candidates for the ministry
shall be the Queensland Presbyterian Theological Hall, the
NSW Presbyterian Theological Centre and the Victorian Presbyterian
Theological College..
1905 Min:41: 1967 Min. 22 (6) (a)
IX. Ministers from other denominations shall be admitted to
the United Church only by the General Assembly; those from
other Presbyterian Churches either by the General Assembly,
or by the State Assembly, or by such Committees as have the
power delegated to them, and in accordance with rules framed
so as to secure uniformity of method of admission. Ministers
of the Presbyterian Church of Australia who have undertaken
missionary service under the Board of Missions and have put
themselves under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the church
within which they are working and licentiates of the Presbyterian
Church of Australia who have undertaken missionary service
under the Board of Missions and have placed themselves under
the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the church within which
they are to work and received ordination at their hands, shall
be received immediately by such committee as has power delegated
to it, upon the presentation of a certificate of status from
the Church in which they have been serving and a certificate
of good conduct from the Board of Missions. (footnote 2)
1909 Min. 51
X. Reports of a full and definite kind shall be forwarded
to the General Assembly from each State Assembly on all matters
pertaining to the work and welfare of the Church, including
Home Mission, Sabbath Schools, and the State of Religion and
Morals; and it shall be the duty of the General Assembly to
consider these, and to issue recommendations, when that is
deemed advisable, with regard to them; the General Assembly
shall further be free, in conjunction with the State Assembly,
to originate new Home Mission Schemes, and to take such steps
as may be deemed advisable to raise money and otherwise assist
the Home Mission operations of the Church.
1905 Min. 41
XI. The state general assemblies shall retain their present
names, and their autonomy shall not be further interfered
with than is needful to give effect to the basis of union
and the articles of agreement.
XII. 1905 Min. 41
1. A fund shall be formed for the purposes
of defraying the working expenses of the General Assembly,
and such part of the travelling expenses of the members as
the General Assembly may from time to time determine, and
this fund shall be contributed to by the State Assembly in
such proportions as the General Assembly may from time to
time determine.
1920 Min. 65
2. It shall be lawful for the General Assembly, if it thinks
fit, to make or secure financial provision for the benefit
of Ministers of the Church incapacitated by age or infirmity,
and of the widows and orphans of deceased Ministers of the
Church, and without limiting the generality of the preceding
power to form a fund or funds for the said purposes or any
of them, and also to require Ministers of the Church to contribute
towards any such provision or fund, and to require congregations
or churches to contribute thereto in respect of Ministers
of such congregations or in the employment of such churches
connected therewith, and to determine the amount of contributions,
and also to legislate or pass regulations in respect of any
of the matters hereby authorised:
Provided that no Minister within the jurisdiction
of a State Assembly connected with or liable to join a Beneficiary
or Provident Fund thereof shall be required to contribute
to any financial provision or fund of the General Assembly
hereunder without the consent of the State Assembly.
1905 Min. 41
XIII. The articles of agreement may be altered or added to
from time to time, but not without the consent of the majority
of the presbyteries of the whole Church and a majority of
the state assemblies.
1957 Min. 168
XIV. The General Assembly at each ordinary meeting shall appoint
a Committee for the management and administration of the Missions
to the Jews whose duties and authority shall be from time
to time prescribed by rules, regulations or resolutions of
the Assembly and until otherwise prescribed shall subject
to review or instructions by the General Assembly be such
as the Jewish Mission Committee of the Assembly at present
performs and exercises.
1. In the exercise of powers conferred on
the General Assembly by Article IV of these Articles of Agreement,
the General Assembly may make rules and regulations from time
to time including but not limited to:
(a) standing orders for meetings of the
General Assembly;
(b) regulations for the establishment and
functioning of committees of the General Assembly;
(c) regulations regarding office-bearers
of the General Assembly; and
(d) rules for the exercise of discipline in the church.
2. The General Assembly may by separate
resolution or within such rules or regulations prescribe procedures
for the amendment repeal or replacement of specified rules
or regulations.
3. Whilst this Article expressly authorises
the making of rules and regulations by the General Assembly;
such power is regarded as inherent in the powers of the General
Assembly granted by Article IV and has at all times been exercised
by the General Assembly.
1957 Min. 168
XVI. The ecclesiastical authority as regards the nomination
discharge and control of Chaplains in the Naval, Military
and Air Services of the Commonwealth of Australia at home
or abroad is vested in the General Assembly which at each
ordinary meeting of the Assembly shall appoint a Defence Forces
Chaplaincy Committee with such constitution powers and duties
as the General Assembly may from time to time, by rule, regulation
or resolution prescribe.
The General Assembly may also delegate such
portions of its authority in the matter as it shall deem fit
to the Defence Forces Chaplaincy Committee of the Presbyterian
Churches in the several States of the Commonwealth (or any
of them) and co-operate with those Committees and the Assemblies
of Presbyterian Churches in the respective States in all matters
conducive to the satisfactory conduct and control of the work
of the chaplains.
1957 Min. 168
XVII. The General Assembly shall have authority to promote
and assist the social and religious welfare of immigrants
to Australia and the territories thereof and for these purposes
to co-operate with the Presbyterian Churches of the several
Australian states and Great Britain and Ireland, the Reformed
Churches of Europe, and such other Churches in those or other
countries as the General Assembly's Committee having authority
in the matter of immigration may, subject to review or instruction
by the General Assembly from time to time approve.
1957 Min. 168
XVIII. The General Assembly at each ordinary meeting shall
appoint a Committee to examine and report upon the methods
adopted by the Presbyterian Churches throughout the Commonwealth
for insurance against fire and other risks to buildings owned
or controlled by those Churches indemnity against such risks
and the reinstatement of buildings destroyed or damaged by
fire or other causes and to co-operate with the authorities
of such churches or any of them for union of interests joint
or federal control or mutual association in respect of any
of the matters aforesaid.
1967 Min. 22 (6) (c) (ii)
(a) The General Assembly at each ordinary meeting shall appoint
a Committee on a National Church Journal to manage the publication
of a National Presbyterian Journal according to regulations
to be enacted and amended from time to time by the General
Assembly.
1991 Min. 84
XIX. Only men shall be eligible for admission to the Ministry
of Word and Sacraments in the Presbyterian Church of Australia
and all rules and regulations of the Assembly and services
of Ordination shall be construed that reference therein to
ministers of the Word and Sacraments shall refer only to men.
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