Elders News

Decision to Ban Women from the Eldership
  
   The General Assembly of Australia meeting in Scots Church, Sydney, in September 2007 has voted to assume responsibility for controlling the qualifications for the ruling eldership. At the heart of the new rules is one that would restrict the eldership to men.

This is a momentous decision which has shocked many people and will almost certainly cause great consternation within the church. Many will opt to leave the church with the view that it has made itself into a sect.  Many others will feel that their hopes for the church have been cruelly dashed, particularly those who had hoped that a moderate Presbyterian Church could capture the vast middle ground in the Australian community who still acknowledge their religion as Christian but who rarely, if ever, attend church. The Presbyterian Church has simply cut itself off from the Australian community. It has chosen instead to present Christian belief for the 21st Century as something more appropriate for the 17th Century.

This decision is not yet final and it may never happen. The decision must go down to presbyteries and state assemblies for approval. The decision needs a majority approval from them. If congregations express their indignation in one way or another it can be a way of preventing the final decision which will need to be taken in 2010.

  For more detailed  information click here

What can you do?

    The key to stopping this decision is to let the wider church know of the extent to which you disapprove of the decision. Write to your Session and ask them to oppose it. Each congregation has an elder on presbytery. Find out who it is and let that person, as well as your minister know what you think. You may even like to consider letting them know what you will do if the decision becomes law in 2010.
If you are an elder, make yourself available to be assembly and/or presbytery elder, especially if the current elder supports the new rules. Certainly bring the matter up in session and convince your fellow elders to oppose it.

What are the proposed new rules?

The General Assembly of Australia is sending the following new rules down to presbyteries and state assemblies for approval.

1. Amend  article 2  of  the  Articles  of  Agreement  by  the  addition of a new paragraph (h) (with  subsequent  paragraphs  being  renumbered  accordingly);
(h) the admission  of  persons  to  the  eldership;’

2. Add a new article to be known as Article 18 stating the following:
18. Regarding eldership in the Presbyterian Church of Australia:
(a) each congregation shall have elders elected by the communicants of the congregation through an election conducted by the session.
(b) each state shall encourage suitable training for and teaching about the eldership prior to the election of elders into the eldership. Such training should include, among other things, appropriate training in the doctrine of the Church.
(c) the eldership shall be only open to suitably qualified men (1 Tim 2:13-15; 3:1-7) having attained the age of 21 years and having already played an active part in the life of the Church as communicants.’
(d) this  article does  not  affect  the  status  of  any  woman  elder ordained  to  the  eldership  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Australia  at  the  date  of  enactment  of  this  Article