Guidelines concerning congregations
outside the technical boundaries
of the Presbytery of Sydney
Approved at the Presbytery of Sydney meeting: 20/11/2001
Note: These guidelines for the ongoing work and decision making of the Pastoral Relations Committee concerning congregations outside the technical boundaries of the Presbytery.
1. The Presbytery operates on the general principle that Congregations should be in the geographic bounds of a Presbytery (i.e., if you are in the Presbytery of Sydney you work within the area of the Presbytery of Sydney)
2. The Presbytery recognises that for various reasons some Presbytery of Sydney congregations are presently located in Presbyteries, other than that of the Presbytery of Sydney.
3. The Presbytery encourages Presbytery of Sydney congregations which are outside our Presbytery to formally link with the geographic Presbytery in which they are located.
4. The Presbytery affirm the right of Presbytery of Sydney congregations outside the bounds of the Presbytery of Sydney to form their own Church Council, and encourages them to consider this option.
5. The Presbytery encourages all members of congregations which have custodial oversight of UCA properties (including congregations outside our boundaries), to build relationships with the members of the UCA mono-cultural congregations which share their property, and also encourages the members of our mono-cultural congregations to intentionally seek to build relationships with members of the congregations with whom they share the property.
6. The Presbytery of Sydney adopts as policy that it will not establish any further congregations outside the geographic boundaries of the Presbytery of Sydney.
6.1 The Presbytery of Sydney adopts as policy that if any congregations have custodial and financial responsibilities for UCA properties both within and outside Sydney Presbytery boundaries such congregations will ensure that they are accountable and that there is/are duly authorised representative/s available within the bounds of the Presbytery of Sydney.
6.2 The above policy does not prevent separate congregations of the same or similar migrant ethnic groups from forming an appropriate network(s) of congregations within the Synod or Nationally. These networks are to be viewed as a far looser arrangement than any formal connection of congregations as envisaged in Reg. 3.1.3.
My Documents\guidelines\boundaries
