Appointment Processes & Draft Motions
The documents below provide the process to follow and draft motions to use at Congregational Meetings and Presbytery Meetings in employing the following:
Specialised Ministry Worker *(AMW)
Amending the Terms of Call or Appointment
*(AMW) NB:An individual must be suitably accredited by the Committee on Ministry Resourcing (CMR) prior to any appointment in a non-ordained position. The CMR Accreditation process is outlined in the last section of this page.
National Persons of Concern Register
A National Register was established in October 2024 under the Presbyterian Church of Australia’s National Safe Ministry Framework that confidentially records the names of individuals, including Ministers and employees of the Church, who are Persons of Concern.
Only the nominated employees of the Safe Church Units of the State Churches of the Presbyterian Church are permitted access to the National Register. Each of the State Churches of the Presbyterian Church is putting in place a National Register “checking process” whenever someone is being employed for the first time within their State Church. This will make sure that a person identified as a “Person of Concern” within the jurisdiction of one State cannot simply move to another State and take up a ministry placement or involvement within the Church.
Please complete the “National Register Check for Employment Within the PCQ” for any new PCQ employee.
National Register Check for Employment Within the PCQ
Accreditation Process
Before appointments of non-ordained ministry workers can be formally considered, proposed appointees must be approved by the Committee on Ministry Resourcing as Accredited Ministry Workers.The process for accreditation involves:
☐ Application (see Accredited Ministry Worker Application on PCQ Website)
☐ Session Reference
☐ Minister Reference
☐ Medical Certificate (if GP asks, same fitness as required for a High School Teacher)
☐ Evidence of PresSafe Compliance (current Blue Card, PresSafe Agreement, and PresSafe Training)
☐ Psychosexual Assessment (Arrange appointment at Heart in Mind with Dr J Andrews and request the invoice be sent to PCQ, “Attention: CMR Director”)
☐ Interview report for CMR (Interview generally involves representatives of both CMR and the Presbytery so the report can also be used by Presbytery for the subsequent appointment process)
The flowchart below outlines the process for accrediting and appointing Ministry Workers: