Jan 30, 2012
A CODE OF ETHICS
for
ELDERS AT ST STEPHEN’S UC
DRAFT 3 As adopted at the April 2011 Meeting of the Council of
Elders (Church Council)
A Code of Ethics for Elders at St Stephen’s Uniting Church in
Toowoomba has been developed, with significant inputs from Elder
deliberations and the Uniting Church in Australia’s own Code of
Ethics and Ministry Practice (see the UCA’s Constitution and
Regulations [2008 Edition]). Many of the items below have been
taken, in ‘as is’ or revised form, from the UCA’s Code of Ethics
and Ministry Practice.
A.
Personal Qualities and Behaviours
Elders shall:
-
Display
– A
commitment to principles of equality, fairness and
justice; Honesty;Integrity;Humility;
- Maintain
their spiritual and emotional health;
- Give
adequate priority to their relationships with their
family;
-
Carry
out duties of Elders conscientiously and in a timely manner;
and
- Nurture
personal relationships which assist them in their
wholeness.
B.
Foundations of Elder Role Performance
Elders shall seek to exercise spiritual oversight:
- Through
faith in Jesus Christ and relying on the power of the Holy
Spirit;
-
Within
the faith of the Church, guided by the Basis of Union;
-
By being nourished and guided by ongoing study, including the study
of Scripture;
- Through
announcing the Good News in Christ to those outside the community
of faith;
-
In a mutual manner, offering pastoral care and nurturing people in
faith and recognising and valuing other people’s gifts;
-
By
striving for peace, justice and unity among all Christian
people;
-
By respecting the guidance and decisions of the Councils of the
Church;
- Within the
discipline of the Church;
-
By accepting the theological validity of the commissioning or
ordaining of both women and men for ministry and
leadership;
-
By upholding the theological and liturgical tradition of the Church
as stated in the Basis of Union; and
-
By attending worship at St Stephen’s, unless health problems
prevent them from doing so.
Elders shall exercise pastoral oversight in a manner that
expresses:
- Commitment
to God
- Inclusiveness of the
Gospel;
-
Accountability
- by not
seeking to meet their personal needs through the pastoral
relationship;
- by
recognising and observing clear boundaries in pastoral
relationships;
- by
respecting and showing sensitivity to, and reverence for,
others;
- by
maintaining confidentiality;
- by
not resorting to an abuse of power;
- by encouraging members of
the Congregation to identify and use their
talents and gifts; and
-
through a commitment to justice.
C.
Relationships
Elders shall display:
- A deep and
abiding respect of others, demonstrated by unconditional love,
compassion and acceptance;
- A commitment
to offering the best care possible for others, with an emphasis on
inclusiveness;
-
Sensitivity to, and a high degree of tolerance of, people’s
different physical, psychological and social needs and cultural
differences coupled with a slowness to be judgmental;
-
A
sensitivity to ways of relating to people of different
cultures;
-
A preparedness to seek mutual understanding through
negotiation;
- A readiness
to affirm achievements and qualities in others;
-
A commitment to active listening;
-
A sense of genuine trust and trustworthiness, especially in
relation to other decision makers within the Church;
- A
recognition of the power inherent within their roles and a
commitment to not using this power in a manner which is abusive or
unprofessional;
-
A
commitment to dealing appropriately in pastoral relationships with
emotional and spiritual needs;
-
A preparedness to end a pastoral relationship when it is not
beneficial for the other person and/or seek assistance where the
help needed is outside their competence; and
-
An
openness to challenge and correction from colleagues.
D.
Performance of Role of Elder
(a) Teaching and
Learning
Elders shall:
- Undertake
continuing education appropriate to their role;
-
Promote, participate in and actively contribute to, Christian
education and spiritual development within the
Congregation;
- Contribute
in significant ways to the spiritual oversight of the
Congregation;
-
Advocate and support the notion of the Congregation as a learning
community in spiritual matters;
-
Show a willingness to extend personal and collective faith
journeys;
- Seek the
truth;
-
Offer appropriate Christian teaching; and
- Accurately
represent opposing views.
(b)
Confidentiality
Elders shall:
- Not breach
confidentiality where information has been designated
confidential;
- Not share
written or spoken information about an individual with other people
or use it for a purpose other than that for which it was
collected;
-
In the context of a pastoral relationship, take care to discuss the
nature and limits of their confidentiality with another person, and
seek permission, if needed, to share the information with relevant
other persons, e.g., minister, Life Line, etc;
- Treat
information received in the context of a pastoral relationship as
confidential unless:
- the
person gives permission for the particular disclosure;
-
retaining such information would result in significant physical,
emotional or sexual harm to another person or persons;
-
required by law to disclose it;
-
disclosure is necessary to prevent financial loss to another person
due to fraud, dishonesty or where undue hardship might result;
and
- Not seek to
gain sensitive or confidential information to which they are not
entitled or which would require another person to breach a
confidence.
(c) Particular Relationships
A particular relationship refers to a close personal relationship
between an Elder and another person such as: (i) a very close
personal relationship; (ii) a close family relationship; (iii) a
marriage; (iv) a relationship that is being
romanticised.
Elders shall:
- Be aware
that personal and professional relationships may affect pastoral
relationships;
-
Recognise those particular relationships that it is inappropriate
to continue on in, in a pastoral relationship;
-
Disclose the particular relationship that has developed, or is
developing, in the context of a pastoral relationship, to an
appropriate officer of the Church, e.g.,
Minister;
-
Not be the sole provider of pastoral care where particular
relationships exist; and
-
Usually, cease a pastoral relationship in order to enter a
particular relationship. (N.B.: As in point 3 above, any particular
relationship entered into, where a pastoral relationship exists,
should be disclosed to the appropriate officer.)
(d) Gifts and
Fees
Elders shall:
- Not seek
financial gain for themselves or their families from a pastoral
relationship beyond recognised fees and entitlements;
- Use
discretion concerning the acceptance or return of gifts by
considering the intent and affordability of the gift and whether
there is a risk of the Elder being compromised or losing
objectivity; and
- Examine the
appropriate use of a gift to benefit the community of faith where a
gift has been accepted to satisfy cultural traditions.
(e) Relationship
with the Law
Elders shall:
- Inform the
Elders’ Council of any matter which may lead to legal action
against the Minister and/or the Church;
-
Inform the appropriate civil authority of any matter which may lead
to legal action against the Minister and/or the Church;
and
- Not
deliberately break the law or encourage another to do so except in
circumstances of political resistance or civil
disobedience.
(f) Working
with Another Institution or Profession
Elders shall:
- Make
themselves aware of the Codes of Ethics or similar guidelines in
other institutions where they may serve, e.g., Hospitals, prisons,
etc;
-
Abide by those codes of Ethics adopted by those institutions;
and
-
Inform all parties of any conflicts across Codes of Ethics and seek
resolution of these conflicts.
Minor amendment made in line with the April
decision and approved for distribution by Minister & Elders Chair
Rev Andrew Gillies 27-Sep-11