Executive of the General Council For Action April 28 – May 1, 2006

Title: LAY PRESIDENCY AT THE Origin: The Permanent Committee on Ministry and Employment Policies and Services

SUMMARY

Task The General Council Executive mandated a task group "to review, consider and make recommendations related to The Sacraments in Ministry Together: A Report on Ministry for the 21st Century, taking particular note of concerns raised at the Council, namely, the implications of the reports recommendations for ecumenical relations, and the implications of the report's recommendations for the United Church's understanding of ministry (Ordered, Designated, Laity).” The Task Group, in the process, considered the petitions bearing on this matter which were submitted to the 38th General Council.

Scope This report attends to matters that bear upon United Church of Canada polity, a practise of ministry and the administration of the sacraments. It keeps in mind the ongoing discussion within the United Church about forms of recognized ministry and brings it to focus on the issue of presidency at the sacraments

Process The Task Group considered the following items: Resolution 9 from the 37th General Council 2000, an Opinion from the General Secretary February 16, 2005, responses from questions posed to Conference Executives, and relevant Petitions received at 38th General Council. It asked for and received the views of Conference Executives and our ecumenical partners. Finally it pondered what the United Church needs to discern about polity, ministry and sacramental presidency, concluding its study with recommendations for a course of action.

Conclusions Ministry is shared throughout the United Church. Upon the baptized and those received into full communion rests a commitment to ministry that informs the discipleship of the laos, the whole people of God. The United Church acknowledges two sacraments: Baptism and The Lord's Supper (Holy Communion). Many conditions obtain for the sacraments to be rightly administered. Among them is the requirement of a presider, one who officiates. There is prevailing support for a policy whereby, under certain conditions, laypersons would be authorized to preside at the sacraments. The United Church has traditions both of setting persons apart for distinctive assignments and of setting sacraments apart as distinguishing ordinances. The Task Group proposed the establishment of such an office. It further proposed that this office be called Sacraments Elder.

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Primary Recommendations The Permanent Committee, Ministry and Employment Policies and Services recommends that:

1. General Council establish an office to be known as Sacraments Elder;

2. Presbyteries identify Pastoral Charges warranting an appointment of a Sacraments Elder, invite the commendation of an individual so to serve for up to twelve months (renewable), and assess those so named for their formation and accountability.

3. The General Secretary create a standard set of outcomes for the course for Sacraments Elders to be shared with Conferences for their use on their request.

4. General Council examine its policies for recruiting and retaining paid accountable ministers with a view to supplying sufficient ministry resources ordinarily licensed to administer the sacraments.

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FOCUS OF REPORT

This report attends to matters that bear upon United Church of Canada polity, a practise of ministry and the administration of the sacraments. It keeps in mind the ongoing discussion within the United Church about forms of recognized ministry and brings it to focus on the issue of presidency at the sacraments. It responds to an identified challenge. There are congregations which do not regularly have the opportunity to receive the sacraments because those ordered or licensed to administer sacraments are not positioned to do so. Recognizing presbytery’s responsibility to deal with this need, it is proposed that lay persons be designated to preside at the sacraments in places where presidency cannot otherwise be provided. It is to this proposal and its resolution that this report seeks to speak.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Following initial work in the former Division of Ministry Personnel and Education (including the mandating of a working group in 2001), the General Council Executive in 2002 created a Task Group to deliberate on Resolution 9 from the 37th General Council (2000) – the outcome of discussion on "Sacraments in Ministry Together : A Report on Ministry for the 21st Century". The first part of the resolution requests that congregations intentionally recognize the ministry of laypersons. The second part is specific to the sacraments declaring or requesting that:

“1.) the responsibility for congregational members to preside at the sacraments should rest with the Session or its equivalent; 2.) the responsibility for granting permission to lay leaders of Presbytery or Conference to preside at the sacraments should rest with the Presbytery or Conference; and 3.) the General Council provide or identify resource materials for Sessions regarding the administration of the sacraments similar to the resources provided for Lay Pastoral Ministers in Training.”

The Terms of Reference which the General Council Executive gave the Task Group were "to review, consider and make recommendations related to The Sacraments in Ministry Together: A Report on Ministry for the 21st Century, taking particular note of concerns raised at the Council, namely, the implications of the reports recommendations for ecumenical relations, and the implications of the report's recommendations for the United Church's understanding of ministry (Ordered, Designated, Laity).” The Task Group, in the process, considered the petitions bearing on this matter which were submitted to the 38th General Council.

THE TASK GROUP

Originally constituted by the General Council Pastoral Relations Committee with additional membership drawn from the Theology and Faith Committee, the Task Group's

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complement changed slightly over its three years. Its members, apart from General Council staff, came from those regions bounded by the Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta and Northwest Conferences. In 2003 it came under the authority of the Ministry and Employment Policies and Services Permanent Committee and met regularly two to three times a year in Winnipeg. The Task Group considered the material contained in the documents listed in the Appendix. It asked for and received the views of Conference Executives and our ecumenical partners. Finally it pondered what the United Church needs to discern about polity, ministry and sacramental presidency, concluding its study with recommendations for a course of action.

POLITY

The United Church of Canada is conciliar, meaning that its structural constitution belongs to councils that complement each other in governing the Church. Authority and responsibility reside in the General Council for determining doctrine and polity, in the Conferences for ordering and designating ministry, in the Presbyteries for ensuring accountability in ministry and in the Sessions (or comparable congregational courts) for overseeing the administration of the sacraments.

MINISTRY

Ministry is shared throughout the United Church. Upon the baptized and those received into full communion rests a commitment to ministry that informs the discipleship of the laos, the whole people of God. Diverse gifts are offered and recognized for the upbuilding of the local community of faith, for the church universal and for the world in which the church is set. Amidst the laos, the United Church, through call, discernment and preparation, identifies those whom it sets apart variously by (to Word, and Pastoral Care), commissioning (to Education, Service and Pastoral Care) and designation to particular functions. Ordained, Diaconal and Lay Pastoral Ministers comprise this group which is augmented by Lay Pastoral Ministers in Training, Student Interns, Candidate Supplies, Intern Supplies, Student Supplies and Diaconal Supplies.

SACRAMENTS

The United Church acknowledges two sacraments: Baptism and The Lord's Supper (Holy Communion). A range of theological images undergird the perception of the sacraments in the United Church. Baptism signifies God's grace by incorporating souls into a covenanted community to which they belong. Holy Communion variously quickens and mediates the dynamics of remembrance, celebration, covenant, renewal, atonement, pledge of the Messianic banquet, community and a political act. They are signs and seals of the covenant created by the life, death and resurrection of Christ. They are means of grace by which Christ quickens, strengthens and comforts faith. They are ordinances by which the United Church confesses Christ and is "visibly distinguished

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from the rest of the world". (Basis of Union). Their administration and observance call for signs of that distinction.

PRESIDENCY

Many conditions obtain for the sacraments to be rightly administered. Among them is the requirement of a presider, one who officiates. It is for the sake of order that the United Church grants authority to persons to preside. The presider signifies the ministries of Christ, the church universal and the assembled community.

AUTHORITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Authority to preside at sacraments in the United Church is granted ex officio to Ordained Ministers. Conferences regularly give licenses to administer the sacraments to Diaconal and Lay Pastoral Ministers and exceptionally to the other designated ministries. Conditions for the granting of such license are usually some form of covenanted ministry and engagement in paid accountable ministry and appropriate training. In the opinion of the General Secretary of the General Council : "The Session and Conference have separate and distinct responsibilities in relation to the Sacraments under our Polity…While the Conference determines who may administer the Sacraments, the Session determines when and how the Sacraments are to be administered within the Congregation."

AVAILABILITY OF MINISTRY PERSONNEL

The question of lay presidency at the sacraments arises when two expectations are not met:

1. That there will be sufficient ministry personnel available and positioned to administer the sacraments to all congregations 2. That congregations shall according to need, i.e., regularly and frequently, have access to the administration of the sacraments

It is evident that the United Church has either not recruited or not distributed ministry personnel to an extent sufficient to meet expressed needs. Ongoing reflection is necessary as the United Church continues to assess what is at stake in the matter of accessibility to the sacraments.

RESPONSE FROM CONFERENCE EXECUTIVES

The Task Group met (through the presence of one or other of its members) with each Conference Executive or a committee delegated to speak for it. The questions discussed

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are found in the Appendix of this report. The burden of the responses can be summarized in what follows:

All agree that in speaking about presidency we are dealing with both sacraments: Baptism and The Lord's Supper.

There is prevailing support for a policy whereby, under certain conditions, laypersons would be authorized to preside at the sacraments. If such a policy is adopted, a number of considerations need to be kept in mind. Some strongly articulated the view that, except in special and well-defined circumstances, it is the role of the ordained to preside. Discernment, training and support would be essential for lay presidency. Geography and related circumstance, i.e., practical necessity, rather than theological warrant move us in this direction. The qualifications and attributes of the presider need to be clearly defined. The way in which the presider was representative of and accountable to both the local community and the wider church would need to be articulated.

The expressed need for accessibility to the sacraments exists in every community of faith and the United Church is responsible to see that this need is met. There is concern not to erode the ordering of ministry or to become indiscriminate in altering sacramental practice.

The presider would be expected to be educated about and prepare persons for the sacraments, especially with reference to baptism where follow-up could also be required.

There is an historical link between sacrament and office. The office requires call, discernment with the community, training and designation by the appropriate court. The office of elder is part of our tradition and should be examined as a model. The name of the office is open to decision, Lay Presider being one of the options.

In several Conferences the question of lay presidency is a priority. In others it is not but reckoned likely to become so. The discussion of the question will have educational value and its resolution, for some, will likely be divisive.

ECUMENICAL RELATIONS

The Task Group issued invitations to the Presbyterian, Evangelical Lutheran and Anglican Churches in Canada to share the response of their denominations to the idea of lay presidency. The Rev. Dr. Alyson Barnett-Cowan, Director of Faith and Worship of the Anglican Church and The Rev. Susan Shaffer, Associate Secretary for Ministry and Church Vocations of the Presbyterian Church were able to answer the invitation. Each brought a response to the draft report, shared the present practice of her denomination and reflected on the relations between her denomination and the United Church as the recommendations of the draft report would affect them.

Both denominations share with the United Church the dilemma of providing sacraments to congregations geographically isolated and without ordained clergy. In both

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denominations “ordination” remains a prerequisite for the presider at the . Neither denomination sees at this time a necessity for empowering lay presidency at the sacraments. Apostolic tradition and good order are key. The promotion of shared ministries is seen as one solution to the shortage of ordained personnel.

An Anglican Congregation may “raise up” a local person deemed suitable and able to be prepared theologically to lead in word and sacrament in his or her own parish and to be “ordained” by the local bishop to this non-stipendiary position. It is not usually transferable to another parish. There is also the option of the reserved sacrament. A layperson can preside at baptism.

In Presbyterian congregations without convenanted ordained clergy the sacraments are presided over by retired ordained clergy or by the interim moderator (the supervising ordained clergy) “Ordained “ is the only category of ordered ministry in the Presbyterian Church. The Presbyterian Church considered the question of lay presidency at its annual General Assembly two or three years ago at which time the proposal was defeated.

A recommendation for lay presidency in the United Church would not be detrimental to ecumenical relations with the Presbyterian Church. It would likely add to the theological gap in the recently revived Anglican/United Church dialogue and would not be an acceptable arrangement in shared ministries. The use of the term 'elder' for the proposed office would have no corresponding referent in the Anglican Church. In the Presbyterian Church elders are ordained to leadership in worship (not including presidency at the sacraments) and in the governance of the local church.

As well as this face to face consultation the Task Group had researched through readings the practices of other denominations. In the Presbyterian Church in Canada (as has been noted), Scotland and Ireland only the ordained have this authority. In the Presbyterian Church and the United Church of Christ in the United States, local elders and lay members preside at the sacraments. Methodists in the United States and the United Kingdom have ordained elders and have granted dispensations to deacons to preside in circumstances where an ordained in not available. If the United Church authorizes lay presidency, it will conform to ecclesial practice in some sister denominations and depart from it in others.

TASK GROUP PERSPECTIVES

The practice of sacramental rites is a discipline critical to the identity of the United Church. It is incumbent on the United Church to see to the ordinary and regular provision of them. Through a lack of authorized persons, under current dispensations, so situated as to provide the sacraments, an apparently increasing number of congregations are constrained either to go without sacramental observance or to find it infrequently granted. A way of meeting this want is to authorize laypersons, under specified conditions, to preside at these rites. The United Church has traditions both of setting persons apart for distinctive assignments and of setting sacraments apart as distinguishing ordinances. It would constructively act on this heritage in finding a way to establish an extraordinary

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office which would at once signify the sanctity of the sacraments and meet the pressing need to provide them where otherwise they would of necessity go without administration.

The Task Group proposed the establishment of such an office. It further proposed that this office be called Sacraments Elder. The term elder belongs to the Reformed tradition and to the history of the United Church, signifying a role that bears responsibility in matters of spiritual care and governance. The term sacraments refers to the particular function to which this office will be called to attend.

Elders walk with a wisdom, spiritual stature and compassion that guide a community. The biblical elders of Israel held authority to make decisions and to lead. New Testament elders distributed relief and directed young communities. In our Reformed Church history Elders were elected to the Session, and often cared for a district of the congregation for life. Elders visited church households to extend spiritual care and were highly regarded for their confidentiality. They distributed cards for the quarterly observance of communion at which they stood with the ordained minister. In First Nations’ heritage, elders are those invested with governance, community memory and moral leadership. In all cases, elders are by character open to spiritual growth personally and in their communities, and are expected to give stability and guidance in times of change.

Elders are defined in The Manual as persons chosen for their wisdom, caring, spiritual discernment, and other gifts of the Spirit. Currently most congregations specify the duration of a term of commitment. This proposed extraordinary office of Sacraments Elder calls upon those graces to inform a function, that of the careful ordering of sacraments, for a time-limited period. We offer this term confident in an historical characterization that will inform this purpose and carry the responsibility with justice, kindness and walking humbly with our God.

Lay Presider, another candidate as a name for the office, was reckoned to be imprecise as to function and more problematic in terms of ecumenical sensibilities. It remains to be recognized, nevertheless, that the proposed office and function does not have precedent in our tradition and that its creation will not remove from us the responsibility to continue to consider whether the challenge of making the sacraments more accessible can be met in a more appropriate way.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

The Permanent Committee, Ministry and Employment Policies and Services recommends that:

1. General Council establish an office to be known as Sacraments Elder;

2. a. Presbyteries identify Pastoral Charges without a regularly settled or appointed member of the Order of Ministry or an appointed Lay Pastoral Minister;

b. Presbyteries may invite such Pastoral Charges to commend a person for the office of Sacraments Elder;

c. Presbyteries assess those so named and provide for their formation and accountability;

d. Presbyteries direct such Pastoral Charges to apply to the appropriate Conference for a license to administer the sacraments to be granted to those named as a Sacraments Elder;

3. Pastoral Charges, upon invitation by a Presbytery, may discern those who are perceived suitable from within their membership for the office of Sacraments Elder and commend them to Presbytery to be so designated;

4. Conferences consider applications from Presbyteries to grant a license to a Sacraments Elder to preside at the sacraments within a particular Pastoral Charge.

5. The General Secretary create a standard set of outcomes for the course for Sacraments Elders to be shared with Conferences for their use on their request.

IMPLEMENTATION RECOMMENDATIONS

In order to implement the foregoing recommendations, the PC-MEPS further recommends that:

6. Those eligible to be discerned will demonstrate the characteristics of an elder as outlined in section 30 of The Manual and, if not a member of the Session, Church Council, Church Board or Official Board, will be so appointed to the appropriate body; (See Appendix # 5 - The Manual Section 30 and Appendix # 6 - Who May Preside)

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7. Presbyteries require any person they intend to designate as a Sacraments Elder to undertake a course of preparation as indicated in A Course of Preparation for a Sacraments Elder; (See Appendix # 7)

8. a. Presbyteries designate a Sacraments Elder to this office for twelve months or until an ordinarily licensed minister is covenanted with the Pastoral Charge;

b. Presbyteries, at their discretion and according to need, renew the designation;

9. General Council examine its policies for recruiting and retaining paid accountable ministers with a view to supplying sufficient ministry resources ordinarily licensed to administer the sacraments.

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APPENDIX ONE

Resolution 9, 37th General Council 2000

Resolution #9 − Ministry Together: A Report on Ministry for the 21st Century – Actions The Reading and Reporting Group #4 recommended that the recommendations contained in the Resolution be dealt with as separate resolutions.

Motion: Paul Currie/ Ken Jones That the 37th General Council approve receive the report of the Division of Ministry Personnel and Education, entitled Ministry Together: A Report on Ministry for the 21st Century, including and approve the following actions:

Motion to postpone: duly moved and seconded That the motion be postponed definitely. Carried

Resolution #9.1 – Ministries of the laity Motion: Jeri Bjornson/BJ Klassen a) that Congregations intentionally recognize ministries conducted by lay people (members and adherents) b) that The United Church of Canada, through the Division of Mission in Canada, provide resource materials and guidelines for developing congregational programs that will enable Congregations and members to discern the ministries of the laity and to devise methods of accountability for those ministries c) that The United Church of Canada provide worship resources for rituals celebrating the relationship between faith and life.

Motion to Amend: Tressa Brotsky/Adel Compton That the wording of part a) of Resolution #9.1 be changed to read as follows: a) that Congregations intentionally recognize ministries conducted by lay people (members and adherents) of all ages Carried

Motion to Amend: Bill Richardson/Marion Carr That the wording of part c) of Resolution #9.1 be changed to read as follows: c) that The United Church of Canada provide worship resources honouring and dedicating the various ministries of the laity, for rituals celebrating the relationship between faith and life.

Defeated

Motion to Amend: Kathy Kyle/Ruth Noble

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That the wording of part b) of Resolution #9.1 be changed to read: b) that The United Church of Canada, through the Division of Mission in Canada, provide resource materials and guidelines for developing congregational programs that will enable Congregations and members to discern the ministries of the laity. and to devise methods of accountability for those ministries

Defeated

Motion as Amended: b) a) that Congregations intentionally recognize ministries conducted by lay people (members and adherents) of all ages d) that The United Church of Canada, through the Division of Mission in Canada, provide resource materials and guidelines for developing congregational programs that will enable Congregations and members to discern the ministries of the laity and to devise methods of accountability for those ministries e) that The United Church of Canada provide worship resources for rituals celebrating the relationship between faith and life.

Carried

Resolution #9.2 – The Sacraments

Motion: Jeri Bjornson/BJ Klassen a) that the responsibility for granting permission for congregational leaders to preside at the sacraments of communion and baptism should rest with the Session (or its equivalent) in a Pastoral Charge as an extension of its responsibility to have oversight of 'the administration of the sacraments' [Basis of Union, Section 5.10.1(3)] b) that the responsibility for granting permission for Presbytery/District or Conference leaders to preside at the sacraments should rest with the Presbytery/District or Conference for those under its responsibility and authority. c) That the General Council, through the Division of Mission in Canada, provide or identify resource materials for Sessions re: the administration of the sacraments similar to those currently available to Lay Pastoral Ministers in Training.

Motion to Refer: Ian Richardson/Marjorie Kent That the motion be referred to the Division of Ministry Personnel and Education for further work in conjunction with the Committee on Theology and Faith, for presentation to the 38th General Council.

Carried

Resolution #9.3 – Guidelines for Courts of the church when considering those to administer the sacraments Motion: Jeri Bjornson/BJ Klassen That the person who is granted permission to administer the sacraments shall be someone who:

12 Executive of the General Council For Action April 28 – May 1, 2006 a) is a member of The United Church of Canada and a member in good standing of the Pastoral Charge, Presbytery/District, or Conference that is granting the responsibility b) has the respect of the community and has been proven trustworthy in leadership c) has a faith that they can articulate and that has been demonstrated in the community d) understands that the responsibility that they are undertaking is to fulfil a role in serving the community, is bringing access to the table, not excluding people from it e) is willing to be accountable to the Court that is entrusting them with this responsibility, and will act within the policies and guidelines of the Congregation and wider church f) is familiar with the polity and practices of The United Church of Canada, particularly regarding sacraments g) is willing to engage in reflection and education on the sacraments and the role and meaning of sacrament within the community of faith.

Motion to Amend: David Lambie/Greg Smith-Young to add the word “and” at the end of part a) through to part f)

Carried

APPENDIX TWO

Task Group Members: Mary Anderson Carolyn Conarroe Martha Dawson Gordon MacDermid (Chair) Catherine MacLean Deborah Vitt Alison West (MEPS) Debra Schweyer (until 2004) Alison Norberg (until 2003)

Staff Support: Carol Gierak Judith Hare Mark MacLean Joe Ramsay Julie Cameron Gray

APPENDIX THREE

Opinion from Jim Sinclair, General Secretary, General Council

February 16, 2005

RE: SACRAMENTS

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You asked for my opinion as to who holds the authority for the administration of the Sacraments within our Polity.

As you point out, Section 153(a) of The manual provides:

(a) It shall be the duty of the Session to have oversight of: . . . . . iii. the administration of the sacraments; (Basis 5.10.1(3)).

Section 427.1 of The Manual provides that it is the duty of the Conference to consider an application from the Presbytery to grant a licence to a Diaconal Minister [427.1(a)] and to other designated categories of Ministry Personnel [427.1(b)].

In my opinion, the Session and Conference have separate and distinct responsibilities in relation to the Sacraments under our Polity.

It is the Conference’s right and responsibility to decide who, within certain categories of Ministry Personnel, is eligible to administer the Sacraments. The Sacraments may only be administered by an ordained minister or by Ministry Personnel holding a licence which has been granted by the Conference.

The oversight of administration of the Sacraments is the responsibility of the Session. While the Conference determines who may administer the Sacraments, the Session determines when and how the Sacraments are to be administered within the Congregation. For example, the Session has the right of approval of all Baptisms conducted in the Congregation [Section 10 of The Manual]. The Session is entitled to decide how frequently the Sacrament of Communion is to be celebrated within the Congregation, and the specific manner in which it is to be observed. As part of its oversight function, the Session is responsible for ensuring that an ordained minister or other eligible person presides over the Baptism or Communion.

The Session will normally work in close consultation with the settled or appointed Ministry Personnel on all matters related to the administration of the Sacraments, but the actual decisions around administration of the Sacraments rest with the Session.

Yours very truly,

Jim Sinclair General Secretary, General Council

Cc: Conference Executive Secretaries Carol Gierak, Ministry Personnel Policy Specialist

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APPENDIX FOUR

Questions for Conference Executives

a. Do you agree or disagree with our understanding that we are dealing with both sacraments: baptism and Holy Communion?

b. In your conference would there be support for lay persons to preside at the sacraments? Why or why not?

c. How do we honour the theology and polity of the United Church and also creatively meet the current needs of the church regarding the sacraments?

d. Do we expect the lay person who is presiding at the sacraments to also preach, and do preparation for the sacraments and follow up, especially in relation to baptism?

e. What is the relationship of sacrament to office?

f. What is the priority of this question of presidency in your conference?

APPENDIX FIVE

Section 130, The Manual Elders. Elders are those persons of the Pastoral Charge or Congregation who are chosen by the Pastoral Charge or Congregation for their wisdom, caring, spiritual discernment, and other gifts of the Spirit, and to whom the responsibility of leadership amongst the whole people is entrusted as appropriate by and within a particular community of faith.

APPENDIX SIX

Who May Preside

That the person granted permission to preside: • is a member in good standing in the United Church • has the respect of the community • has a faith which can be articulated • is in essential agreement with the Basis of Union of the United Church of Canada • understands the responsibility being undertaken • is willing to be accountable and will act within the policies and the guidelines of the congregation and of the United Church • is familiar with the polity and the practice of The United Church of Canada

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• has engaged in reflections and education on the meaning of sacraments within the community as deemed appropriate (Appendix 14A of the Record of Proceedings 2000, GC 37)

APPENDIX SEVEN

A Course of Preparation for a Sacraments Elder This course will be appropriate to the candidate's background and experience, and will as far as possible include:

• the Biblical witness to the sacraments • theologies of sacrament, worship and polity • the United Church's teachings on baptism and Holy Communion • the structure of worship in the United Church, with attention to 'A Sunday Liturgy" and 'Celebrate God's Presence' • practical reflection on the art of presiding in consultation with an approved supervisor • reflection on the above issues in the context of the Sacraments Elder's own community

* (This course is a modified version of Guidelines on Lay Presidency at the Sacraments observed by the Uniting Church in Australia)

APPENDIX EIGHT

Petitions Received at 38th General Council Petition 97: Administration of the Sacraments Petition 100: Proposal for the Licensing for Celebration of Sacraments by Lay Pastoral Ministers Petition 103: Lay Administration of the Sacraments Petition 104: Administration of the Sacraments Petition 105: License to Preside At the Sacraments Petition 107: Licence for Sacraments Petition 108: Licensing for Celebration of Sacraments Petition 110: Licence to Administer the Sacraments Petition 111: License to Administer Sacraments Petition 112: Licences to Administer the Sacraments

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APPENDIX NINE

Resources

• Ministry Together : A Report on Ministry for the 21st Century (37th General Council)

• Theological, Historical and Contextual Considerations Regarding Presidency at the Sacraments - Rob Fennell

• Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry - WCC Faith and Order Papers #111

• Conference Policies Regarding Sacraments

• Eager for Worship - Charlotte Caron

• The Sacraments in Protestant Practice and Faith - James F. White

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