Two hundred and seventy Commissioners including 155 ministers and 115 Elders travelled from throughout NSW and the ACT to attend the 2008 NSW General Assembly at Stanwell Tops in July.

The annual meeting of the “Parliament” of the Church was held as a residential event for only the second time. Apart from debating matters of the Church, highlights included a Cross Cultural Multicultural Dinner organised by Cross Cultural Coordinator Mike Wilson, music groups and six-a-side soccer teams.

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The Assembly made the following decisions:

• Elected the Rev Bruce Meller, Ministry and Mission Superintendent, as its Moderator.
• Congratulated the Rev AR. Beaton, J.F. Broadhead and E. Hammo, Ministers Emeriti, on the 50th anniversary of their ordination to the ministry.
• Congratulated Mr. W. McLeod, Elder at St. Philip’s, Newcastle, on the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the eldership.
• Welcomed the following new ministers having been inducted into their first parishes, set apart for their first appointment in NSW or granted a seat by the Assembly for the first time-Rev. M.W. Deal (Wingham), M. Glanville (Tregear), M. Ham (Associate Minister at Gosford), D. Haley (Assistant to the Minister at St. Andrew’s, Newcastle), J. Lin (Assistant to the Minister at Burwood Chinese Presbyterian Church), R. Marsh (Defence Force Chaplain), B. Merchant (Grenfell), D. Powell (Associate Minister at Albury), T. Ravenhall (Young), P. Tamsett (Granville-Merrylands Home Mission Station) and N. Zakhary (Arabic Evangelical Toongabbie).
• Remembered the following former members of the Assembly who had passed away-Rev. C.M. Moulton, Minister Emeritus, F.G. Hollands, Minister Emeritus, Messrs R. Beasley, former Assembly Elder, H.I.M. MacFarlane, A.M., former General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in NSW, J.C. Mackillop, O.A.M., former employee of Church Offices and Assembly Elder.

• Appointed a committee to outline the role and responsibilities of the office of Moderator.
• Expressed its thanks to the Rt. Rev. David Seaman for his work as Moderator in 2007-2008 and to Mrs. Alison Seaman for her support in ministry.
• Heard three expositions on Matthew’s Gospel from the Rev. Paul Sheely, Collegiate Minister at Dubbo.
• Set the Basic Stipend at $41,290p.a. as from 1 January, 2009 and the Travelling Allowances from 1 August, 2008.
• Cautioned all ministry personnel (ministers, deaconesses, home missionaries and others utilizing Fringe Benefits provisions) that in determining income for Parenting Payments purposes Centrelink requires all Fringe Benefits to be declared.
• Required all ministers in respect of their present incumbency and each previous incumbency, to make a binding declaration of their intentions concerning their entitlements under S.16 of the Property Trust Act.
• Renamed the Presbytery of Dubbo as the Presbytery of the Central West; the Presbytery of the Murrumbidgee the Presbytery of the Riverina; and the Presbytery of Bathurst the Presbytery of the Central Tablelands.
• Changed the boundaries of the Presbytery of the Hawkesbury so that Castle Hill becomes part of the Presbytery of Sydney North; Camden, Campbelltown, Ingleburn and Liverpool become part of the Presbytery of Sydney South; and Wollondilly part of the Presbytery of Illawarra.
• Encourage presbyteries, if called upon to respond to accusations of moral failure involving ministers, to seek advice from the Clerk of Assembly; the Law Agent; the Director, Child Protection Unit; and/or the Superintendent or Associate Superintendent of Ministry and Mission as appropriate.
• Encourage sessions, if called upon to respond to accusations of moral failure involving elders or other church leaders, to seek advice from the Clerk of Assembly; the Law Agent; the Director, Child Protection Unit; and/or the Superintendent or Associate Superintendent of Ministry and Mission as appropriate.
• Requested the Ministry and Mission Committee to conduct ‘exit interviews’ where possible, with all ordained ministers who leave parish ministry in NSW, and present a summary of findings in their annual report to the Assembly including recommendations relevant to the training and support of ministers.
• Acknowledge the hard work of the Ministry and Mission Committee and its staff in their care and support of ministers and home missionaries and express its thanks and appreciation of their work.
• Gave thanks to God for the work of the Presbyterian Women’s Association of Australia in New South Wales and encouraged ministers and sessions to support and encourage the work of the PWA in their charges in its many aspects.
• Appointed the executive of the Elder’s Association.
• Deferred consideration of the remit from the General Assembly of Australia on persons eligible for the eldership to the 2009 General Assembly.
• Requested the Theological Education Committee to produce a report for the 2009 Assembly reviewing the content of the course of training for candidates, in consultation with the College Committee if necessary, including a survey of all ordained ministers in NSW (with a particular focus on those ordained in the past 10 years) regarding their assessment of the match of their course of training to their ministry role.
• Had a night of multicultural celebration on the Wednesday night of the Assembly.
• Gave thanks to God for the faithful persevering service of the Rev. Dr. Paul Logan in fulfilling the duties of Clerk/Deputy Clerk of the Assembly for 30 years since 1978.
• Affirmed, as an ongoing goal of the Church, an integrated process for developing understanding of the Christian faith and skills for the service of the Lord Jesus Christ in a manner appropriate to the age and abilities of all people within the Presbyterian Church in NSW and the ACT.
• Assigned to Presbyterian Youth responsibility for reviewing and recommending appropriate material for use in Sunday Schools, Special Religious Education (SRE), Vacation Bible Schools, Kids Clubs and Youth Groups and for providing relevant training to persons involved in leadership or presentation of these activities.
• Authorised Presbyterian Youth to co-ordinate SRE activities through ICCOREIS, Gener8 and other forums.
• Appointed a special committee to develop and overview of present women’s ministries and potential additional women’s ministries within the Church and to report to the Assembly in 2009 on mechanisms to support and integrate these ministries.
• Thanked and discharged the Committee on the Integration of Leadership and Training.
• Instructed Presbyterian Youth to review its constitution in consultation with the Code Committee and report to the 2009 General Assembly.
• Sent an overture on a rewrite of Chapter 9 of The Code on Assembly Committees to presbyteries for consideration and report.
• Resolved that the standing committees should not meet in the next 12 months.
• Determined that the Historical Records and Library Committee be a sub-committee of the Business Committee, such that responsibility for administration, financing and reporting shall rest with the Business Committee and withdrew the regulations of the Historical Records and Library Committee.
• Noted the report of the General Mission Programme and in particular that no mandatory assessment is being recommended at this time and that the current system of voluntary giving be maintained for the calendar years 2008, 2009 and 2010.
• Renamed the General Mission Programme (GMP) as the Presbyterian Ministry Development Program (MDP).
• Encouraged all ministers, elders, committees of management and congregations to support the MDP.
• Requested the Trustees, with the assistance of the General Office, to develop and implement a targeted communications strategy aimed at raising the level of congregational awareness of the work of the Assembly and its committees, encouraging congregations to maintain and increase their level of giving to MDP.
• Appointed a Strategic Planning Committee for the purpose of developing an overall five year and ten year strategic plan for the church, incorporating the strategic objectives and priorities of each of the General Assembly committees, to be presented to the 2009 General Assembly, to be convened by the Chairman of Trustees and comprising of the Trustees, the convener (or representative) of each Assembly committee, the Superintendent of Ministry and Mission, the General Manager of Presbyterian Youth and one representative from each presbytery.
• Approved a remit from the General Assembly of Australia on the administration of the sacraments by home missionaries and elders.
• Requested the Moderator to visit during his year of office the presbyteries of the Hunter and Illawarra.
• Withdrew the Assembly’s observer status from the NSW Ecumenical Council.
• Appointed the next session of the General Assembly to be held at PLC Sydney on Monday 13 July, 2009 commencing at 7p.m.
• Appointed the Commission of Assembly to meet at 5p.m. on Wednesday 26 November, 2008 and Wednesday 29 April, 2009 in Church Offices.
• Requested the Business Committee to treat future residential assemblies the same as non-presidential assemblies with regard to what business is dealt with at the Commission of Assembly.
• Meet as a residential assembly in 2011 or, if a booking for 2011 at a suitable venue cannot be secured by the Business Committee, 2012.
• Recorded its thanks and appreciation to Mr. Alan Byleveld for his 4 years of service to the Assembly as Business Convener.
• Sent to presbyteries under Barrier Act procedure an overture to amend The Code 7.09 concerning a minimum one year candidacy for candidates for the ministry.
• Sent to presbyteries under Barrier Act procedure an overture to amend The Code 7.02 concerning the Candidates Review Panel.
• Received a petition from the Presbytery of the Hawkesbury and included the Deaf Christian Fellowship of NSW as a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in NSW in so far as this would enable its members to fulfill the membership requirements for candidature, training, licensing, and ordination or commissioning under Chapter 7 of The Code.
• Requested the Theological Education Committee to consider bringing an overture to the next Assembly to amend The Code to take special need cases into consideration as the General Assembly of Australia did in 2007 in terms of ministers coming from overseas to minister to non-English speaking congregations.
• Commended the Church and Nation Committee for its significant work in producing the Islamic brochures and instructed the Rev. M.K. Wilson to produce a paper on Islam in consultation with persons with relevant experience.
• Instructed committees when asking for an increase in funds from the General Mission Programme to submit with the request details of what the funds will be used for and for how long the committee will need the increase.