\ NATIONAL SECRETARY’S REPORT \
I
t has been a privilege to serve the pastors and churches of our ACC Movement in this past Conference season. This has been a time when every pastor and local church experienced the challenges of the global pandemic and added to that, and many felt the devastating effects of drought, bushfires and floods. With over 1,000 registered churches and more than 3,300 credentialed pastors, we have emerged grateful to God for His faithfulness.
Resourcing our pastors and churches I am thankful and appreciative that every ACC pastor and local church has had available to them the support of an extensive network spread across our nation, from the National Office team in Sydney, to our State offices, and regional leadership. Added to this are our Ministry Departments and Boards that have provide appropriate governance and resources. When faced with the Covid pandemic restrictions in 2020, we continually provided practical and necessary resources to pastors and churches via our digital platforms, ranging from ideas for online services and creative ways to stay connected to congregations. Sound governance for pastors and churches We are committed to providing sound governance support as this is an essential facet of every local church. Input is drawn from professionals across a wide range of relative fields to ensure our churches and pastors are supported and have up-to-date resources on necessary compliance and due diligence. Building safer churches is always a key focus, and we are ensuring our Safer Churches strategy is being effectively implemented and strengthened at national, state and local levels. Child protection remains at the forefront of our Safer Churches strategy. We have expanded this to include detailed procedures and policies that protect everyone potentially at risk, such as those with special needs and in situations of domestic family violence. A detailed report on our Safer Churches strategy is included in this report on page 22. Policies, Procedures and Position Statements We constantly review and update all our policies and procedures. During the two-year Conference period, a number of ACC policies were assessed and revised where necessary by Committees of selected professionals in their respective fields. This includes the proposed updates being presented to the 2021 Conference regarding the Child Protection Policy and the Ministerial Code of Conduct. Should the Code be adopted by Conference, the Grievance Procedure will be updated accordingly in consultation with State Executives. The National Executive commissioned a thorough review of the Doctrinal Basis of the Movement in 2020. The intent is that our Statement of Beliefs be more credal in form, precise in language and more coherent in structuree. We have sought to reflect orthodox theology as proclaimed in the Apostolic and Nicene Creeds while firmly holding to the Pentecostal ethos and distinctive of the ACC Movement. Over the past two years, we have consulted and worked with respected theologians and leaders in our Movement. Additionally, we have consulted with Pentecostal theologians globally. Two primary documents have been produced: A revised Statement of Beliefs and a Theological Supplement that provides a Scriptural foundation and a more extensive explanation for each Statement. These will be put to the 2021 National Conference for acceptance. ACC Position Papers for pastors on a variety of issues are also updated accordingly. The Position Statement on Human Sexuality was reviewed and updated in 2020. The Position Statement on Domestic and Family Violence was also updated, with a supporting document produced that provides Procedures and Good Practice Guidelines as a resource for pastors. National Redress Scheme During the two-year Conference period, we worked together with ACS Financial to assist churches in opting into the National Redress Scheme, which was launched in 2018 in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. We deem this extremely important to support the victims of child sexual abuse. All ACC 8
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