Those who undertake ministry for the Church, including administrative and voluntary work, are its public face. As such, we expect all those engaged in its work, paid and unpaid, to reflect by their words and actions a commitment to the mission and life of the Church as the earthly body of Jesus Christ.
Our calling is always into relationship with God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and with our neighbour. These relationships infer responsibility for the promotion of human dignity and for drawing all humankind into the continuing work of God among us. The Code of Ethics is applicable to all who minister or work for the Church in the Diocese of Nelson and is a step towards supporting, informing and ensuring these relationships. All who come into contact with the Church can expect standards of conduct consistent with this Code. Please see Code of Ethics - Some Explanatory Examples for more information about the Code.
Clergy and lay people who minister to others are also expected to follow the safe ministry and training requirements of SafeHere, the safe ministry system adopted in the Diocese of Nelson. SafeHere sets out expectations for ministry to ensure the physical, emotional and spiritual safety of both those who minister and those being ministered to.
Finally, those who minister under license to the Bishop (such as clergy and some lay leaders), and lay people who hold office in the church (such as vestry members and wardens), must also comply with the standards of ministry set out in Title D of the Canons of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. Title D also sets out a complaints procedure where these Standards of Ministry have not been met.
If you are aware of, or have experienced, a breach of ministry standards by anyone working for or ministering in the Diocese of Nelson, including St Christopher’s Church and its associated ministries, and wish to inquire about making a complaint please refer to the Complaints Policy.
All documents mentioned above can be found on the Nelson Diocese Website following the link here.