Diocesan Doctrine Commission
The Diocesan Doctrine Commission prepares reports on important theological issues confronting the Diocese.
A report is initiated when the Archbishop, Synod or Standing Committee requests a theologically-informed consideration of a particular matter. Once completed, the report is presented to the requesting body, and is usually then published on the Commission's website.
A report requested by the Synod will first be presented to the Standing Committee for discussion and response, before being presented to Synod. A requesting body may ask that further work be done, or potentially reject a report, but the requesting body will not be invited to amend a report.
Once a report has been received by the requesting body, it will be made publicly available unless otherwise requested. A note will be added to the published report, commenting on its reception and status.
Constitution and Current Membership
The Doctrine Commission was constituted by the Archbishop as a result of a request from Synod in 1981 and consists of ten members appointed by the Archbishop every three years in consultation with the Standing Committee. The Terms of Reference were updated following a further request from Synod in 2023.
Members retire at the first meeting of the Standing Committee following the first ordinary session of the Synod, and are eligible for re-appointment. At the first meeting of the Standing Committee after the first ordinary session of the Synod, the Archbishop recommends to the Standing Committee names of persons for appointment to the Commission. A Chair is appointed by the Archbishop from among the members of the Commission.
Current members of the Doctrine Commission are:
|
The Rev Dr Mark Thompson (Chair) |
The Rev Dr Andrew Shead |
Reports by Diocesan Doctrine Commission
Reports prepared by the Diocesan Doctrine Commission may be viewed here.
Alternatively, they are shown below by year of publication.
Contact
All correspondence for the Doctrine Commission should be sent to the Secretary:
The Rev Dr Rob Smith
Secretary, Diocesan Doctrine Commission
Email: rsmith@smbc.edu.au