As a presbytery of the Uniting Church our role is to perform all the acts of oversight necessary to the life and mission of the Church in the area for which it is responsible, including oversight over the Congregations and Faith Communities within its bounds, encouraging them to strengthen one another’s faith, to bear one another’s burdens, and exhorting them to fulfil their high calling in Christ Jesus, as well as to promote those wider aspects of the work of the Church committed to it by the Synod or Assembly (UCA Basis of Union, Paragraph 15).
The Presbytery gathers as a council of the Church three times a year, elects office bearers and has three committees that provide support and oversight to the life of the Presbytery, including the life of the diverse communities of faith around Tasmania including King Island.
- Presbytery Chairperson: Ricky Beswick.
- Presbytery Secretary: Shirley Bowers.
Both can be contacted via Tas.Office@victas.uca.org.au, 03 6331 9784.
The Presbytery Standing Committee responsibilities are:
- priority setting and evaluation recommendations to Presbytery
- establishing task groups to do defined tasks
- establishing and organising the agenda of Presbytery gatherings to ensure timely discussion of issues and encourage participation
- act as delegated (or when necessary) between meetings of the Presbytery: this means any critical decisions that have to be made before the next presbytery meeting are made by PSC and reported to Presbytery.
The Pastoral Relations Committee responsibilities are:
- oversight of ministries and placements
- consultations on life and witness of congregations
- oversight of complaints
PRC Chairperson: Rev Chris Duxbury. PRC Secretary: Tas.PRC@victas.uca.org.au.
The Resource and Development Committee Responsibilities are:
- Advise on property matters
- Receive and consider applications with respect to property matters and submit to Synod Property Board for final approval.
- Initiate proposals with respect to property matters
- Inspection of properties
- Oversight of Presbytery properties
Chairperson: Geoffrey Howells. RDC Secretary: can be contacted via Tas.Office@victas.uca.org.au.