College

The ASA Spiritualist College

Updated Aug 14, 2007

The College is a sub-committee of the Australian Spiritualist Association and was formed in 2004 It was vested with the responsibility of managing the religious matters, canon law and activities of and about Spiritualism.

The Terms of Reference given to the College include the responsibility of providing Spiritualist Churches and their Ministry the best available advice, guidance, training and support with integrity and reliability.

The College has a Committee of Management and is chaired by Rev Barbara Moxham.

DEFINITIONS -

1. Spiritualist Church,

2. Spiritual Centre,

3. Spiritual Group.

DEFINITIONS - The ASA uses and recommends the following -

Churches, are centres that have an ordained Minister/Marriage Celebrant to provide for the legal and

religious service of Weddings and the religious services such as Namings, Funerals,

Dedications, Memorials, etc - refer to http://www.spiritual.org.au/college.htm

Centres, are places that have a religious service, healing, meditation, circles, discussion,

development etc, and do not have a Minister;

Groups, are centres that do not hold a religious service yet assist or work within and for the

benefits of the philosophy, such as training facilitators, businesses providing crystals, magnets

and books, etc.

It is recommended by the ASA that the Name of a Church, Centre or Group should -

a) indicate that it is a Spiritualist Church, Spiritual Centre or Spiritual Group.

b) indicate the suburb in which it meets, and

c) if it belongs to an Affiliate Organisation must include the name of that Affiliated Organisation

A Minister of Religion works within the Religion of Spiritualism and has a church.

Where there is no Minister the work is Spiritual Work related to the religion of spiritualism. (Their Rules must say that)

A Group does not have a service but provides ancillary programs for inspired healing, development, etc (Their Rules must say that)

MINISTERSHIP -

The College will cover three aspects of Ministership, which will benefit -

a) Ministers applying for Ordination, and

b) Ministers already Ordained.

The aspects are -

a) Training & Support,

b) Ordination, and

c) Continuing Education

Training & Support
To provide information, support and “on the job” training so our ministers will gain knowledge and experience in the following areas:-

a) History of Spiritualism
b) How to administer a church
c) Church Constitution and Laws
d) Bereavement support
e) Counselling skills
f) Confidentiality and legalities
g) How to conduct services for -

i)	Church Services
ii)	Baby Naming
iii)	Spiritual Naming
iv)	Spiritual Dedication
v)	Weddings, Legal and Religious
vii)	Memorials
viii	Funerals, including for a baby, child, suicide and homicide

h) any other topics that are relevant to the position of Minister and Assistant Minister.

A handbook of suggested services will be provided to each Ordained Minister.

Ordination -

A requirement for Ordination is that you are appointed by your church as their Minister or Assistant Minister during the preparation which is a minimum period of 12 months. The appointment of a Minister or Assistant Minister of a church is the responsibility of the church and may be indefinite or for a specified time, with or without regular reviews.

At the start of the time of preparation the above Training and Support is organised to enable experience to be developed and gained in the nominated elements.

It is necessary to ensure that prior to ordination that a minister is fully conversant with the responsibility that comes with giving a witnessed public obligation to uphold the principles of their philosophy and that they respect and support the organisation that has provided all the resources to assist them in their commitment.

The ASA not being a Nominating Authority" would assist an Ordained Minister in the preparation of an application to the Federal Attorney General in Canberra for an "Authority to Marry" to become a Religious Marriage Celebrant.

Continuing Education
Seminars on an ongoing basis to present new information and to provide an environment where Ordained Ministers can refresh and improve their personal development and skills. It is important that Ordained Ministers have suitable and adequate training to equip them for the lifetime of service that they undertake.

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It is anticipated that with the MOU [Memorandum of Understanding between three organisations] that the above three aspects of Ministership should be reviewed to include elements that the member organisations are required to provide because of their status as "Nominating Authorities".

Submissions, comments and requests are welcome.

For an Application for Training for Ordination, please contact the College -

Phone - 02-9589.1082 or by Email : college@spiritual.org.au

INFORMATION LINKS

1. Australian Marriage Celebrants Register -

a) Celebrants of Recognised Religious Denominations, refer to -

http://www.ag.gov.au/mclisting

b) Independent Religious Celebrants and Civil Celebrants, refer to -

http://www.ag.gov.au/internet/marriagecelebrants.nsf/publicViewRegisteredCelebrants?OpenView

2. If you are or want to be a Marriage Celebrant and require -

a) Information, Forms, News and the Ongoing Professional Development details -

http://www.ag.gov.au/www/familylawHome.nsf/HeadingPagesDisplay/Marriage+Celebrants?OpenDocument