Ethics and Risk Management Workshops

Background

Ministers, elders and other leaders have critical roles in the governance, life and mission of the Church. Working within a complexity of relationships, including with those who are vulnerable, leaders make decisions every day which have an impact on the lives of others.

The purpose of the Ethics and Risk Management Workshops is to assist ministers and other church leaders in identifying and managing risks they face in the exercise of ministry. 

The risk may be

• To themselves
• To those close to them
• To their congregation
• To people they encounter in ministry 
• To the integrity of the Gospel 
• To the reputation of the Presbyterian Church and the wider Church

Learning objectives

• Reintroduce Code of Ethics
• Refresh some key aspects of the Book of Order 
• Reflect on key aspects of the nature and office of the minister and elders
• Reflect on key aspects of high ethical behaviour in practical situations
• Reflect on appropriate levels of competence
• Reflect on best practice

Desired Outcomes

Using examples developed from real situations: 

• To enable church leaders to be aware of the issues and challenges faced by those in leadership.
• To provide leaders with an opportunity to reflect on their own decision-making processes, and the areas in which they might want to develop further skills, knowledge and information.
• To equip leaders to apply the policies of the Church to decision-making.
• To make leaders aware of some of their legal responsibilities and the issues around dealing with children and young people.

Workshops 2025

Workshops run for half-day and are held online.
They are provided at no cost to participants. 
Numbers are limited to 30 people per workshop, and places are allocated on a first-come, first served basis.
Bookings should be made by emailing Kate Wilson at the Assembly Office.

Dates for 2025

Attendees will be divided into discussion groups to consider given scenarios. 

Attendees from the same church will be put into different groups, so that their church benefits from a diversity of experience and discussion. Therefore, each attendee must have their own computer screen.

For the same reason, if a number of elders or leaders from the same church wish to participate in a workshop, we may ask that they attend on different days so that they are able benefit from discussions with people from other churches.

Handouts will be emailed out around a week in advance, and there will also be a post-workshop handout, which reflects the scenario discussions.

After the workshop we send out a brief questionnaire for anonymous feedback, to help us make improvements to the workshops.