Faithfulness in Service

Faithfulness in Service: A National Code for Personal Behaviour in the Practice of Pastoral Ministry.

The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia adopted Faithfulness in Service as a national code for personal behaviour and the practice of pastoral ministry by clergy and church workers. Developed by the Child Protection Committee, this code was first adopted in 2004 and has been amended several times: July 2005, March 2006, October 2006, April 2011, November 2011, May 2016, and November 2016.

While Faithfulness in Service provides a national framework, each of the 23 dioceses in Australia retains the autonomy to adopt, adapt, or supplement the code with their own policies and procedures. This means that, although there is a shared commitment to safe ministry and ethical conduct, the specific codes and their updates can vary significantly from one diocese to another.

The Anglican Church of Australia's diocesan codes of conduct, generally titled "Faithfulness in Service" or similar, provide ethical guidelines for clergy and church workers. These codes are informed by key documents and initiatives, including the Anglican response to the Royal Commission into Child Abuse, national safe ministry resources, studies on child sexual abuse within the Church, and ecumenical projects like the Church of England's "Living in Love and Faith." The codes affirm a commitment to the welfare and safety of all people, achieved through careful recruitment, safe practices, responsive handling of concerns, and support for both survivors and those who have caused harm.

However, the frequency of updates to these codes varies significantly across the 23 dioceses. While some, like Grafton and Perth (2024) and Newcastle (2023), have recently revised their frameworks, others have not been updated since 2016 or earlier. This disparity underscores the need for consistent review across all dioceses to ensure alignment with current best practices and the recommendations stemming from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (2013–2017), particularly in dioceses with older amendment dates such as Bunbury, Rockhampton, and Willochra.

A valuable new resource on this topic is Faithfulness in Service: The Evolution of Anglican Doctrine and Civil Rights in Australia by Shane St Reynolds (2025). This book is the first comprehensive survey of the Anglican Church of Australia and its "Faithfulness in Service" code, tracing the document’s origins, amendments, and impact on church life. Through legal analysis, historical context, and personal stories, St Reynolds explores how the code has evolved in response to social change and landmark events, including the Royal Commission and the legalisation of same-sex marriage. This work offers essential insight for anyone seeking to understand the ongoing transformation of safe ministry standards and ethical conduct within the Church.

The following table provides an overview of each of the Anglican Church of Australia's 23 dioceses as of May 2025, including the current bishop, a link to the diocesan webpage, the title of their "Faithfulness in Service" or equivalent safe ministry document, and the date of its most recent amendment. This information highlights the varying timelines for policy updates across the dioceses, reflecting their individual approaches to maintaining safe and ethical ministry practices.

Diocese	State/Territory	Bishop (as of 2025)	Webpage	Faithfulness in Service Link	Last Amended
Adelaide	SA	Geoffrey Smith (Archbishop)	Adelaide	Faithfulness in Service	2016
Armidale	NSW	Rod Chiswell	Armidale	Faithfulness in Service	2022
Ballarat	VIC	Garry Weatherill	Ballarat	Faithfulness in Service	2021
Bathurst	NSW	Mark Calder	Bathurst	Faithfulness in Service	2016
Bendigo	VIC	Matt Brain	Bendigo	Faithfulness in Service	2016
Brisbane	QLD	Jeremy Greaves (Archbishop)	Brisbane	Faithfulness in Service	2022
Bunbury	WA	Ian Coutts	Bunbury	N/A	2016
Canberra & Goulburn	ACT/NSW	Mark Short	Canberra & Goulburn	Diocesan Code of Good Practice	2013
Gippsland	VIC	Richard Treloar	Gippsland	Faithfulness in Service	2021
Grafton	NSW	Murray Harvey	Grafton	Faithfulness in Service	2024
Melbourne	VIC	Vacant (Archbishop to be elected May 2025; previous: Philip Freier)	Melbourne	Faithfulness in Service	2022
Newcastle	NSW	Peter Stuart	Newcastle	Faithfulness in Service	2023
North Queensland	QLD	Keith Joseph	North Queensland	Faithfulness in Service	2016
North West Australia	WA	Darrell Parker	North West Australia	Faithfulness in Service	2016
Northern Territory	NT	Greg Anderson	Northern Territory	Faithfulness in Service	2016
Perth	WA	Kay Goldsworthy (Archbishop)	Perth	Faithfulness in Service	2024
Riverina	NSW	Donald Kirk	Riverina	Faithfulness in Service	2021
Rockhampton	QLD	Peter Grice	Rockhampton	Faithfulness in Service	2016
Sydney	NSW	Kanishka Raffel (Archbishop)	Sydney	Faithfulness in Service	2023
Tasmania	TAS	Richard Condie	Tasmania	Faithfulness in Service	2017
The Murray	SA	Keith Dalby	The Murray	Faithfulness in Service	2016
Wangaratta	VIC	Clarence Bester	Wangaratta	Faithfulness in Service	2019
Willochra	SA	Jeremy James	Willochra	Faithfulness in Service	2016

Drawing on the legal and theological analysis in Faithfulness in Service: The Evolution of Anglican Doctrine and Civil Rights in Australia, the varying amendment dates of "Faithfulness in Service" codes across Australian dioceses reveal the complexities of safe ministry within the Anglican Church of Australia. This disparity underscores the need for consistent review across all dioceses to ensure alignment with current best practices and the recommendations stemming from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (2013–2017). The book offers essential insight for anyone seeking to understand the ongoing transformation of safe ministry standards and ethical conduct within the Church.