Presbytery Visitations
THE NEW CONGREGATIONAL HEALTH CHECK-UP IS THE PREFERRED SYSTEM FOR VISITATIONS UNTIL THE 2026 ASSEMBLY. ALL THE INFORMATION FOR THE PILOT SCHEME CAN BE FOUND HERE.
Presbyteries are required to visit all of their congregations not less than once every five years. These visits are called “ordinary” visitations to distinguish them from special visitations. The ordinary visitation process is an important means through which Presbyteries may:
- Promote fruitful gospel ministry that glorifies God and impacts his world;
- Encourage pastoral leaders, especially those who serve in difficult environments;
- Provide needed guidance to Session, Committees of Management, congregations and their ministries.
The Ministry and Mission Committee, assisted by staff of Christ College and the General Office, has developed a new Ordinary Visitation process to cultivate healthy leadership teams, healthy congregations, and a healthy denomination. The Presbytery members who conduct these visitations are servants of the gospel who seek God’s best for every congregation that they visit and for all the leaders of those congregations.
The new Visitation Schedule and all the associated documents designed to support it have been approved by the Ministry and Mission Committee for use by all presbyteries conducting ordinary visitations.
We appreciate the feedback provided by people who have now used the new schedule. It’s quite different to the old one but it has, on the whole, been well received. Here are a few comments:
“I think this new process is much better (having been involved in visitations for over 25 years). It brings a much clearer focus to the visitation, provides space to identify some issues within the life of the congregation, and gives the leadership the space to work this through prior to presbytery coming and meeting with the congregation and leadership. It is a more proactive rather than reactive process which the old visitation system was. It is also allows for a greater focus on ministry rather than property, which was often the case with the old system.”
(Rev. Ian Schoonwater, Visitation Convenor, Hawkesbury Presbytery)
“It is tremendously helpful to have such feedback from the congregation. This has never happened before in my 40 years of ministry. I truly am excited because in those 40 years I would say I have written at least 15 visitation reports for churches in the country and city and every time when a year later we do a review nothing has changed, hence the lack of enthusiasm with the old reporting system. This new visitation process really helps to get the pulse of church health and hopefully assists not only in the diagnosis of ills, but the prognosis for the future.”
(Rev. Paul Beringer, Former Superintendent of the Ministry and Mission Committee, Hawkesbury Presbytery)
“The new health survey was not a burden. We did it during the service and took fifteen minutes. It was easy to understand, we did not have to explain questions like we’ve had to do with NCLS. The questions were relevant to our congregation and I expect it will be very helpful for Session as they begin our next 5 year plan.”
(Rev. Paul Harris, Taree Presbyterian Church, Mid-North Coast Presbytery)
“The new ordinary visitation materials are grounded in a robust biblical and theological understanding of life and the mission of the church. They provide the Presbytery Visitation Committee, the Minister/s, Session, CoM, and congregation with a clear and practical means of gauging the health of the congregation, and working together to strengthen its mission.” (Dr Murray Smith, Visitation Convenor, Sydney North Presbytery)
We hope that your experience might be equally encouraging. But if it’s not, please let us know how you think we could improve it. Your feedback will be more helpful after you’ve used the new schedule.
When conducting ordinary visitations, the Presbytery must follow the Visitation Guidelines and use the Visitation Schedule linked below:
After the survey has been returned to the Church Offices for processing, feedback will be provided to the Session in a form similar to the following sample:
When the Session has received the survey results, it must interpret them and propose how it might best advance the cause of gospel ministry within the congregation. Its response is reported to the Presbytery Visitation Committee using this template:
The Visitation Committee then familiarises itself with the survey results and the Session’s response before conducting its formal site visit. After the site visit, the Committee reports to the Session and Presbytery using this template:
As a result of considering the Visitation Report, the Presbytery may issue instructions and/or recommendations that the Moderator, Session and Committee of Management will be required to implement. The implementation of these instructions and/or recommendations is then reported to the Presbytery periodically using this template:
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