Ordination Application

 

The Australian Fellowship of Seven Planes (AFSP) consists of local groups, or congregations, of various faiths and beliefs, that are led by people (male & female) ordained by the AFSP as a Minister of the Fellowship. The AFSP will only ordain those that wish to lead a congregation and have applied for, or been granted, a church charter or, in some circumstances, those chosen to assist in leading an existing chartered congregation.

Before ordination all applicants must undertake extensive Minister induction training set by The Church of Seven Planes Australia, or provide evidence of prior training or experience that is at least equal to that required by the The Church of Seven Planes Australia (bachelor in theology minimum). Persons ordained by the AFSP as Ministers must also observe a Code of Conduct and be willing to help anyone, regardless of that persons faith, beliefs or sexuality, if required. Ministers are ordained as multi-faith Ministers, however they naturally teach and promote their chosen faith within their congregation and are not expected to follow any particular faith or belief other than to accept the broad Doctrine of the AFSP as being valid (they are free to also hold their own beliefs to be true and to promote these beliefs within their community and congregation). You must be at least 18 years of age to be ordained.

Working With Children Check As a religious leader you will be required to undergo a working with children criminal history check. This has become mandatory for people engaged in certain work and involves a national criminal history check through the relevant state authority. To be ordained you must first confirm that you are not a person that is prohibited from working with children (it is an offence for a prohibited person to seek a position that involves working with children. The authority forms and process for these checks vary from state to state so the relevant forms and further information will be posted to you for completion and return before ordination.

Church Charter Unless you are applying for ordination as an assistant to an existing Leading Minister, you must lodge an application for a church charter at the same time as your application for ordination. An annual fee and once-off joining fee are payable for a charter, however ordination is free with no ongoing fee's or charges. Member Congregations may be required to hold Public Liability insurance when holding religious services and meetings that operate under the AFSP Constituion, you are required to check with whom you hire or lease your meeting place if it is required, this is the Chartered Churches responsibility. The AFSP accepts no responsibility for failure of the Chartered Church to do so. If you haven't physically started your congregation yet the charter can be held for a while to give you time to arrange meetings and start your group.

Apply Now!

If you have not submitted your proof of previous qualifications, please email us.

If you would like to apply for ordination as a Minister of the AFSP and/or an independent church charter, complete the following form and post or fax back to us, we will then contact you. Please note this is NOT one of those automatic ordination systems that will ordain anyone or anything - each application is processed and considered separately and manually by the Executive. If you would prefer to contact us first for more information, please do so.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FORM

Ordination and Charter / Charter Only: This is the name of the local congregation, group or "branch" that you wish to obtain a Charter to operate as a congregation of the Fellowship. If you are applying for Ordination and a Charter you must indicate a name, even if only a provisional name at this time. Further details, including confirmation of the group name, will be obtained before any Charter is issued. Note that generally ALL new applications must be for Ordination and Charter, although the charter can be issued at a later date than the ordination to allow time for the formation of a group.

Ordination Only: This is the name of the member congregation that you will be assisting in the leading of. We will contact the relevant Leading Minister to confirm their recommendations for your ordination, so you do not need to worry about providing that information.

NOTES

1. Fields marked as mandatory MUST be completed. A valid email address MUST be provided - applications received with invalid addresses, or if contact can not be made, will be deleted.
2. All information supplied is confidential and no information is distributed or released outside of the immediate Executive of the AFSP. We do not sell email addresses or other details to any third party.
3. Having a criminal record does not mean automatic disqualification. Each application is treated according to the circumstances of that case and further information may be requested in order to help the Executive decide the outcome of the application. This means that you will be given a chance to explain any criminal conviction and present your case before any decision is made. Deliberately providing false information will be grounds for instant refusal of an application, or for the revocation of any ordination and/or Charter.