The Gathering incorporating the Annual Assembly 2023
May 5 - May 6
Free – $30.00
How to Register
- Work out how many people you are registering, what days they will be attending and who wants lunch. Select tickets accordingly.
- Enter the details of each attendee, including what type of delegate they are. Note: Tickets give access to both days and are not transferrable (Alternate delegates excepted up to the start of Assembly)
- Select which venue each attendee will attend for the two days. Note: Nominations Ballot voting will be open on Friday and Saturday – In-person voting will only be available at live venues at the time of the vote (not via Zoom).
- Provide your church secretary’s name and email. Note: Voting and Alternate Delegates, please ensure you are an approved delegate and have spoken with church leadership regarding your attendance.
- Continue through to payment and process, even if no lunch has been purchased.
- When we have processed your registration, the ticket holder/s will receive an email. If you do not receive an email, you are not registered. Please contact hello@nswactbaptists.org.au if you do not receive confirmation. Note: People with no confirmation will not be able to participate in the Assembly.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Affiliated Churches of NSW & ACT meet together twice a year to be encouraged and inspired by what God is doing and will continue to do amongst us, and to discern significant matters in the life of our movement. Our first gathering of the year, The Gathering incorporating the Annual Assembly is fast approaching. Join us on Friday 05 and Saturday 06 May 2023 as we join together as a Baptist Movement of Churches. To provide opportunities for Churches from across NSW & ACT to engage, we will open several additional venues where delegates may attend and vote on the matters brought to Assembly. We pray that it is a time to reflect on all that God is doing amongst us, to connect with others in our movement and glimpse how Jesus is leading us as we work together to minister with one another and those around our world. For more information about the program, please click the button below. Venues You can engage in The Gathering incorporating the Annual Assembly from a number of NSW and ACT locations. The venues are:
- Ministry & Learning Centre – Macquarie Park (Main Venue)
- Alstonville Baptist Church (SATURDAY ONLY)
- Mayfield Baptist Church
- Mosaic Baptist Church – Paige Campus
- Molong Baptist Church
- Tamworth Baptist Church (SATURDAY ONLY)
- Wagga Wagga Baptist Church
- Woonona Baptist Church (SATURDAY ONLY)
Lunch
Attending The Gathering incorporating the Annual Assembly is free. Lunch is available at all venues to purchase for $15, however, you must pre-pay online. You can do this by selecting the lunch registration option above. Please note that only those who have ordered and pre-paid for lunch will receive it on the day.
Livestream
A livestream via Zoom will be available for members and attenders of churches in our movement who wish to watch from home if they cannot attend a venue in person. Registrations will be made available the week prior to Assembly and will be communicated once available. Please be aware that this is a watch-only stream, and interaction and voting is not available for this registration type. Only those attending Ministry and Learning Centre or an Additional Venue listed above will be able to interact and vote on the matters discussed.
Appointment to Assembly
During registration, you will be asked to indicate your appointment to attend Assembly. Please read the below definitions carefully to determine your appointment to attend Assembly:
- Accredited Minister: Accredited ministers of the Baptist Association of NSW/ACT are members of Assembly and are entitled to vote.
- Non-Accredited Lead Pastor: Lead pastors of affiliated Churches who are not accredited by the Association are members of Assembly and entitled to vote.
- Church Representative (Voting): Any member of an affiliated Church who has been nominated by their Church may attend Assembly and vote on the Church’s behalf. By registering to attend Assembly as a Church Representative you are acting on your Church’s behalf to advise the Secretary of Assembly Council that you have been appointed by your Church to act as a voting delegate.
- Church Representative (Alternate): Any member of an affiliated Church who has been nominated by their Church may attend Assembly as an alternate delegate to replace a church delegate if they are unable to attend at the last minute. Alternate Church Representatives only have voting rights if they are replacing a Church Representative who is unable to attend. By registering to attend Assembly as an Alternate Church Representative you are acting on your Church’s behalf to advise the Secretary of Assembly Council that you have been appointed by your Church to act as an alternate voting delegate.
- Morling College Council / Assembly Council: All members of Morling College Council and the Assembly Council are members of Assembly and entitled to vote.
- Baptist Mission Australia (Global Interaction) Cross Cultural Ministry Workers: Cross cultural ministry workers attached to Baptist Mission Australia are members of Assembly and entitled to vote.
- Non-Voting Attendee: Any person who attends a Church that is part of our movement is welcome to attend Assembly but does not have voting rights.
Voting Church Representatives and Alternate Church Representatives
Voting Church Representatives are the most common Church Representatives that will be nominated by the Church as they have the ability to interact and vote on matters raised at Assembly. Under the Constitution, an Alternate Church Representative does not have automatic voting rights. Instead, they are nominated to attend the Assembly in case a Churches Voting Church Representative cannot attend the Assembly. This may be due to illness or circumstances such as accidents. Should this take place, the Alternate Voting delegate will then gain voting rights at the Assembly and replace the original Voting Church Representative. Please note Alternate Voting Church Representatives are unable to speak to the motions or vote unless they are replacing a Voting Church Representative. Alternate Delegates can replace a Voting delegate for the entire Assembly or not at all – ie Delegates cannot share days.
How many Voting Church Representatives is an Affiliated Church Allowed?
According to the Constitution, Affiliated Churches are entitled to appoint two Voting Church Representatives to attend Assembly and one additional delegate for each 50 members or portion of 50 members after the first 50. This is in addition to any Accredited Ministers or Non-Accredited Lead Pastors registering from a church.
Registration Deadlines for Various Appointments
Live sites that do not receive 10 or more registrations for voting Assembly members 1 week prior to the event will be closed and removed from the list of live sites. Registration may be moved to another site by contacting the Association on hello@nswactbaptists.org.au. The registration deadlines for Assembly differ depending on the delegate’s appointment:
- Voting Church Representatives MUST be registered a minimum of seven days prior to Assembly, as per the requirements of the Constitution. Registrations for Voting Church representatives must be made by Friday 28 April 2023 at 10:00am to be eligible to vote.
- Alternate Church Representatives also must be registered a minimum of 7 days prior to Assembly, as per the requirements of the Constitution. Registrations for Alternate Church representatives must be made by Friday 28 April 2023 at 10:00am to be eligible to vote.
- Registrations close for Accredited Ministers, Non-Accredited Lead Pastors, Non-Voting Attendees, Morling College Council / Assembly Council members or Baptist Mission Australia Cross Cultural Ministry Workers on the day. It is strongly encouraged registrations are made in advance for catering purposes.
The Role of my Church Secretary
The Church Secretary will receive an email of all their registered Church representatives prior to the Assembly. The Secretary should review this email and advise the Secretary to Assembly Council at assemblycouncil@nswactbaptists.org.au of any errors.
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Terms and Conditions
Guidelines for conduct at Assemblies of the Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT
Members and Attendees of an Assembly attend for the express purpose of engaging with the matters at hand and participating in the discussion, discernment and decision-making that occurs at that Assembly. Members who are church delegates are also representing their church community. Any activity outside of this purpose during the Assembly including recording the assembly, posting on social media or speaking with media representatives is not permitted and may lead to removal from the Assembly. Following Assembly, Assembly discussions and outcomes should be reported back by church delegates to their own churches. Any social media or other public discussion should be in general terms only and at all times maintain a tone of Christian grace and respect.
Disclaimer
The Baptist Association of NSW/ACT does not accept responsibility for any losses incurred, including but not limited to, transport and accommodation booked for the event. The Baptist Association of NSW/ACT reserves the right to change any of the published event details without notice and have the final say on any matter relating to the event.
Refund/Cancellation Policy
The Baptist Association of NSW/ACT understands circumstances change and offer the following alternatives to assist you should you need to alter your registration. Cancellations and refund of payments can be arranged by writing to The Baptist Association of NSW/ACT before Saturday, 5th November 2022. No refunds will be issued after this date. The Baptist Association of NSW/ACT can allow for special consideration of your circumstances regarding this policy. If this is the case, please contact The Baptist Association of NSW/ACT to discuss your circumstances.
Privacy Statement
How we collect, hold, use, and disclose information about you is important to us. The purpose of collection, holding, use and disclosure of the information is to fulfil the ministry and administrative functions of the Association. We also collect your information to administer your registration for events and invite you to events. If you do not provide your information, we may not be able to do this. We may communicate with you for these purposes by email or mail, which you can unsubscribe to at any time by writing to us. We may share our information collected with other Baptist Churches, affiliated organisations, and hosts of events you are attending. Your individual information can be accessed by contacting the Privacy Officer by writing to Baptist Association, Level 4, 5 Saunders Cl Macquarie Park NSW 2113. If you believe a correction is required, please contact us. By submitting this form, you consent to us using and disclosing your personal information and contacting you as described above. For further information, refer to our Privacy Policy here: https://nswactbaptists.org.au/privacy-policy/.
