Content

Students in this unit will explore the principles and practice of church law in the Anglican Church of Australia, with particular reference to the law’s implications for church governance at the national, diocesan and parish levels. They will engage with the scriptural and historical foundations for canon law, and explore, among other topics, its contemporary utility with regard to modern state-based requirements for safeguarding.

Unit code: DC9000T

Unit status: Approved (Major revision)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: Canon Law

Delivery Mode: Intensive

Proposing College: Trinity College Theological School

Show when this unit is running

Learning outcomes

1.

Explain the theological concepts upon which church law is based.

2.

Describe the adoption of English canon law into the Anglican Church of Australia and its subsequent development at national and diocesan levels.

3.

Critically evaluate Anglican church law in Australia at national, diocesan and parochial levels.

4.

Apply church law to one or more chosen fact situations and develop a detailed proposal for the development or reform of the applicable church law

Unit sequence

No prerequisites. Experience in parish ministry desired.

Pedagogy

The unit will be taught in seminars held in two 3 day intensive sessions. Students will be required to engage actively in discussion and identification of issues, drawing on their own experiences.

Indicative Bibliography

  • The Anglican Church of Australia. The Constitution of the Anglican Church of Australia and General Synod Canons https://www.anglican.org.au/constitution and https://www.anglican.org.au/canons-and-rules
  • Avis, Paul D. L. The Anglican Understanding of the Church, London: SPCK Publishing, 2000
  • Billings, Bradly S. The Parish Council Handbook, Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, 2017
  • Billings, Bradly S. A Pastoral Handbook for Anglicans: Guidelines and Resources for Pastoral Ministry, Sydney: Broughton Publishing, 2018
  • Briden, Timothy (ed.). Moore’s Introduction to English Canon Law, 4th ed., London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013
  • Church of England. 1603/04 Canons of the Church of England. https://archive.org/details/constitutionscan00lond/page/8/mode/2up
  • Davis, John. Australian Anglicans and their Constitution, Canberra, Acorn Press, 1993
  • Hardy, Daniel. Finding the Church, London: SCM Press, 2001
  • Hooker Richard. The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, 1594-97: a critical edition with modern spelling. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Case Study 2000 30.0
Critical Review 2000 30.0
Essay 3000 40.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 28 Jul, 2025

Unit record last updated: 2025-07-28 08:37:26 +1000