Council for Christian Education in Schools
Encyclopedia
The Council for Christian Education in Schools is an Australian religious organisation which also operates under the name of Access Ministries. Its stated mission is "to reach students and school communities in Victoria and beyond with the transforming love of God and His Son Jesus Christ." The organisation is funded through 12 Christian denominations: Anglican Church of Australia
; Australian Christian Churches
(Assemblies of God in Australia); Baptist Union of Victoria; Christian Brethren Fellowships in Victoria; Christian Reformed Churches of Australia
; CRC Churches International
; Churches of Christ in Australia
; Lutheran Church of Australia
; Presbyterian Church of Australia
; Salvation Army
; Uniting Church in Australia
; and the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia
.
Access Ministries is the largest provider of Christian Religious Education (CRE) in Victoria and is authorised to provide it under the regulations of the Victorian Education Act. Around 3,200 Access Ministries volunteers provide religious instruction to over 120,000 Victorian school children each week.
Following the controversies in September 2011 the Uniting Church
declined to vote on a proposal to continue supporting Access Ministries. Instead they decided to form a new task group to discuss how to best teach Christian education considering that the law prohibits proselytising in public schools.
Anglican Church of Australia
The Anglican Church of Australia is a member church of the Anglican Communion. It was previously officially known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania...
; Australian Christian Churches
Australian Christian Churches
Australian Christian Churches , also known as Assemblies of God in Australia , is a Pentecostal Christian denomination and the Australian branch of the Assemblies of God, the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world...
(Assemblies of God in Australia); Baptist Union of Victoria; Christian Brethren Fellowships in Victoria; Christian Reformed Churches of Australia
Christian Reformed Churches of Australia
The Christian Reformed Churches of Australia is a Christian denomination established in Australia belonging to the Reformed/Presbyterian tradition.-Background:...
; CRC Churches International
CRC Churches International
CRC Churches International is a Pentecostal Protestant Christian denomination based in Australia.-External links:*...
; Churches of Christ in Australia
Churches of Christ in Australia
The Churches of Christ in Australia is a Christian movement in Australia. It is part of the Restoration Movement with historical influences from the United States of America and the United Kingdom....
; Lutheran Church of Australia
Lutheran Church of Australia
The Lutheran Church of Australia is the major Lutheran denomination in Australia, it also has a presence in New Zealand. It has 320 parishes, 540 congregations, 70,000 baptized members in Australia, 1,130 baptized members in New Zealand, 52,463 communicant members and 450 active pastors. Its...
; Presbyterian Church of Australia
Presbyterian Church of Australia
The Presbyterian Church of Australia is the largest Presbyterian denomination in Australia. .-Beginnings:...
; Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
; Uniting Church in Australia
Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia was formed on 22 June 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, the Presbyterian Church of Australia and the Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basis of Union....
; and the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia
Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia
The Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia is a Christian denomination with its origins in Wesleyan Methodism. It is the organizational name for The Wesleyan Church in Australia.-Background and formation:...
.
Access Ministries is the largest provider of Christian Religious Education (CRE) in Victoria and is authorised to provide it under the regulations of the Victorian Education Act. Around 3,200 Access Ministries volunteers provide religious instruction to over 120,000 Victorian school children each week.
Controversies
There have been a range of controversies regarding Access Ministries' provision of Christian Religious Education in Victoria, including:- Accusations of negligible training to provide education services. Volunteers complete six hours of initial formal training before teaching CRE to children compared to the one to four years of training required for teachers.
- A statement by the CEO of Access Ministries that "we need to go and make disciples", which is directly against government regulations which prohibits evangelising in schools.
- Providing a comic book for school students which was interpreted as suggesting that teachers were either too lazy or callous to help them unless God intervenes.
Following the controversies in September 2011 the Uniting Church
Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia was formed on 22 June 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, the Presbyterian Church of Australia and the Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basis of Union....
declined to vote on a proposal to continue supporting Access Ministries. Instead they decided to form a new task group to discuss how to best teach Christian education considering that the law prohibits proselytising in public schools.