THE Presbyterian General Assembly, to be held in Belfast from June 3rd to June 7th, will be asked to approve detailed child protection guidelines to be followed by all congregations and church organisations.
The Assembly will also hear reports from a sub committee on parades, guidelines on divorced ministers and elders and resolutions on integrated education and on a more outgoing, pro active form of ministry.
A comprehensive set of guidelines on child abuse includes a suggested procedure for the vetting of potential youth leaders, training for ministers and a clear procedure to be followed should abuse be suspected.
Every congregation is to appoint a designated person who will be trained to supervise the implementation of the guidelines.
"Our church is not immune from the problems of trusted adults misusing their position," Ms, Pamela Lockie, adviser in social sciences to the Presbyterian Church, said at a press conference in Church House. "We want to ensure that the trusting environment of the church is not violated. We are concerned to have a safe environment.
In drawing up the guidelines, guidance has been taken from other churches and from studies and reports, such as Childcare Northern Ireland's Our Duty to Care document.
A major report to be submitted to the Assembly by the church's "Strategy for Mission" Committee examines the need for the church to adapt to the changes in Irish society which impinge on faith.
The report proposes a radical strategy to create a new mind set on mission in the church ensuring that it is no longer "a static chaplaincy church" but reaches out to people, especially the young.
At the end of next week, the church's business board will consider a resolution from the Dublin Synod calling for the Roman Catholic Church to be allowed to send a delegation to the opening night of the General Assembly.
If the board passes this, it will have to be taken forward to the General Assembly the following week for approval and could result in controversy there. The fundamentalist evangelical wing of the church would be expected to oppose such an invitation for doctrinal reasons.
Delegates from various Presbyterian churches around the world will be attending the Assembly. The Presbyterian Church is the largest in Northern Ireland, with about 300,000 members and a financial turnover of around about £35 million sterling.