The Standing Committee of the Sydney Anglican Diocese has prepared a motion to be considered by its local parliament, the Sydney Synod, in October which would reaffirm the diocese's commitment to introduce "lay administration".

Synod members would be discouraged from taking disciplinary action against qualified church elders and deacons who practised lay administration although a charge could still be brought in the Diocesan Tribunal - the church court - if five people in a parish were party to a complaint against a minister.

The Sydney diocese has debated the issue for 27 years but admits it cannot proceed without national support for a canonic law. As this is unlikely, the Sydney Synod is to consider a declaration which would effectively give moral imprimatur, but not legal force, to the practice.

Under such a declaration a qualified lay person or deacon could take the service, say the prayer of consecration and hand out the consecrated elements of the bread and wine.

The diocese was warned against legislating for lay presidency by the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey who said if Sydney pushed ahead with lay presidency, the diocese could be considered "out of communion", a euphemistic phrase for expulsion.

An inquiry into Anglican unity, commissioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, is due to report next month. Only two rural dioceses, North-West Australia and Armidale, are likely to support Sydney's plans for lay presidency.

According to Michael Horsburgh, a member of the Anglican Church's standing committee and an opponent of lay presidency, the proposed Sydney Synod declaration might bring out in the open what is already quietly happening.

Dr Glenn Davies, the Bishop of North Sydney, said that allowing deacons and church elders to administer communion would assist the church at a time when it was difficult to staff parishes in new Sydney suburbs and in country NSW. He said the controversy reflected broader tensions in the church between traditionalists and evangelicals.

END