Membership Terms & Conditions

I understand that:

  • my membership in the tier “Associate Member” or “Student Member” is not equivalent to becoming a member of the Australian Christian Legal Society Ltd under its Constitution

  • the ACLS has the sole discretion as to whether my profile is published on the ACLS website

  • if my profile is published on the ACLS website (or if I have applied for my profile to be published), I will maintain an active membership with my local Christian legal fellowship.

I agree that I personally hold the beliefs articulated as follows: 

Australian Christian Legal Society Ltd - Statement of Beliefs

Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit He was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered death and was buried. On the third day He rose again in accordance with the scriptures; He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son He is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

Christian Character Displayed Through Life Transforming Faith

We believe that the Christian faith is a life-transforming faith. That transformation is enabled through the active power of the Holy Spirit. Accordingly, an active faith will be authentically evidenced in a believer’s words and actions. We believe that the Christian faith cannot be authentically conveyed by a person whose words are inconsistent with their actions. The Christian faith’s most authentic representation is found in an alignment of expressed affirmation and practice. Accordingly, actions can inform the content of one’s faith.

An integral part of our Christian character is the ongoing acknowledgement and the seeking of forgiveness of our sin. The acceptance of the loving grace of God will lead to purity and holiness as the Holy Spirit's work enables the believer to demonstrate the character of the perfect man, Jesus Christ.

The Bible exhorts us to pursue godliness and to model Biblical standards of behaviour to our peers and the wider society in both word and deed. It also calls Christian believers to abstain from all appearance of evil and to be active members of a local Church and meet togetherregularly as a body so that we may encourage one another.

Leviticus 20:22-26; Deuteronomy 6:25; Psalm 133:1; Matthew 5:16; Acts 2:46; 1 Corinthians 14:26; Philippians 2:12-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; Titus 2:10-14; Hebrews 10:25; 1 Peter 1:13-16; 2 Peter 3:11-14; 1 John 1:5-10.

Modelling the Christian Faith

As Christians, we are called to model the Christian faith to others. We acknowledge therefore that conduct that is inconsistent with the professed beliefs can place an impediment toward, or negatively impact upon, the faith of other believers, or those who are yet to express faith in Jesus Christ. Acknowledging these burdens, we believe that such impediments or impact can also occur where Christian believers have failed to model the Christian life but continue to personally affirm Christian beliefs.

Matthew 18:6; Romans 14; Ephesians 4:1; 1 Timothy 3; 1 Timothy 4:12; 2 Timothy 2:15; Titus 1:7-14; Hebrews 13:7; James 3:1

Marriage

Marriage has been divinely established by God and affirmed by Jesus as the voluntary, lifelong union of one (biological) man and one (biological) woman to the exclusion of all others. Marriage is a symbolic representation of the nature of God’s love for us and for His church, anticipating His union with the believers in eternity. God calls some people to marriage, and some to a single state: one is not inferior to the other; and both have dignity, according to the Bible.

Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:18-25; Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:22-33; Revelation 19: 6-9. 

Sexuality

Marriage is the only context in which human sexuality is to be expressed and in which sexual intimacy is to be experienced. The Bible teaches that sexual behaviour is to be limited to monogamous, heterosexual, married couples and that believers are to abstain from sexual immorality.

Genesis 1:26-28; Genesis 2:18-25; Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:22; Matthew 5:27-28; Matthew 15:18-20; Acts 15:20; Romans 1:20-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-20; 1 Corinthians 7:2; 1 Timothy 1:10; Hebrews 13:4. 

Maintenance of Christian Ethos

Australian Christian Legal Society Ltd aims to spread and strengthen the teaching of the Christian religion as articulated in this Statement of Beliefs, the maintenance of the doctrines upon which that religion rests, and the observances that promote and manifest that religion. 

Conduct that is inconsistent with the Christian beliefs of Australian Christian Legal Society Ltd can impact detrimentally on:

(a)​ its ability to be conducted in conformity with its Christian doctrines, tenets, beliefs or teachings;

(b) ​its ability to maintain its religious ethos; and

(c)​ its ability to model a Christian standard of conduct to its beneficiaries and the wider society.

The use of Australian Christian Legal Society Ltd’s facilities or property in a manner that is inconsistent with its religious doctrines, tenets, beliefs or teachings can have the same impact. Such conduct can remove the ability of Australian Christian Legal Society Ltd to act in conformity with its doctrines, tenets, beliefs or teachings and can incur injury to the religious susceptibility of adherents of its religion.

Psalm 127:3; Proverbs 22:6; Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 18:6; Matthew 18:10; Mark 9:37, 42; Luke 17:1-2; Acts 20:28; Ephesians 2:20-22; Ephesians 5:3; Hebrews 10:24-25; Hebrews 13:17.

Modelling Faith to our Community

Every staff member represents the dramatic outworking of the Christian faith through the testimony of their acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and through the resultant ongoing daily transformation towards Christ’s likeness, as evidenced through the fruits of the Spirit. Across the full complement of occupations found within our staff community, every member plays a crucial role in demonstrating the outworking of an authentic Christian life to the wider community. It is for this reason that we believe that ‘faith is caught, not taught’.

Matthew 7:20; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; 2 Corinthians 3: 17-18; Galatians 5:16-26; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; James 1:22-25; James 2:14-26

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Content for the Directory page 

In response to growing demand from the public for referrals to a Christian lawyer, the ACLS has created this Directory to assist members of the public with their search process.

The practitioners included in this Directory have represented that they agree to the ACLS Statement of Beliefs and that they are active members of their local Christian legal fellowship. Each practitioner has also joined the ACLS as an “Associate Member”, which requires payment to the ACLS of a monthly or annual subscription fee.  

ACLS does not endorse any practitioner in the Directory and makes no warranty about the services provided by these individuals. Please conduct appropriate due diligence when selecting a lawyer to represent you. For example, if you are seeking to engage a family lawyer, we suggest speaking to 2-3 lawyers who specialise in this area of law prior to making your decision.