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EVOLUTION of APMLM
EVOLUTION of APMLM
In 1984 the first Pastoral Associates were employed in parishes in the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. In 1988 Archbishop Frank Little recommended that the term Pastoral Associate be formally adopted, that a committee be established to look at developing a policy of accreditation, and that a professional association be established. The previously separate associations for religious and lay parish pastoral employees came together and gave birth to the Association of Pastoral Associates (APA or APAM).
At this point the majority of members were members of religious institutes. They were often employed on stipends and their orders negotiated their working conditions which were not always just. However they were very concerned with improving working conditions for lay pastoral associates. The association at this time was very vibrant, offering lots of personal and professional support along with some fun.
From the early 2000s the number of Pastoral Associates employed in Melbourne parishes started to decline, and this trend continued. However a rise emerged in the number of especially lay people working in other institutions or for other organisations as Chaplains, Pastoral Care Practitioners, or other such ministers.
In recognition of those trends, a review of the Association's membership and structure was held through 2022, resulting in the decision to broaden our Association to include those working in other pastoral ministries as well as parishes.
Consequently, APAM became the Association of Pastoral Ministry Leaders, Melbourne (APMLM) on 30 March 2022.
In 2024 the Association members voted to free up the workings of the Association by replacing the former Constitution and Operational Framework with one new and much simpler Terms of Reference document. A decision was also made to include Pastoral Ministry Leaders who were working in a voluntary capacity, as well as paid employees.
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