| Summary: | Limited information is available on clergy's comfort and attitudes toward sexual issues and the factors that shape those attitudes in Australia. This exploratory quantitative study is an attempt to fill this gap in the literature. The research is based on two cross-sectional studies, in which structured questionnaires were used to collect socio-demographic data and to identify clergy’s comfort toward sexuality discussions and their attitudes toward sexuality-related topics. Study 1 involved primary data collection of comfort, attitudes toward sexuality and education and training in sexuality among Illawarra clergy (n=49), using a survey developed for this study focused on the Sex, Knowledge and Attitude Test. Study 2 involved a survey of comfort levels towards sexuality held by clergy and lay workers of a metropolitan denominational district (n=301), being secondary data obtained from a survey by Weerakoon (2011). Study 1 results showed no statistically significant associations between socio-demographic factors and comfort with sexuality discussions. A statistically significant difference was found in attitudes toward homosexual relations for Pentecostal clergy. No significant associations between sexual attitudes and other socio-demographic variables were found. Further, results showed that across the studies, comfort levels varied significantly, with clergy from Study 1 expressing significantly higher comfort levels than those who participated in Study 2. Significant differences were found in self-rated adequacy in education between clergy, with a greater proportion of clergy from Study 2 rating themselves as adequately educated. These findings have potential to inform developers of educational and training materials for clergy regarding matters of sexuality. This research is of potential interest to clergy, clergy-training institutions and other groups interested in understanding the intersection between religious faith, church life and sexuality in Australia
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