Sydney Anglicans belong to a network of churches encompassing the Sydney Metropolitan, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, South Coast and Illawarra areas.  The area  covered by this network is called a ‘diocese’.  The diocese is led by the Archbishop of Sydney, assisted by Bishops and other ministry staff and governed by a ‘synod’ or church parliament which meets once a year. The way people encounter Sydney Anglicans may be through friends at work or in the community, who will introduce them to a local church. We hope you will find a warm welcome at any of the more than 400 Anglican churches or congregations of people across Sydney and the Illawarra. You can find your local church through the ‘churchnearyou’ database. 

Organisation

The Anglican diocese of Sydney is self-governing, just like the other 22 dioceses of the Anglican Church of Australia. But it is joined in fellowship with Anglicans and other Christians around the world. Missionaries from Sydney can be found on every continent and the Archbishop of Sydney’s Anglican Aid works to provide aid, development and ministry support in the least developed countries of the world. Here in Australia, Anglicare is the urban mission and community care arm of Sydney Anglicans and as one of Australia’s largest Christian care organisations, it reaches out to thousands of people every year, including caring for more than 5,000 residents and clients across the Greater Sydney region – many in residential communities and some in their own homes.

Anglican schools and colleges operate throughout Sydney and the Illawarra.

The youth arm of the Diocese is Anglican Youthworks, with a mission to see an effective youth and children’s ministry in every church, by supporting the work of the gospel in churches and schools.

Moore College is the diocese’s theological college which trains ministers for the Anglican Church in Sydney and other gospel workers who work in a range of ministry contexts in the diocese and beyond.

The Archbishop

The position of Archbishop of Sydney was created in 1897, although the idea of an overseer of churches goes back to New Testament times. You may have heard the current Archbishop, Kanishka Raffel on radio or television, speaking about the Christian faith. As Archbishop of Sydney, Archbishop Raffel is also metropolitan or chief bishop of the Province of New South Wales. The Province of New South Wales consists of 7 dioceses – Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra/Goulburn, Armidale, Grafton, Bathurst and Riverina.