Mr. President, members of Synod,

I am asking you to adopt the Mission Strategy for the Diocese of Sydney.

I begin by stating that I have committed myself in unity of heart and spirit with my colleagues, the regional Bishops, under the leadership of the Archbishop, to give example, energy and leadership to this Mission.

I am very enthusiastic about the Mission and I hope also persuasive.

Let me ask five questions.

1. Why this mission statement?

Every one of us wants to glorify God.

One way is by proclaiming Christ. Another is by doing good works.

Why have we given priority to proclamation?

I reply, “Look at our times”.

I remember the fifties.  Churchgoing was not unfashionable.  Government forms asked for Christian names.  Sport on Sundays was questioned.  The Billy Graham Crusade was the talk of Sydney.  Christianity was influential.

These are not our times.

Certainly we must do good works.  Certainly we must solve the drug abuse problem and get the naltrexone programme to Port Kembla hospital.  Certainly we must influence governments and bring the endless war in the Sudan to a just conclusion. Certainly we must raise money for the refugees in the Joint Relief Programme at Cairo Cathedral.

But we have been a shrinking people with shrinking influence!

Our priority must be to grow if God is going to be given rightful honour in our land.  Proclaiming and dialoguing about Christ and his death, resurrection and coming with a view to forming fellowships must be our priority.

And take heart from the signs.  Church attendance has increased over the last few years.  Moore College has never had more students.  The Bible College is full.  The Youthworks College is up and running.  The convention movement and the CMS summer school are stronger.  The AFES ministry is significant throughout Australia.

2. Why the goal of 10% of the population in bible believing churches?

Note!  10% of the population, not just 10% increase.  Note!  “Bible believing churches”, not just Anglican churches.

Why such a big goal of 10%?

Firstly because 10% of the population committed to Christ and each other will make a significant impact on our society.

Secondly because 10% is only catching up with the rest of the world.  Information collected by Professor David Barrett, head of the Lausanne Statistics Task Force shows that 10% of the world’s population are bible-believing Christians. Sydney should not be left behind.

Thirdly because 10% is the first step toward the apostolic 100%. Paul in Colossians said that his aim was to present everyone mature in Christ.

Fourthly because 10% will force us to be imaginative in our thinking.  Although in general we have been faithful in our ministry we will not achieve the goal by continuing to do what we currently do.  A large outcome will compel us to be creative in our ministry method.

Fifthly because 10% is so large we will never achieve the goal unless God does it.  We need to throw ourselves upon God’s mercy.

The only hesitation that I have about this goal has come from my daughter.  When talking with her about the Mission she advised, “Dad, go soft on the 10%. God can do much bigger than that”.

Why “bible believing churches”?

Firstly because bible believing is Anglican.  Article 6 states our position.

Secondly because the world is impatient with denominationalism. The Lord Jesus prayed for our unity so that the world might believe that the Father had sent him.

Thirdly because we are one of the larger churches and we ought to exercise responsible leadership.

3. Why adopt “multiplying bible based Christian fellowships” as our fundamental aim?

The fundamental aim and the second strategy are the centrepiece of our Mission.

Why make this strategy fundamental?

Firstly because it is the most effective method of reaching the goal of 10%. Many find the navigator method of one-to-one evangelism fits our gifts. This is good but not as productive.  The Billy Graham Crusade of 1959 saw my father, mother, brother, father in law, mother in law, sister in law and wife make decisions for Christ.  For Dr Graham and for all who worked so hard I am eternally grateful. This is good but from the little research done the number of new members added to the church through mass evangelism is small compared with the effort expended.  These strategies will help but they are not fundamental to our Mission.

Secondly because this is the method Jesus and the Apostles used.  The Lord Jesus called 4, then 12, then 70 as he built an expanding, moving, evangelizing fellowship.  From this base the Apostles were sent into the world.  Our apostle Paul built his teams and with them founded so many fellowships that by the end of his generation churches had been multiplied around the Mediterranean.

Thirdly because this method suits our philosophy which places the parish church at the centre of ministry.  Sydney rectors used this method when they built branch churches. The same principle drove vision 2000, led to the formation of the St Matthias group of churches and has encouraged many of our clergy to begin new congregations on their property and in community buildings.

Fourthly because this method has opened up the possibility of forming fellowships along other than geographical lines.  The 1994 report on church planting and the 2000 legislation on recognised churches explored these possibilities.  The Media and Creative Arts fellowships are making these possibilities realities.

The early Christian Apologist, Tertullian, in exaggerated language wrote of Christians in the Empire, “We are but of yesterday, and we have filled everything you have—cities, tenements, forts, towns, exchanges, yes!  And camps, tribes, palace, senate, forum.  All we have left to you is the temples!” Something of this can be said in our time.  We Christians are to be found scattered throughout society.  What we are saying is, “Form fellowships, congregations and churches” in all these segments of society wherever and whenever you can. The Archbishop in his presidential address said, “We are talking initiative, risk, failure, change, success.  But we are talking of a shift from “can’t do” to “can do”.

4. Why add the spiritual renewal, multiply persons and reform strategies to the second strategy?

We need to state them because they are significant.

The first strategy—spiritual renewal.

We could have an accurate mission statement, the best faith goal and the right fundamental aim but if God is not with us then all is lost. In edging toward this openly stated Mission we have sought Gods face. In fact the Diocesan Executive Board began this journey with trying to work out a money bill but we turned away from that to God. We have followed two CMS principles. We have put money in second place and sought Gods leading. We, the bishops joined now by the standing committee, think from reading the scriptures and the times that this Mission is from God.

But even if this Synod, under great conviction, agreed to pursue the Mission we cannot progress the Mission unless God constantly goes before us.

We will need to pray, perhaps more, but not so much more but so as to understand more of Gods mercy. We will need to read the bible, perhaps more, but not so much more but so as to understand more of God’s love.  We may need to be more zealous but we will need to know better the dimensions of Christ’s love, the immeasurable greatness of God’s power in us and the glorious inheritance that awaits us.  We need an outpouring of God Spirit.

The third strategy—multiplying well-trained persons.

Another principle of CMS is that all depends on the type of people sent out.  We need under God to recruit gifted men and women who will dedicate themselves to the creation and development of fellowships.  We need them from every level—clergy, lay, full-time, part-time, voluntary, young, old.  We need them from every background—Koori, Asian, European, African, and American.  We need to train them.  They need to be able to teach the bible, lead in prayer, pastor in life and death – all this is needful—but they will also need to plant fellowships and congregations and churches and then to nurture them so that even more fellowships and congregations and churches will be formed.

The fourth strategy—reform of diocesan life.

I am afraid that we are so entrenched in maintenance mode that it will be almost impossible for us to change – but change we must!  Our culture, customs, use of resources, deployment of ministry must be serving the Mission’s advance.  We must keep asking the question, “What will create the multiplication of fellowships?”

5. The last question—should we even try?

Many reasons could be given for not trying. Is planning godly?  Have we not gone through this exercise before?  If we fail won’t the end be worse than the beginning?

I turn to our apostle.  Paul wrote to the church at Rome saying he had completed his mission to the Eastern part of the empire.  He was going to Jerusalem with the fruit of his labours among the Gentiles churches.  He asked Rome to pray that he would be well received by the Jerusalem church.  He hoped for a fitting finale to this stage of his ministry and he looked forward to launching a new Mission to the western part of the empire. The church at Rome would be his platform.

He was arrested and nearly killed in Jerusalem.  He arrived in Rome a prisoner.  Some of the Roman Christians made it difficult for him.  Humanly speaking his planned venture was a miserable failure.

However that was not how Paul saw it.  He saw Roman Christians preaching the gospel, some from good motives and some from bad –but the gospel was advancing.  He also saw that the whole Praetorian Guard knew why he was imprisoned and that there was now a church in Caesars household.  A significant segment of society had been reached that would never have been reached if Paul had not been in prison. He rejoiced—yet even Paul could not see the most significant advance.  How many fellowships have been initiated, developed and reproduced as a consequence of letters he wrote from the prison cell?

Paul planned as best he could.  He was obedient as best he knew how.  God blessed his ministry and plans beyond anything he could ever have imagined.

He looked, like we must look, only to the Spirit of God for success.

Mr. President and members of Synod I invite you to adopt the Mission strategy for the diocese.