Diocesan Mission Strategy

Synod adopts the Mission Strategy for the Diocese of Sydney with its Mission Statement, Initial Goal, Fundamental Aim and Fourfold Policy as set out in the Mission Strategy Document and explained by the Archbishop in his Presidential Address.

1. The Diocesan Mission
To glorify God by proclaiming our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ in prayerful dependence on the Holy Spirit, so that everyone will hear his call to repent, trust and serve Christ in love, and be established in the fellowship of his disciples while they await his return.

2. The Initial Goal of the Mission
To see at least 10% of the population of the region of the Diocese in Bible-based churches in 10 years.

3. Strategy for the Diocese

Fundamental Aim

To multiply Bible-based Christian fellowships, congregations and churches which equip and nurture their members and expand themselves, both in the Diocese and ”in all the world“.

Fourfold Policy

In submission to the Lord Jesus Christ and his command to make disciples of all nations,

1. To call upon God for such an outpouring of his Spirit that his people will be assured of his love through his word, seek to please the Saviour in all things, manifest the godly life and be filled with prayerful and sacrificial compassion for the lost in all the world.

2. To enable parish churches to expand numerically, equip and nurture their members, and become the mother-churches of as many fellowships and congregations as possible; and also to take further initiatives to create fellowships by penetrating structures of society beyond the reach of the parish church with the gospel.

3. To multiply the number of well-trained persons (ordained, lay, full time, part time, voluntary) lovingly dedicated to the creation and development of such parishes, congregations and fellowships by proclaiming the gospel.

4. To reform the life of the Diocese (including our culture, ordinances, customs, use of resources, and deployment of ministry) to encourage and enable the fulfilment of the fundamental aim.

(Bishop Reg Piper - 15 October 2002)

Commitment to the Diocesan Mission

Synod, having responded to the commitment and call to the Diocesan Mission, joins in the commitment and the invitation by adding thereto the words ”the Synod“ and the word ”together“ at the relevant point so that the commitment reads -

”In submission to the word of the Lord Jesus, the Archbishop and Bishops of the Diocese have committed themselves in unity of heart and spirit to give example, energy and leadership to this Mission.  They are doing so in fellowship with the Archdeacons, the Synod, the Standing Committee and its Mission Taskforce, and together they invite the whole Anglican community in Sydney (with all other believers) to join them by taking the initiative to see that Christ is proclaimed to all people.“

(Bishop Reg Piper - 15 October 2002)

Diocesan Mission Initiatives

Synod, having adopted the Diocesan Mission -

(1) commends to Standing Committee, regional councils, area deaneries, parishes, organisations and individuals the Mission, Initial Goal, Fundamental Aim and Fourfold Policy, and

(2) urges them to undertake the initiatives specified in paragraphs (a) to (d) which follow, where relevant, and to develop their own further strategies in their situation having first, in the case of groups, explained the basics of the Diocesan Mission to their members and sought the active support of those members to the Mission, and

(3) asks Anglican Media to produce and provide each parish with a poster sized copy of the Commitment Statement, so that each parish may also own the Diocesan Mission and be encouraged to put this into practice.

(a) In the light of the policy -

”To call upon God for such outpouring of his Spirit that his people will be assured of his love through his word, seek to please the Saviour in all things, manifest the godly life and be filled with prayerful and sacrificial compassion for the lost in all the world.“

Synod requests that -

(i) in the normal program of every level of diocesan life, and in the lives of individuals and families, serious attention be given to pray for the mission and for willingness to become actively involved, and the appropriate study of God’s word, and

(ii) each level of the diocese also have such special conferences, prayer days or nights, conventions, rallies and seminars to promote prayerful dependence upon God and attention to the teaching of his word, and

(iii) Lent be specially marked in church gatherings as a season of corporate and urgent prayerfulness and specific preaching in line with this mission policy, and

(iv) prayer groups within parishes be organised and encouraged to persist in the prayerful support of the mission, and

(v) leaders within a parish commit regular time to pray with each other, and their colleagues in other parishes and in other ministries, and

(vi) Christian publishers produce Bible study and discussion group material and devotional material for individuals, couples and families to equip adult, children and youth groups to study God’s word and promote prayer, and

(vii) Anglican Media produce materials through Southern Cross and the Web site to stimulate and assist those praying for the mission including, in particular, a prayer diary with forms of prayers for the mission, and

(viii) the Archbishop, regional bishops, archdeacons and clergy exercise continued leadership in prayerful dependence upon God in all meetings,  conferences and committees in which they are engaged, as well as in public preaching and teaching of God’s word, and

(ix) a small task force or forces be set up to promote prayerfulness for the mission and thanksgiving in prayer, and to share information on the progress of the mission.

(b) In the light of the policy -

”To enable parish churches to expand numerically, equip and nurture their members, and become the mother-churches of as many fellowships and congregations as possible; and also to take further initiatives to create fellowships by penetrating structures of society beyond the reach of the parish church with the gospel.“

Synod requests that -

For individuals

(i) individuals consider how they might reach out and minister to unchurched friends and acquaintances, and

For ministers

(ii) ministers re-evaluate their timetable and parish responsibilities to free up time (at least one day a fortnight) to review existing initiatives and develop new initiatives in the parish, and

(iii) ministers take time to rethink parish ministry and retrain in congregational planting, and

For parishes

(iv) each parish council consider how they can best contribute to this policy, and

(v) each parish consider its ability to reach their parish mission field and whether they need to ask for outside help for the task of the mission, and

(vi) parishes take the initiative in planting new congregations in fellowship with existing congregations, and

(vii) each parish try to plant at least as many congregations as there are primary schools in their parish, and

(viii) new churches be developed with other organisations e.g. schools, hospitals, retirement villages, and

(ix) each parish have a children’s and youth ministry and, where possible, both Sunday morning and evening services and services at other times, and

(x) each parish consider opportunities to create ministry partnerships with another parish or organisation for mutual support and the direct sharing of resources, and

(xi) each parish undertake an audit using an instrument such as the National Church Life Survey or the Natural Church Development program, and

(xii) each parish consider how they can reach out to unchurched groups in their community, for example, unbelieving spouses of church members and the unchurched among single people, professional people, high rise or gated communities, ethnic communities, sports clubs, young people in shopping centres, workers in the hospitality industries, shift workers, the illiterate, young mothers, retired people, and the like, and

(xiii) each parish consider linking with organisations such as Anglicare to encourage and facilitate ministries to the marginalised, destitute and mentally ill, and

(xiv) each parish consider becoming involved with community organisations to input a Christian ethos, and

(xv) each parish providing scripture ministry in all schools in their parish, and

For regional councils

(xvi) regional councils evaluate how to encourage parishes in their region in this policy, and

(xvii) where possible, regional councils invest their resources to seed fund parish initiatives and deploy church planting evangelists, and

For Standing Committee and other bodies

(xviii) a network of evangelists be seed funded to plant new work among specialised groups within society, especially non-Anglo Saxon groups and the indigenous communities, and

(xix) a peer group advisory service be developed to help parishes meet the opportunities for mission, and

(xx) research be undertaken on -
(a) the effectiveness of combining or dividing parishes, and
(b) models of church reinvigoration and church planting, and
(c) the financial development of parishes, and
(d) the base numbers and goal numbers of the mission, and
(e) the areas (geographical and sociological) where we are not reaching the community, and
(f) where we have the most effective outreach, and

(xxi) a strategy be developed for accessing property for use for church planting and for church planters, in particular, the strategy of leasing buildings in shopping centres for ministry, and

(xxii) new architectural and building models be developed for multipurpose buildings, and a resource be created to assist parishes undertake building programs, and

(xxiii) a communications system be developed to allow mission material to be shared easily, and

(xxiv) materials and strategies be prepared to assist individuals and parishes as they seek to reach out to the unchurched, particularly in the work place, and

(xxv) a small task force be set up to promote an increase in the level of sacrificial giving to pay for increased activity at the parish level, and to contribute more to world mission, and

(xxvi) consideration be given to setting up a task force to examine -
(a) the effects of new ministries on marginal parishes,
(b) provision of procedures for making ministries and property redundant,
(c) the need for systems of communication between new and existing ministries,
(d) the need for new dispute resolution procedures, and
(e) other possible negative effects of proposed changes in strategy.

(c) In the light of the policy -

”To multiply the number of well-trained persons (ordained, lay, full time, part time, voluntary) lovingly dedicated to the creation and development of such parishes, congregations and fellowships by proclaiming the gospel.“

Synod requests that -

For Christian parents

(i) Christian parents be encouraged to see full time Christian ministry as a marvellous opportunity for their children, not a second class career choice, and

For ministers and others trained in ministry

(ii) ministers to be trained as members of teams, not just leaders, and training be provided about congregation planting for ministers and identified potential church planters, and

(iii) those who trained for ministry be encouraged and equipped to train others and, in particular, ministers consider training at least 1 person as their ministry ”apprentice“, and

For parishes

(iv) parishes continually identify and recruit all members into the evangelistic task of the mission and,

(v) parishes encourage appropriate lay people to attend courses and conferences for facilitating their thinking about vocational ministry options, and

(vi) parishes actively support and grow the recruitment role of Club 5/Club 50 conferences, and

(vii) each parish deploy at least one more trainee worker in 2003 than in 2002, and

(viii) parishes consider structuring the PTC into their parish education program, and

(ix) appropriate ”gift discovery“ material and courses be prepared for use by parishes, and each parish council -
(a) consider how each member of their parish can be encouraged to identify, use and enhance their God-given gifts in the fulfilment of the mission, and
(b) introduce strategies to achieve these aims, and

(x) parishes consider employing an administrator to free-up the time of pastoral workers so that they might to focus on ministry, proclaiming God’s word, pastoring God’s people and developing and implementing mission strategies, and

For regional councils

(xi) regional councils consider how they might contribute to the training of church workers such as holding regular seminars or conferences and strategically locating one or more centres for training lay pastoral workers in the region, and

(xii) regional councils give priority to supporting seed funding to assist increasing parish staff, and

For Standing Committee and other bodies

(xiii) at least 1,000 full-time pastoral workers and 10,000 part time pastoral workers be trained and deployed in the next 10 years, and

(xiv) Moore College be resourced to exercise theological leadership in training our diocesan personnel for the mission, and

(xv) consideration be given to appropriately resourcing other Bible based educational and training providers (such as Anglican Youthworks, Mary Andrews College and the Sydney Missionary and Bible College) which will support and further the mission, and

(xvi)      special attention be given to recruiting, training, deploying and supporting people for ministry to all cultural, educational and socio economic groups including, in particular, people from a NESB for ministry among people of their own culture, and

(xvii) the Ministry Training Strategy (MTS) be expanded to be a broad training base in the Diocese, and consideration be given to offering scholarships for MTS students, and

(xviii) courses and publications for the training of lay leaders in parishes be reviewed (and, if necessary, created) to ensure their accessibility, availability and relevance to lay people throughout the diocese, with particular emphasis to be given to -
(a) courses for specialised ministries such as children’s work, lay home group leadership, youth group leadership and Sunday School teaching,
(b) part time courses and courses of a short term duration to meet the needs of lay people in full time employment,
(c) ensuring that courses are conducted in centres throughout the diocese, and that appropriate distance education is available, and
(d) the use of technology (such as the website) for training purposes and providing information about the availability of training, and
(e) ensuring courses are available for people of different educational and literacy levels, and

(xix) strategies and support systems be created to develop the competence of workers involved in the mission and maintain their spiritual, mental and physical health, and

(xx) appropriate ongoing training for ministry be provided, including continuing development and ministry assessment, and

(xxi) consideration to be given to the financial resources needed to multiply the church workers needed and how those financial resources may be obtained.

(d) In the light of the policy -

”To reform the life of the Diocese (including its culture, ordinances, customs, use of resources, and deployment of ministry) to encourage and enable the fulfilment of the fundamental aim.“

Synod requests that -

For the Archbishop

(i) the Archbishop reform the pattern and licensing of ministers to reflect better the desired diversity of full-time and part-time ministry workers, and to consider creating a role of ”pastor“ for congregations, and

(ii) the Archbishop invite the heads of other churches to join in the mission, and

For the Regional Bishops and Archdeacons

(iii) the regional bishops and archdeacons, while retaining their pastoral role, be missionary bishops and archdeacons developing and assisting new work in their regions and, to assist this, consideration be given to them being centred in parishes rather than in head office, and

(iv) regional bishops and archdeacons be encouraged to draw on other expertise to carry out those administrative tasks which may distract them from their missionary role, and

For parishes

(v) congregational members be encouraged to increment their financial giving by 1% of their total income every year to a target level of not less than 10% within 10 years, and

For area deaneries

(vi) area deaneries be used as hubs for training and sharing local ideas, promoting the employment of non-ordained leaders with skills in congregation planting and outreach and individuals who can connect with the community, and

(vii) parishes be encouraged to form team ministries, share resources with neighbouring parishes and employ specialists to cover needs in several parishes, and

For regional councils

(viii) regional councils be encouraged to strategically look at resources held by individual parishes to encourage their use beyond the parish, and

For the Standing Committee and other bodies

(ix) the business of Synod be reorganised to focus upon matters of principle rather than details of committee work and the use of pre-Synod meetings to discuss issues of detail be encouraged, and

(x) policy task forces be created to help co-ordinate the various agencies involved in the delivery of ministries funded by the Synod, and

(xi) a ministry portfolio be established to oversee the work of recruiting, training, retraining and deploying ministers, and

(xii) the parish system, parish boundaries and parochial status be reviewed, and

(xiii) consideration be given to creating concepts such as ”church membership“ and ”partnership in the mission“ to encourage commitment to the mission, and

(xiv) an evaluation be undertaken of the effectiveness of current programmes or organisations and their contribution to the mission, and how those programs or organisations might be made more effective, and

(xv) that a permanent review committee be established to oversee Diocesan administration, and

(xvi) the Property Trust and other agencies be more proactive in the maintenance of properties to release parish people for ministry, and

(xvii) that existing policies concerning the owning or leasing of rectories, and rectory standards, be reviewed, and that the restrictions currently attached to the use of church property and funds be reviewed with the aim of giving more discretion to local leaders, and

(xviii) the number of committees and processes involved in obtaining approvals be reduced to give greater authority to the parish about building issues, and

(xix) the Mission Property Committee be sufficiently resourced to assist parishes in their long term property strategy, and

(xx) all Diocesan staff be encouraged to be involved in a yearly mission proclaiming and introducing Jesus to the lost, and

(xxi) a base study be commissioned to determine a measurement point for all future progress in bringing the mission to our Diocese, and

(xxii) a training course for clergy on church administration be produced to assist them in minimising the time spent on administration, and

(xxiii) the Diocesan website be developed to -
(a) show the Mission plans of parish and Diocesan organisations,
(b) show progress against those plans,
(c) show particular successes and failures and the causes thereof,
(d) serve to inform prayer,
(e) serve to record the hand of God upon us as a witness itself,
(f)  provide links to recommended reading under appropriate mission headings, books, synod reports, other websites, etc.,
(g) provide Bible studies on mission themes,
(h) provide references to other mission resources, videos, tracts.

(The Rev Phillip Jensen - 22 October 2002)