Imagine for a moment that a landmass the size of the Eastern Suburbs was dropped into the middle of the rural outskirts of Sydney. Then imagine the entire population went with it. According to a new report launched at the 2003 session of Synod last month, this is the picture of the population tidal wave that is set to sweep past ill-prepared churches unless urgent measures are taken to meet the anticipated population boom.

Synod has risen to the challenge, endorsing an ambitious $91 million blueprint that outlines the church property needs in the Diocese’s ‘residential growth corridors’.

A study by the Mission Property Committee said a greater focus on property is vital if the church is to achieve the initial goal of seeing ten per cent of the Diocese in Bible-based churches within the next nine years. The full report remains confidential for legal reasons.

The study identified 13 key areas earmarked for large-scale housing development, and recommends the Diocese takes urgent action to secure land or rebuild facilities so churches can be better equipped to reach out to new residents.

To date, planning for such an event has been ad hoc and uncoordinated, said the Chairman of the Mission Property Committee, Peter Kell. “Every region of the Diocese has people relocating and new people coming, and existing church properties are not adequate,” Mr Kell told Southern Cross. “We have to marshal our resources.

“This represents the first time ever that we’ve had a total, coordinated property plan for the whole Diocese. And that in itself is a tremendous thing.”

The first part of the two-fold plan is to buy land or build new ministry facilities in the ‘greenfields’ – areas expected to see a residential boom within 15 years. Parishes near these growth areas will build multi-purpose ministry centres on the site where traditional church buildings stand. A typical land purchase would be two to three times the size of what is needed for the church grounds, with the vacant land being subdivided to finance the development.

Funding will come from existing Mission Property funds, the Archbishop’s Vision Appeal through parishes, returns from future developments and redevelopment of existing assets. Archbishop Peter Jensen has asked each parish to consider what they can do to support the proposal.

The committee has already prioritised building work on church land at Hoxton Park, Glenmore Park and Rouse Hill in the northwest, and was instrumental in getting the now-thriving ministry centre at nearby Kellyville off the ground earlier this year.

But it is not just Sydney’s fastest growing area that is being put under the spotlight. St David’s, Forestville is working with the Committee to redevelop its smaller buildings. The Rev Richard James, rector of Forestville, says this is much to the chagrin of the big developers that have come knocking. “We’re sitting on a goldmine,” Mr James said. “But really we are concerned for the glory of God and growing ministry.”

This mix of large and small is crucial, said Mr Kell. “Smaller churches [will be] planted off those [larger] centres in property not owned by the church, in schools and community centres,” he said. “Right across that whole arc of these new areas there will be well-planned, well-placed centres that we don’t have at the moment. There will be lots of smaller groups that will be churches in their own right, meeting where people can just walk down the street.”

Mr Kell said the Church Property Trust would retain its authority. He said the Committee would not sell off properties to fund the plan. “In no way is [the Committee] a ‘centralist devil’ that will steal property away from parishes to redevelop them,” he said.