Trevor Edwards is a ‘fifty-niner’. He came to faith in Christ as a result of the first Sydney Billy Graham Crusade in 1959. His was a ‘church sending’ family. Trevor attended Sunday School in Sans Souci and decided to make a public stand for the Lord Jesus through Confirmation in 1964.
Trevor speaks passionately about his sense of ‘call’ to full time Christian ministry;  “I know this is now politically incorrect,  but I describe it as the divine push.” At the time, Trevor was leading a youth ministry of 150 people. Encouraged by parishioners and friends, Trevor obeyed the call (as he felt it would be ‘disobedient’ to do otherwise), and began ministry training.
On June 12, Trevor was consecrated as a Bishop in the diocese of Canberra and Goulburn. His specific brief is to oversee and facilitate evangelism and the development of new ‘faith communities’ across the diocese and to serve as rector of the burgeoning St. Matthew’s, Wanniassa. Now that’s multi-tasking!
SPR: After an extensive ministry in Sydney – Caringbah, Broadway, Hurstville Grove, Camden and Archdeacon in South Sydney, you believed it was time to move on?
TE: True. The brief answer is that I was invited to be rector of Wanniassa and Archdeacon of South Canberra. Believing it to be of God, we came. I felt strongly that I needed to find a place where I could take my gifts and experiences and use them to the full. Bishop Browning was very generous. He immediately offered me a place on the senior diocesan leadership team. Coming to the nations’s capital was, in my view, a strategic decision.
SPR: Please explain your new role.
TE: I will remain rector of St Matthew’s and assume diocesan-wide responsibility for evangelism and growing new churches. It is in fact a very old model of episcopal ministry. From the outset, disciples of Jesus (and later ‘clergy’ or ‘bishops’) would journey into surrounding areas to tend the needs of villages where the spiritual focus was usually just a timber or stone cross. Bishops were evangelists establishing new communities of faith. This will be my role.
SPR: St. Matthew’s is a growing and vibrant church. Over 500 adults attend each week. What is your vision for this ministry?
TE: We are committed to becoming a church planting church. We will multiply cells and congregations. We want to see growing, Christ-centred, Bible-focused, and loving communities of faith everywhere! To this end we will recruit clergy and give them permission to ‘fish’ from the Wanniassa pond; they’ll form core teams which will become new congregations.
St. Matthew’s will be my base and a model in both evangelism and church planting. In time we will ‘donate’ clergy and congregations to the diocese. Canberra and Goulburn does not have the financial resources of Sydney.
We really need to step out in faith in enterprises of this nature. So, St. Matthew’s will need to rise to the challenge of keeping the home base strong while at the same time resourcing new works in the Canberra region.
SPR: What then are your diocesan priorities?
TE: The major challenge facing this diocese is that our people become confident in Christ. The Diocesan Mission has proclaiming the good news of Jesus as a top priority. We want to see this across all the traditions that make up this diverse diocese. I am convinced a multi-faceted approach is necessary. In fostering a culture of evangelism, a mission is scheduled for 2005.
A second challenge is establishing new congregations in growth corridors. That requires equipped personnel, our third priority. We must raise up local leadership to embrace this need. St Mark’s National Theological Centre will be called upon to deliver high quality training for our ordination candidates.
Lastly, my episcopal colleague, Allan Ewing is addressing models of ministry for Mission in Rural Areas. This is huge. Rural decline and drought will have an ongoing impact which must addressed. Immediately.
SPR: Sounds like you’ll be busy!
TE: It will be a real juggle of time. For some reason the Lord keeps putting me in situations where I need to wear many hats. But I do have a temperament which enables me to work effectively and efficiently and then simply switch off.
SPR: Just as well, Bishop.