the top 7
anglican parishes that grew by more than 200 percent and 100 members 1996-2001
| Parish | Diocese | Incumbent | since year |
| Carlton | Sydney | Zac Veron | 1997 |
| Glenmore Park | Sydney | John Lavender | 2000 |
| Hawker | Canberra | Mara Di Francesco | 1999 |
| Rooty Hill | Sydney | Ray Galea | 1997 |
| Shellharbour City | Sydney | Ian Barnett | 1997 |
| Whitfords | Penrith | Peter Bourne | 1999
It appears intentional strategy-setting, an emphasis on lay participation in ministry and preaching that connects with people’s day-to-day lives are key factors for growing churches.
These were the most commonly cited factors by clergy of Anglican parishes that doubled in average weekly attendence between 1996 and 2001, Southern Cross has found.
General Synod Standing Committee released a list of these churches last month in response to a resolution passed at General Synod last year. There were 27 parishes on the list: twelve from Sydney Diocese, six from Perth, two from Canberra and one each from Bunburry, Newcastle, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Tasmania and North-West Australia. More than half the incumbents on the list were trained at Moore Theological College in Sydney.
The General Synod report pointed out that many of the incumbents were young. Indeed, none on the list had been at their parish more than seven years and most had been ordained less than a decade.
The report observed that many of the parishes were in ‘metropolitan areas experiencing high levels of population growth’. Two of the fastest growing - Shellharbour City and Glenmore Park - were recently opened in new housing developments.
Yet the report also emphasised that ‘many other localities that have experienced high levels of development have not experienced a commensurate level of attendence increase’. There were no Anglican churches on the list situated in either the Central Coast or Gold Coast, two of the fastest growing population centre’s in Australia.
Apart from new churches in housing developments, many others also grew through congregational planting. Both Carlton and Rooty Hill experimented with ethnic churches and ‘non-church’ venues. Vaucluse began an evening congregation and Naremburn with Cammeray was revitalised thanks to a group of ‘church planters’ commissioned from St Thomas’, North Sydney.
General Synod Standing Committee has established a working group made up of Bishop Robert Forsyth from Sydney, Bishop Brian Farran from Perth and General Synod researcher, Wayne Brighton, to further investigate the issue of growth.
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