The acting head of Sydney’s Evangelism Ministries has been selected by the General Synod as the man most likely to help Australia’s diverse Anglican dioceses turn the corner from decline to growth.
Church planting guru and sydneyanglicans.net columnist, the Rev Stuart Robinson, has been appointed to a newly created national position helping Anglican churches to develop new congregations.
Mr Robinson says he is humbled and challenged by the appointment.
“We’re now working and thinking nationally across the whole comnunion,” he says.
“The idea that a person will be employed across the board to assist all dioceses is a new idea and a significant advance.”
The appointment was finalised at General Synod Standing Committee - the Anglican Church's highest decision making body " last weekend.
Wayne Brighton from the Anglican Church's national office says Mr Robinson's appointment is a major step for the Church at this time.
"This new appointment will work in partnership with dioceses to help with the many implementation issues associated with the mixed economy church," he says.
"He has the ability to help Anglicans become more missional regardless of churchmanship. We'd clone him if we could."
Mr Robinson has had personal experience planting churches in three significantly different contexts " in western Sydney, in the city’s CBD and in Belgium.
He says tackling the Anglican church’s national decline will require just as diverse a series of solutions.
“Because of the disparate nature of the country and the range of situations from rural through to urban and high rise, trying to work out comprehensive strategies will be a challenge.”
And that, Mr Robinson says, is only half the problem.
“Then finding the right people who can carry out the changes that are necessary and actually training them to do so will be the next hurdle.”
In the past couple of years he has been a key organiser of a series of mission conferences, including The Mission-Shaped Church conference with George Lings earlier this year.
Most recently, Mr Robinson has been acting CEO of Evangelism Ministries in Sydney where he has been assisting parishes with strategic planning.
From next month, he will take up a parish ministry position in northern Sydney. His new parish, St Paul's Chatswood, will release him for 60 days each year to fulfill the new national role.
