The Church of England's clarion call to missional action, The Mission-Shaped Church (published in 2004) has prompted Australia's General Synod to build on the observations and recommendations of that document, and produce this indigenous version addressing the critical problem of the numerical decline of the Anglican Church in Australian.
The starting point of this book, a product of more than a year's effort by the Mission Task Force established by the Standing Committee of General Synod in March 2005, is the frank but undeniable admission that the clock is ticking on the future of Anglicanism in Australia.  The urgent need of the hour is a dramatic change in strategy.  The Australian church needs to move purposefully into a missionary engagement with its largely unchurched culture.

This resource book advocates a "mixed-economy' approach to mission, that is endorsing the historical "attractional model' of evangelism (inviting and wooing people to come to us) with the "infiltration model' (we go to where they are) more characteristic of the emerging church movement.

Not surprisingly, the report advocates a continued commitment to Anglican structures: the diocese as taking the central role in revitalization; the bishop as "the broker of mission'.  Nevertheless, the call to appoint bishops with a proven track record in effective mission strategy is welcome.  Presumably, this implies "runs on the board'.  It is difficult to envisage the "broker for mission' being someone who is not a proven church planter and grower.   

The report provides many examples of "fresh expressions' of evangelistic engagement with society.  There are a host of fruitful ideas here.  Central to the report's agenda for church growth is the deliberate recruitment and appropriate training of gifted leaders.

This is not a theological textbook.  One cannot imagine how the very diverse Australian Anglican Church could embrace a report if it were not theologically inclusive.  Each reader will need to fill in the theological blanks.  Although it would be folly indeed to think that we could build a church against which the gates of hell could not prevail, apart from laying the foundation of the rock of the apostolic gospel of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ.

There is plenty in Building the Mission-Shaped Church in Australia to awaken us to action and stimulate our thinking. The Task Force is to be thanked for its labours. 

Reviewed by Michael Raiter

Extract

Nothing could be more important right now for the church than grappling with our mission.

There is a struggle for Australia's soul. We are no longer the Christian nation we once thought we were. In response, the Anglican Church has been floundering around, not knowing quite what shape to take in a secular environment. We don't want to surrender our beliefs or compromise our worship, but we want to be relevant to our society. This dilemma cries out for a serious reflection and intelligent strategy.

Mindful of these things, the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia meeting in Perth in 2004 listened carefully to a major presentation on mission and church attendance across the Australian dioceses. Synod then moved into conference mode, which enabled synod members to discuss in small groups the presentation and make feedback. The feedback indicated that:

1. Many General Synod members recognise the situation of declining attendance and our diminished effectiveness at mission.

2. There is a need to develop a mixed economy approach to church life. This means an approach that encourages a diversity of types of churches.

3. There is a need to understand mission beyond the traditional understanding of evangelism.

Following the General Synod, and strongly encouraged by the Australian Bishops' meeting, the Standing Committee of General Synod at its March 2005 meeting established a Mission Task Force. This book is part of the Task Force's work and is an attempt to encourage an understanding of the key principles of mission and their application across our Church.

For the Anglican Church of Australia, the clock is ticking about our future. The majority of our congregations are elderly; our impact on society is minimal. While there has been a significant growth in our welfare and education services, congregational growth across Australia has been negligible. The time for dramatic action has arrived.

Why a Mission-Shaped Church in Australia?

As Australian Anglicans, we have the opportunity to be missionaries in our own backyard. This might be self-evident for those who live in Bankstown, Carlton or Griffith where people from a diverse range of nationalities are met through our workplaces, schools or shopping centres. It might be less evident if we happen to live in areas where people look, sound and seem to share what we might call "English' values.

But look closer. Sit on the steps of Flinders St Station in central Melbourne after 10pm, be in Surfers Paradise during "schoolies' week, head down to Cottesloe beach, Perth, take in Adelaide's Fringe Festival or just sit in a café at the Salamanca markets in Hobart and the chances are that the Australia you see isn't necessarily the one you grew up with. This is the new reality of a cross-cultural ministry in Australia today.

The good news for Australian Anglicans is that we can be a church shaped by mission. The great news is that God will go with us if we are prepared to follow the Apostle Paul's example of becoming "all things to all people that we might by all means save some" (1 Cor. 9:22). If we take the cross-cultural challenge seriously, Australian Anglicans might just find that the best years for our Church lie ahead and not behind.

Challenge of the four generations

While four generations in Australian society may be easily identified, the boundaries between them can be quite fluid. It is possible to identify the Builders (aged over 60), the Boomers (between 40 " 60), Gen X (between 20 " 40) and Gen Y (under 20) and compare estimates of their attendance in Anglican Churches compared with their representation in the general community.

Builders appear over-represented in our Church while Gen X and Y are under-represented. Looking more deeply we can see that dioceses such as Sydney have a more balanced age profile than other dioceses. Across the Church nationally, no more than 7 per cent of nominal Anglicans are in estimated weekly attendance. This means that more than 93 per cent of self-identified Anglican "believers' have other things to do and places to be than an Anglican Church. While this may not be a new problem, we need to clearly find better ways of addressing this reality.

Building the Mission-Shaped Church in Australia by the General Synod Task Force on Mission which includes Bishops Andrew Curnow, Stephen Hale, Robert Forsyth, Trevor Edwards and the Revs Di Nicolios and Stuart Robinson, Mrs Sue Williams and Mr Wayne Brighton. Edited by the Rev Alan Nichols. Contact Rainbow Books on 03 9481 6611 or
visit the Rainbow Books website.