Synod’s evening session added flesh to the bones of Synod’s ‘missional’ discussions.

It began with deep debate about the right kind of meat that needs to be added to diet of new church plants.

It finished at the pointy end of Mission: a sharp focus on revamping funding priorities away from maintenance and the need to win the “hearts and minds” of the laity.

Meat for missional churches

The push for solid, theologically thought-out guidelines for running contemporary missional church gatherings took a step forward at Synod last night.

Debate centred on welcoming a report from the Doctrine Commission on the Theology of Christian Assembly which originally arose from comments last year by Archbishop Peter Jensen about the drift away from Prayer Book services.

This year he reiterated the point, saying that do-it-yourself services can sometimes distort important elements such as the confession.

As the Doctrine Commission report itself: “Today, the picture is very different. As the Archbishop suggested in his 2007 Presidential Address to the Synod, there are numerous possible reasons for the change " the need for our gatherings to build relationships, the desire to express a greater level of human reality and the trend to utilise modern technology… Perhaps there has also been a theological shift, or at least a loss of theological clarity about what the Christian assembly is for.”

The motion asked Synod to welcome the report, but more importantly included a request that the Diocese’s liturgical group “prepare a new range of ‘templates for Christian assembly’ suitable for the contemporary church, taking account of the Doctrine Commission's report”.

The Rev Stephen Semenchuk, rector of Dapto, which partners in a radical missional endeavour in working-class Berkeley, further strengthened this aspect of the motion from the floor of Synod.

He successfully argued for an amendment that ensured the liturgical group would consult with missional church leaders about their needs.

"We are talking about being missional and connecting with unchurched Australians," he said. "In places like Berkeley, and amongst the surfers, and some of ethnic churches" we have to go far beyond the existing templates."

Davies: report "deficient'

Earlier, the Rev Dr John Woodhouse, principal of Moore Theological College, moved the motion calling on Synod to welcome the Doctrine Commission report.

Dr Woodhouse, who is chair of the Commission, described the report's “method as biblical theology" going back to first principles” and as an antidote to “pragmatism”.

However in describing the report as “profoundly deficient”, Bishop Glenn Davies moved an amendment which Synod passed, asking that the Liturgical Commission to take into account “the principles of the BCP and 39 Articles”.

Bishop Davies also moved a second amendment, asking Synod to merely “receive” rather than “welcome” the report.

Bishop Davies claimed the report had failed to implement the terms of the original motion from last year's Synod which asked the Commission to look at a theology of Christian assembly “to shape missional, biblical and Anglican” congregations.

He also claimed the report has “deficient understanding of the doctrine of worship”, which he said led the report to overlook the importance of meeting “to praise God” or “to engage with God”.

He added that the report had ignored the place of the sacraments in our Christian assemblies.

"This Diocese has a reputation for devaluing the sacraments" Maybe that isn't merited but this document reinforces that caricature," he said.

After a debate from the floor, Dr Woodhouse replied, saying he would have been “disappointed if this report wasn't controversial”.

However he strongly disagreed with Bishop Davies' analysis saying the report was “full of corporate worship” but used different language.

He added that the issue of the sacraments should be addressed separately.

The vote on Bishop Davies’ second amendment went to a show of hands, and was lost.

New Mission tactics sought

Discussion of the ongoing refinement of the Diocese's Mission Strategy continued late into the evening.

Focus was on gathering ideas from Synod representatives on the specific tactics needed.

As Mr Semenchuk, representing the Mission Board, explained: "The mission hasn't charged ahead as some of us have dreamed. We are not looking for people to blame… but choosing the best tactics under God in this time and in this place."

The Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen, said there was not enough “sacrificial concern for the lost” and called on Synod to accept a new matrix for allocating funding priorities, which he said would encourage the Diocese to move from maintenance to mission.

The process included comments from the floor as well as a questionnaire to be completed by delegates.

A number of speakers commented on the matrix or paradigm suggested for allocating priorities for funding.

Cath White from Marrickville was concerned that this would lead the Diocese not to take the gospel to the hard-to-reach groups.

In contrast, the Rev Ted Brush called the new paradigm to allocate our finite resources “profound”.

Two laymen “implored” ministers to take leadership by modelling to laity how to do evangelism and mission.

Martin Sumpter from Manly said that most laity “love Jesus”, so “just train, release us, and allow us to make mistakes”.

The Rev Andrew Katay from Ashfield-Haberfield parish, received particularly strong applause.

Speaking from his own experience of church planting, he said the problem is that we have “no other strategy other than church planting”.

"We need a theological, research-based analysis of what it takes to grow a church."

"Our emphasis on planting… leads us to emphasise recruiting entrepreneurs at the possible omission of the gifts it takes to grow [the church plant].”