At the end of each year I have tried to analyse the biggest rating stories on our site to highlight developments in the Sydney Anglican scene.
So trends what did I see in 2009?
1. Mark Driscoll/Acts 29 is still biggest news
Mark Driscoll - and especially his visit to Sydney - completely dominated the top rating headlines on this site in 2008. The buzz around Driscoll, his Mars Hill church, and the related Acts 29 church planting network continued into this year.
There was also significant interest around Bishop Al Stewart's visit to Driscoll's Seattle church planting boot camp and subsequent plans to establish a local church planting network which has become The Geneva Push.
However Michael Kellahan's critique of Mars Hill's video campus model was the biggest rating article of 2009 - Driscoll promotes wrong strategy (6885 views)
2. Connect09 helps video resources take off
I am fairly convinced that Connect09 has had a cultural impact across many parishes, especially in empowering lay people for front-line ministry.
Here at Anglican Media, the main impact we can directly measure was the re-shaping of communication expectations.
Web-based video came into its own this year thanks to Connect09. Video has proved to the best tool for communicating directly with many (especially younger) Sydney Anglicans.
The Big Day In, in particular, was a catalyst pushing some churches towards more use of video in the congregational setting itself.
#2 - The Big Day In sermon video (6244 views)
But a host of other Connect09 web resources were also in the top 20 most downloaded articles/items from our website.
#3 - Inspiring People: Prof. Ian Harper video (5702 views)
#10 - Colin Buchanan DVD promo video (4695 views)
#14 - Inspiring People video (4598 views)
Also reflecting the trend towards video on this site, for the first time the video of the Archbishop's Presidential address was also in the top 10 (#5 - 5082 views). Its focus on the Diocese's financial loses pointing to the next most engaging issue on our site.
3. Impact of Diocese's financial crisis
As news of the scale of the Diocese's financial losses became clear the impact on the organisations and parishes were of great interest.
# 7 - Moore College confronts turbulent future"¨ (5077 views)
# 10 - The real Diocesan crisis (4668 views)
#11 - End for Southern Cross (4644 views)
What else can be honestly said at this point? History will be the judge of the long-term impact on the Diocese's Mission of this crisis.
4. Moore College discovers new media
As part of its attempt to attract the new generation of ministry students, Moore College has been trying to reinvent its presence on the web.
I understand there is a possibility that Moore College is about to put its sermon library online. This means we will be able to listen on our ipods to the greats of the past generation such Broughton Knox and Bruce Smith.
But it’s Moore College lecturer Michael Jensen who is really pioneering new media as a teaching tool through his various blogs and podcasts.
He has become this site's highest rating regular blogger and two of his theiology blogs made the top 10 for the year:
#4 - Scripture Alone: what it is and what it ain't (5570 views)
#9 - The marginalisation of Scripture (4794 views)
5. Rebirth of 'Anglican' evangelicals?
This may be the flip side of trend #1 and the arrival of the Reformed Charismatics in Sydney such as Soveriegn Grace. Are Sydney Anglicans being forced to redefine themselves with a new Reformed shingle on the block? There certainly seems to be greater interest within the Reformed wing of the Church in our Anglican heritage.
Somewhat related to this issue was the debate around contemporary Anglican liturgy in Sydney: the creation of the 'better gatherings' liturgical resource website and the controversy around David Petersen's views on worship, which was one of the lengthiest and probably highest quality discussion of the year: A church without worship? (150 comments)
However Craig Schwarz's reassertion of the Anglican policy of infant baptism and Michael Jensen's manifesto for Anglican evangelicals gained the most readers:
# 8 Baptise those Babies! (4890 views)
# 18 A New Anglicanism (4050 views)
TOP TEN 2009
1. Driscoll promotes wrong strategy (6885 views)
2. The Big Day In sermon video (6244 views)
3. Inspiring People: Prof. Ian Harper video (5702 views)
4. Scripture Alone: what it is and what it ain't (5570 views)
5. 2009 Presidential Address video (5082 views)
6. Why is Christian music so dull? (5079 views)
7. Moore College confronts turbulent future"¨ (5077 views)
8. Baptise those Babies! (4890 views)
9. The marginalisation of Scripture (4794 views)
10. Colin Buchanan DVD promo video (4695 views)
