A draft of the next form of the diocesan mission will be put to the Synod of the Diocese of Sydney which starts next Monday.
The previous Diocesan Mission was adopted in 2002 to “multiply Bible-based Christian fellowships,congregations and churches”, with the goal of seeing “10 per cent of the population of the region of the Diocese in Bible-based churches in 10 years”. After the 2012 Synod, the “What’s Next?” committee was set up and it found strong support among parishes for retaining a Diocesan Mission, in a new form.
Now, Synod members have been sent a draft that Archbishop Davies says is “a vision statement (what we hope to see) as well as a mission statement (what we want to do)”.
There are four priorities with measurable goals. The goals start with the National Church Life Survey figures of 2011 and will be benchmarked against later NCLS figures.
One of the key goals is to increase the number of newcomers in congregations. Newcomers are defined as those adults who were not regularly attending any church in the previous five years. The NCLS in 2011 put the percentage of newcomers at 9 per cent, and the new goal is 12 per cent by 2020.
Other goals include helping people use their gifts, deepening spiritual maturity, increasing the number of people from non-English-speaking backgrounds and the numbers of children staying in churches after they grow up.
“No document will cover everything that everyone believes should be incorporated,” Dr Davies said. “Some parishes and organisations will develop their own local priorities. However, I am hoping that the Synod will come to a common mind on the kind of vision, mission, priorities and goals that this document proposes for the Diocese as a whole.”
Comprehensive Synod coverage begins on sydneyanglicans.net next Monday. Synod sits for five days, 13,14 and 15th October and then 20th and 21st October.
Synod begins with a special service in St Andrew's Cathedral at 1.30pm on Monday. The service will be led by the Archbishop with Bishop Peter Tasker preaching. Bishop Tasker will also lead Bible studies at the start of each Synod session.
