Stephen Hale lays out a frank and wide-ranging analysis of the good, the bad and the broken in the Australian Anglican engagement with Jesus’ Great Commission. He finishes by naming eight keys to a way forward.

Stephen Hale is Chair of EFAC Australia and the lead minister of the St Hilary’s network in Kew and North Balwyn Vic. This is an edited version of the address Stephen gave at the Anglican Future Conference.

By any criterion the past 30 years has seen significant progress in some parts of Anglicanism in Australia. Just reflect on some of the good things that have happened in that time:

Good things that have happened

The number of evangelical parishes has grown significantly and many of those churches have defied the general trends and grown strongly. The balance of episcopal appointments has very slowly started to change so there are now more evangelical bishops which is slowly starting to reflect the reality on the ground in terms of church attendance.
In 1975 there were two large seminaries in Australia—Moore College and Ridley College—and they both continue and are strong. Ridley in particular needs mentioning as it receives a tiny diocesan grant and has only been able to grow because of its Foundation and many generous supporters. In the west we have seen the rise of Trinity Theological College, and St Mark’s Canberra has played an important role especially in rural Dioceses.

Even in places that generally function as monochrome Catholic dioceses there are growing numbers of evangelical ministries and ministers. There is an encouraging emergence of theologically orthodox gospel hearted Catholic Anglicans and that is reflected in this conference.

Miraculously, through the work of BCA, CMS and the Dioceses of NWA and NT we have healthy mission and ministry in many remote parts of Australia.

Church planting was barely on the radar screen in 1985 but has become a major focus in the past decade with many new plants in many places. City on a Hill only started seven years ago but now has three centres. Good quality Bible preaching and teaching is a key feature of the many growing churches. John Stott started the trend of what has become the norm. Student ministry has grown both numerically and also extensively and there has been a huge explosion of ethnic specific ministries due to migration and the influx of refugees. One third of Anglican attenders in Melbourne are involved with such ministries.

Christian welfare agencies offer a very high percentage of welfare delivery (unique to Australia) and the Anglican Church is a big player in this area. Alongside of this has been a rediscovery of ministries of compassion happening in and through local churches. Anglican schools have multiplied in recent decades. Committed school principals and staff as well as chaplains are in the front line of mission in our day. For most students that attend these schools this is the only interface they have with the church and where the gospel is articulated and lived out. So, there is much to be encouraged about and much more that I haven’t mentioned. Yet there are many challenges before us and one big overall weakness we must address.

Some challenges we face and our great weakness

Sadly there are many dying churches and the next decade in particular will see the collapse of many parish churches that are just clinging on at present. Radical liberalism doesn’t reproduce itself—I’ve seen it from inside. When you’re a bishop in a diocese like Melbourne you spend a lot of time in small struggling catholic church land. According to the 2014 General Synod Report on Viability and Structures, seven Australian dioceses are financially unviable and others are close to that situation. To quote that report, ‘The Anglican Church of Australia is at a crossroads. For over thirty years it has slowly been declining and the time has come for a revolution if it is to be a strong and sustainable church for the future.’ (p.8-076).

The sex abuse crisis has radically undermined our standing and credibility. A recent McCrindle Research report indicates this issue as by far the largest reason for people not wanting to engage with the church. Parents in our context used to freely let their children attend our youth programs, now they are both cautious and suspicious.

Most dioceses internally operate in a state of semi-perpetual crisis—the tail wags the dog as the small dying or conflicted churches burn up vast amounts of time. Many are under significant financial pressure and the compliance regimes are proving hard to implement. Too many clergy are being knowingly appointed into small, conflicted and dysfunctional parishes. The consequences are totally predictable and many clergy are paying a high price for this. Not enough bishops are offering real hope or are actively giving permission to change with some outstanding exceptions, e.g. Tasmania and Canberra. Amongst more conservatively reformed ministers there is an unhealthy model of high control leadership that leads to significant disengagement by the lay members of the church.

At this conference we will wrestle yet again with issues in relation to human sexuality. Pastorally on the ground it is a major issue. You don’t have to scratch too far below the surface at the church I lead to know that it is a huge cause of grief and tension for many adult members because of the choices their adult children have made. The large cohort of young adults at St Hilary’s are growing up in a context where they live with the tension of what the church teaches and then what the world promotes and they see lived out amongst their friends. They tell me it’s a huge barrier in evangelism because people don’t want to talk with them because they assume they are anti gay. In a wider sense people who are same sex attracted have, rightly or wrongly, whether we like it or not, got the message that they are not welcome in our churches.

In the midst of this there is One Big Problem, a big weakness or failure: our lack of evangelistic effectiveness. I can demonstrate this in my own patch. St Hilary’s is a network of three churches, where the people are notably gifted, capable, educated and articulate. We are well-resourced, and have been very well taught over many decades. The general outlook of our people is healthy, and positive. Most years we see a number of converts, especially among Chinese and Iranians, but very few of that number are Anglo. In my view this is our biggest overall challenge.

Mission in Australia is tough

As we all know, we live in a tough context to do mission. It is estimated that only 30% of the population have any real interest in going to church or having any church connection. A TEAR report in the UK found that 70% of the population had no intention of attending a church service at any point in the future. The Mission Shaped Church Report of the Church of England put it at 40% who are unchurched plus another 40% who are open or closed de-churched. As Timmis and Chester argue in Everyday Church, ‘that means new styles of worship will not reach them. Alpha and Christianity Explored won’t reach them. Toddler churches will not reach them. The vast majority of the un-churched and the de-churched people would not turn to the church, even if faced with difficult personal circumstances or in the event of a tragedy. It is not a question of ‘improving the product’ of church meetings and evangelistic events. It means reaching them apart from meetings and events. Many churches are growing, but mainly through transfer growth. It is still possible to grow a church by offering a better experience than other churches, but this is not evangelistic growth. It is possible to plant a church and see it grow without doing mission.’ (p.15,16)
How should we respond to all of this?

A crossover era

My overarching view is that we are living in a crossover era. One way of being church is rapidly dying and something new is emerging to replace it. There was an era when there was a way of doing church, which worked pretty well in just about every place. That era was a fair while ago but it still has a deep imprint on our psyche. We kind of think that if we could just get things back on track then it will all happen again. The reality is that we are a long way from that. We live in a post-Christian context where there is little sympathy for the Christian faith.

The era we are now in is an era of great opportunities if we are seeking to reach out in our day. At the same time it is an era of significant tension both theologically and ecclesiastically. We have a whole ecclesiastical framework set up in the Christendom era. There are churches and people scattered all over the place. We go to synods and grind our way through legislation and never-ending motions to convey our good intentions and go home knowing that not much will change as a consequence.

It is an era with a seemingly never-ending stream of ideas on the way forward. Just think of the books that have emerged in the past decade or so: Purpose Driven Church, Mission Shaped Church, Centre Church, Liquid Church, Simple Church, Soma Church, Everyday Church, The New Parish etc, etc. For the average vicar and vestry it is perplexing and overwhelming. Hitch your wagon to theory x this month but who knows? Something better may come along next month.

Some ways forward

So, what are some of the ways forward? I have eight suggestions and there is much more that could be said.

1. Stronger parochial units

In my view we need less small churches and more churches that have critical mass and energy. There are too many churches in our major_ cities that are in close proximity and too many that lack the capacity to have the range of ministries that are essential in connecting with and attracting people to be a part of us. If each of those churches is seeking to re-establish itself,  then almost inevitably churches will be seeking to do very similar things but totally independently. It would make more sense for these churches to cluster together and to have a team ministry or for them each to sell up and co-locate onto a site with larger and contemporary facilities.

In a wider sense there is a significant shift to larger churches taking place and in the main the Anglican Church doesn’t do large churches. If we are to have stronger parochial units they need a clear vision, which is owned by the people and intentional leadership to implement the vision. We need better team leadership and ministry. Many of our churches have tired and dated facilities that need significant attention. A stronger church will have a comprehensive ministry approach and therefore the opportunity to connect with more people. Leadership of larger churches is demanding and complex and for a range of reasons we haven’t been good at raising up these sorts of leaders.

2. A new lay revolution

Most of our churches are too staff and clergy centred. The bigger you grow the more staff you have. Responsibility is delegated to the staff and pretty soon the staff run and manage everything. The consequence of this down the track is massive disengagement. People turn up less frequently, they give financially but without any enthusiasm and they are largely passive because we’ve pacified them.
At St Hilary’s we are bigger and more complex than we were five years ago but we have 15% less staff and wherever possible we seek lay volunteers to head up ministries. We are seeking to rebuild a sense of ownership and participation. We’ve got a long way to go on this project but unlocking the creativity, skill and passion of our volunteers is one of the key leadership challenges of our era.
Our people have the relational connections with unbelievers and they are in the front line of mission. Our people are time-poor like yours are, however it is also true to say that people will give an amazing amount of time if they are motivated and given a genuine sense of freedom and ownership. They don’t want to be micro-managed but trusted, supported, encouraged and released.

3. Localise mission and do it in community

One of the big trends globally is a rediscovery of people living their lives more closely together and seeking to connect intentionally in their neighbourhood. This may be through one of the different models of what are called ‘missional communities’. These will be lay led and run. It is an attempt to rediscover what it means to be a parish by connecting locally and personally. The gospel is lived out and shared by people who are in relational connection with each other and their neighbours.

This model can also be used to connect via affinity groups or network groups where you have a shared interest or connection. We have a soccer club at St Hil’s with 50% church players and 50% non-church players. For the past year or so we’ve developed a missional community associated with the club and they are building on the strong personal connections that the club creates. Last year we saw several people come to Christ as a consequence.

The model is also applicable in the workplace as people meet to pray and connect with their work colleagues. They support each other to be salt and light but also to offer opportunities to help others connect and hear the gospel.

4. Church planting and replanting

As one form of being church gradually dies many facilities will become available as a base for replants, new plants and networks of churches. The only city in the western world where church attendance has increased is London. That is principally because of the explosion of ethnic churches, but it is also because of the plants and replants of the Anglican churches in the Diocese of London.
Our major cities and provincial cities are growing rapidly and the population in our cities and inner cities is rapidly increasing. The population in the CBD of Melbourne was 2,100 in 1993, was 116,431 in 2013 and is projected to be 163,000 by 2023.

In broad terms we are too often raising up leaders to be trained for a settled church when we need more missionary pioneers to re-establish the church or start a new church. Our theological colleges need to develop alternate pathways to ministry with in situ learning alongside of their biblical and theological studies. At the same time the growth corridors keep extending and we have struggled to keep up with the church plants needed in these rapidly expanding suburbs and provincial cities.

5. Ethnic churches

Clearly the growth in this area is a major cause for rejoicing. God is literally bringing the world to us and these are the groups who are most open to and receptive to the gospel. Having a cross-cultural mission strategy is critical to the future. It is great that Sydney Diocese is reflecting this in episcopal appointments.

6. Permission-giving bishops

What we most need are permission-giving bishops who are supportive and willing to go out on a limb for those who are taking risks. The bishop has a key pastoral role but also a key role as a broker and advocate. There are still bishops who play a heavy-handed part in blocking appointments and not allowing the best people to be appointed. As the General Synod Report said, ‘the Diocese must make serving the front-line parishes in mission its key priority rather than the other way around.’ (p 13).

7. Allow people to have the best training available

Australia is blessed with two of the strongest Anglican theological colleges in the world and bishops who are mission-minded will want their clergy to be formed at the best colleges. Any other organisation would want its people to have the best possible training and those options exist if people are willing to be less parochial and more adventurous.

8. Ride the Boomer wave

The largest cohort in the population is moving to retirement. They are gifted, experienced, in many cases cashed-up and they want to be a part of something meaningful (as well as to travel and to dote on the grandchildren). They are living longer and longer. This is a remarkable opportunity which we need to gear up now to embrace. Boomers need to be treated with respect and carefully managed. They are used to calling the shots and so they need to be trusted and actively supported.