No churchwardens and vacant PCC posts: an investigation into the church volunteering crisis
“The recent Church Buildings Commission survey in the diocese of Norwich discovered that about 100 churches had no recorded churchwardens. In one rural benefice, there were 19 churches, placing ‘great pressure’ on the incumbent, who had three churches with no PCC members, leaving her with sole responsibility for them.
The Church Times wrote to every diocese last month in an attempt to quantify the extent of the recruitment challenge. …”
– Anglican Mainstream links to an article in Church Times highlighting a[nother] challenge for the Church of England, and especially for smaller churches.
Update:
See also ‘In this age of bloated bureaucracy, pity the poor churchwarden’ by Julian Mann.
Fix the NSW “Conversion Practices” bill
We understand that the Parliament of NSW will debate the Conversion Practices Ban Bill starting this Tuesday (19th March 2024) and it could be fully passed through the Upper House as early as this Thursday.
From Freedom for Faith:
“The Conversion Practices Ban Bill is a genuine effort by the Government to fulfill its election promises to protect religious freedom.
However, at several points the Bill remains unclear, leaving ordinary Australians unsure what they can and cannot say or do. (For more information, you can read our full letter to MPs).
This legislation is likely to be debated this week, and may be passed by the end of Thursday.
Write to your MP NOW to ask them to fix this bill.”
– Contact details for your MP here.
NSW Conversion Practices Ban Bill — Freedom for Faith calls for clarity
“The NSW Government has introduced its Conversion Practices Ban Bill into Parliament on Wednesday March 13.
This legislation is a genuine attempt by the NSW Government to keep its promises to faith communities. However, there are still concerns about the breadth of behaviours that the bill covers.
In the lead up to the NSW election, Chris Minns made clear commitments that any legislation to ban ‘conversion practices’ would protect religious freedom, including prayer, teaching and consensual requests for support. These commitments were repeated by many Labor MPs and candidates at forums across the State.
This legislation represents a genuine effort by the Government to keep those promises. The legislation does protect against the most extreme violations of religious freedom that have been seen in the Victorian legislation and replicated in previous proposals in NSW. It also exempts medical practitioners, allowing them to continue doing what is in the best interest of the patient. Finally, the bill provides an exemption for parents to talk to their children, although unfortunately this does not extend to important family relationships such as grandparents.
However, the bill is weakened by the problematic use of the vague term ‘suppression’. Due to the breadth and uncertainty around what is a suppression practice, it remains unclear exactly what conduct would be in the scope of the bill. In other jurisdictions, simply encouraging a person to remain celibate outside of heterosexual marriage is considered ‘suppression’. This uncertainty risks breading fear in faith communities as to what is allowed.
We call on the Government to give greater clarity as to what is and is not a ‘suppression’ practice.”
– Freedom for Faith has published a webpage with the latest on the NSW Government’s proposed Conversion Practices Ban Bill.
You can also sign up for e-mail updates.
Nationwide evangelistic collaboration: Meet Jesus and the power of prayer
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“The old saying is ‘A rising tide lifts all boats.’ But could the spark of story telling, and celebrating faith increase evangelism in churches and on university campuses everywhere?
National Director of the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students Richard Chin is emphasising the importance of prayer, through what he calls a ‘two-for-two’ model, and asks churches to join him in consistent branding in a nationwide push to introduce people to Jesus.
We discuss practical steps to integrate evangelism into the church’s DNA, champion the role of head, heart, and hand in fostering a consistent culture of outreach.
Rory Shiner is senior pastor of Providence Church, Perth and Chair of the Gospel Coalition Australia.
Baden Stace leads the ministry team at St Stephens Normanhurst in Sydney’s north.
Elliot Temple is missions pastor at Christ Church St Ives also in Sydney’s north.”
Queensland – new proposed discrimination law
“The Queensland government has released a draft of a proposed new discrimination law for public comment.
The proposed Anti-Discrimination Bill 2024 will make some radical changes to Queensland law, and of interest here is that it will seriously impact religious freedom in that State.
One of the ways that religious freedom is protected in Australia is through the inclusion in discrimination laws of ‘balancing clauses’ (provisions that balance the right not to be discriminated against, with the important right of religious freedom). But the new Bill will dramatically narrow those clauses.
I am pleased to present a guest blog post commenting on some religious freedom impacts of the draft Bill, from Dr Alex Deagon, an Associate Professor in the School of Law at QUT, and an internationally recognised researcher in religious freedom. …”
– See the guest post by Dr Alex Deagon at Associate Professor Neil Foster’s Law and Religion Australia blog.
Anglicans – We Have a Problem
“An old classic movie that sits amongst my DVD collection is a movie entitled Apollo 13. It is a movie based on a disaster that took place during the Apollo 13 mission to the moon. A key line in the movie (which was also spoken in the real event, upon which the move is based) is the line, ‘Houston, we have a problem’.
The problem originates with one of the ship’s oxygen tanks which was faulty and when the order was given to stir the tanks, it exploded. The ship suffered a catastrophic failure and the crew had to move to another part of the ship, and work hard not only to to return to Earth, but to stay alive.
This famous line from the movie reminds me of a problem that faces the Anglican church, a problem of such magnitude that it needs to be said:
‘Anglicans, we have a problem’. …”
– At Anglican.ink, an anonymous contributor writes about an unidentified Anglican province. It all sounds very close to home.
Photo: The real Mission Control in Houston works the problem during Apollo 13. The stakes are even higher in the Anglican Communion.
Why Gafcon? A Global Fellowship in the Word
The second Global Anglican Podcast has been released by Gafcon.
General Secretary, Bishop Paul Donison continues his conversation with Chairman of the Gafcon Primates Council, Archbishop Laurent Mbanda.
This time they speak about the redemptive power of Biblically orthodox mission in Archbishop Mbanda’s home country of Rwanda.
Church of England is blasted for trying to hire £36,000 a year ‘anti-racism’ officer to ‘deconstruct whiteness’
“The Church of England has been blasted for hiring an ‘anti-racism’ officer to ‘deconstruct whiteness’ – with critics accusing it of ‘drinking the critical race Kool Aid’.
The £36,000-a-year and 35-hours a week role is part of a new 11-person ‘racial justice unit’ being set up by the Diocese of Birmingham to work across the West Midlands.
The job advertisement, published on Tuesday, described the role as ensuring that ‘structures, practices and behaviours’ throughout the church allow UK minority ethnic people to ‘flourish’. …”
– Story from Mail Online.
Is there a glimmer of hope?
“The conduct of the House of Bishops has been deceitful and dishonest and disgraceful – concealing legal advice and the game plan. …
To believe there are glimmers of hope is not to prepare for the end of evangelical ministry in the Church of England. Such ministry is being squeezed out and it is naive not to see it, not say it, and not help others prepare for it.”
– Anglican Futures has published this honest assessment from a clergyman in the Church of England.
Do continue to pray for Bible-believing Christians in the CofE.
Introducing the Global Anglican Podcast
Terrific new resource from GAFCON.
We cannot agree to disagree, says CEEC’s John Dunnett
From The Church of England Evangelical Council:
The meeting of the General Synod of the Church of England concluded on Tuesday.
Commenting on the debate on the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process, Revd Canon John Dunnett, National Director, Church of England Evangelical Council, CEEC, said: “The decision taken by General Synod to move to next business [before the end of the debate] is demonstrative of widespread dissatisfaction with how the bishops have been progressing the LLF process. The one thing that Synod could largely agree on was that neither side could support the proposals that would emanate from the motion, as tabled at Synod. We believe that GS2346, as presented at Synod, is riddled with confusion and ambiguity, contains proposals we could never support, and outlines inadequate structural provision.
“Significantly, the move to next business is also evidence that we cannot ‘square the circle’ in the debate, as currently framed. This issue is not adiaphora – we cannot agree to disagree.
“This is why we continue to call for a legal and structural settlement without theological compromise, which we believe is the only way forward. We will gladly work with Bishop Martyn Snow to explore this route further. Between now and July, we will be calling on churches and their leaders to articulate their support for this.
“Many feel that the fabric of the Church of England is tearing as a result of the Living in Love and Faith process and that structural differentiation is the only way of maintaining any degree of unity.”
– Source.
My battle with Cancer, how God healed me — Kwashi, Anglican Archbishop
“Anglican Archbishop, The Most Revd Benjamin Kwashi has recounted how he was afflicted by cancer to the point that he bought a coffin, prepared his funeral programme, and waited for death.
Kwashi was archbishop of Jos Province of the Anglican Church. He retired as Bishop of Jos in 2023 after putting in 31 years as bishop so he could face his orphanage which had about 400 children and also serve in the Global Anglican Future Conference.
He shared the testimony in a programme aired on Advent Cable Network on Tuesday, February 27. …”
– Church Times Nigeria shares Archbishop Kwashi’s testimony.
Image: GAFCON.
Living in Love and Faith: what now for those who cannot ‘agree to disagree’?
“Yesterday the Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, tried to reset the ongoing Living in Love and Faith (LLF) debate, asking the General Synod of the Church of England ‘to be reconciled with God and show this by being reconciled to one another’.
He talked of the missionary imperative of the Church finding a way to ‘agree to disagree’ and pleaded for Synod to avoid “a series of speeches simply saying, ‘Synod needs to agree with me’, or others just need to change their mind”.
But the problem facing the Church is, as Ed Shaw said, ‘We do not all believe the same things when it comes to identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage.’…”
See also:
What do we mean by reconciliation? – Martin Davie.
“The problem with the LLF/PLF debate in the Church of England at the moment is that the majority of the bishops are promoting a truncated form of reconciliation, a form of reconciliation which emphasises quite rightly the virtues of humility, patience and love, but also gives liturgical recognition to sexual immorality in the form of the blessing of same-sex sexual relationships and same-sex marriages and the ordination of those involved in them. …”
Image: Bishop Snow’s call for reconciliation despite holding contradictory beliefs.
Church of England is ‘standing on the brink of a precipice’
“As the General Synod of the Church of England gathered once again in London on Friday, Rev Ian Paul, a member of the Archbishops’ Council challenged the agenda in forceful terms.
Suggesting that Synod had made ‘avoiding reality a bit of an art form,’ he claimed that the Church of England is ‘standing on the brink of a precipice’. A precipice which could leave the next generation with nothing but a ‘heap of ruins’ to fight over. …”
– Susie Leafe writes at Christian Today.
See Ian Paul’s challenge last Friday (link should go to 01:31:28 in the video).
“The Church of England – a heap of ruins for the next generation.”
Why the “equality” Bill is a threat to religious freedom — and what you can do about it
“The Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Bill 2023 introduced by Independent MP Alex Greenwich is due to be debated next month and voted on in March.
The bill makes wide-ranging changes to 20 pieces of NSW legislation that will undermine religious freedom and entrench a radical gender ideology in NSW. …”
– Bishop Michael Stead writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.
He emphasises,
“Christians need to act immediately to make our opposition to this bill known.
We need to contact our local State members. Most politicians have little idea about the contents – let alone the consequences – of this bill.
It is important they hear our concerns before the bill’s scheduled voting day on March 14.”
This is an important article and deserves to be widely shared.
See also contactyourmp.org.au for background and helpful resources.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…