Australian Anglicans become more evangelical, redress debts mount

General Synod in Melbourne wrapped up yesterday. John Sandeman at The Other Cheek filed his last (?) report from the meeting –

“The Anglican Church of Australia is tilting further and further towards evangelicalism, an analysis of the election results from the General Synod (national church parliament) shows. This is seen clearly in the election of members to the Standing Committee of the General Synod. A quirk in the first-past-the-post method of elections makes changes in the [churchmanship] of the synod transparent, as it displays trends easily. …”

– Read here.

We need to be reminded that the story is bigger than numbers and ‘politics’ and pray that – despite the enormous challenges mentioned in this article – men and women, boys and girls, across Australia will hear the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ and be saved for eternity.

Anglicans agree: Jesus is the only Saviour

John Sandeman reports on an important motion carried at General Synod. This is not a small thing –

“For a moment this writer felt that he was back in a Moore Theological College lecture theatre as College Principal Mark Thompson got up at General Synod (the Anglican Church’s national parliament) to introduce a motion affirming ‘the biblical and apostolic conviction that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour of all who will come to him. ‘Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to man by which we must be saved’ (Acts 4:12).…”

– Read the report at The Other Cheek.

Aussie Anglicans endorse worldwide million church plant plan

John Sandeman reports from General Synod in Melbourne –

“Archbishop Ric Thorpe of Melbourne used his first-ever speech at General Synod (the Anglican Church’s national parliament) to endorse an ambitious goal of a million church plants by 2036 that was presented at the Anglican Consultative Council last month.

His speech contained inspiring stories of evangelism and church planting in places that may have surprised his hearers.

The General Synod signed on to Vision36. …”

– John has the full text of Archbishop Thorpe’s speech.

And John has another report from General Synod –

Anglicans to Albanese: Get rid of gambling ads and inducements

“The Anglican General Synod (the Church Parliament) has passed a strongly worded motion, without any opposing vote, urging the Federal government to go all the way and implement all the reforms that Peta Murphy, the late member for Dunkley, campaigned for.

Here is how mover of the motion, Dean Sandy Grant of Sydney, responded to the recent federal parliamentary inquiry: ‘The [Sydney] Synod has – on multiple occasions – expressed unanimous support for the full implementation of the 31 recommendations of the “Murphy Inquiry”, I am confident my views represent fairly the views of the vast majority of Sydney Anglicans in over 250 parishes in and around Sydney.’ Grant can now update this with the news that the national church, at the general synod has taken the same stand …”

Photo of Archbishop Thorpe from a Diocese of Melbourne video.

Anglicans struggle with proposals tackling non-viable dioceses, but maybe you can share a bishop

John Sandeman reports on the discussions at General Synod –

“What happens when a diocese (church region) is not viable? The Australian Anglican General Synod meeting in Melbourne has spent several sessions seeking a solution.

The long-running and vexed issue of some rural and regional dioceses (regions) of the Anglican Church of Australia no longer being viable, due in part to the shift in population to the coast, globalisation and redress debts rising from sexual abuse cases, has been a feature of several General Synods dating back more than a decade. Many delegates described it as getting worse each time it has been debated. Some dioceses have been described as one or two redress cases away from running out of money. There has been no suggestion of avoiding paying these debts.

However, this synod’s debate has transcended the evangelical/progressive divide with delegates of all flavours contributing positively to the complex discussion.…”

– At The Other Cheek.

Do pray for General Synod as it meets in Melbourne 9-14 August

The Nineteenth Session of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia will be held from Sunday 9 August to Friday 14 August 2026 in Melbourne.

“The Session will commence with an Opening Service at St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne, at 5.30 pm on Sunday, 9 August.”

Today and tomorrow, General Synod members will be travelling from all around Australia. Please pray for them as they travel and as they meet for this Session.

Via the GAFCON Australia Facebook page, here are some prayer suggestions –

“Please continue praying with us for General Synod for the Anglican Church of Australia, as it kicks off next week (August 9-14) in Melbourne.

Pray that there would be helpful motions and that godly, competent people will be appointed to all General Synod bodies.

Thank God for faithful people who serve as General Synod members and on General Synod bodies currently.

Pray for wise and gospel-focused decisions about how to respond to dioceses that are struggling financially. Pray that ministry will be prioritised over money.”

And you could pray for each of the members by name, asking for the Lord’s blessing, grace and wisdom, and that Christ will be honoured in all discussions and decisions.

Image: The crests of the Australian dioceses, thanks to the Anglican Church of Australia.

“How to reconcile a fractious Anglican Church”

From The Religion and Ethics Report at ABC Radio –

“The world’s 85 million Anglicans have a new spiritual leader, as Dame Sarah Mullally officially begins her term as Archbishop of Canterbury.

She’s first woman to hold the position.

But her historic appointment has highlighted divisions in the Anglican world, including in Australia, where some conservatives have rejected her leadership.

GUEST: Bishop Mark Short of the Canberra-Goulburn diocese is the new primate of the Anglican Church of Australia. It’s his job to try to reconcile a fractious church.”

– Listen here.

A new era of support

“More than a century after Anglican chaplains first went on to the battlefield with soldiers, chaplaincy has been established to veterans of Australia’s Defence Force.

The historic move was marked at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney with the collation of the inaugural Archdeacon to Veterans, the Ven Andrew Nixon. …”

– Russell Powell has this report at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Photo: Former Governor General David Hurley, Mrs Jenny Nixon, Mrs Linda Hurley, Archdeacon Nixon.

Inaugural Archdeacon to Veterans appointed

From the Australian Department of Veterans’ Affairs –

“Reverend Andrew Nixon has been appointed as the inaugural Archdeacon to Veterans by the Anglican Church of Australia (ACA) during a ceremony at St Andrews Cathedral in Sydney today.

The ceremony was led by the Primate of the ACA and the Bishop to the Defence Force, and was attended by over 200 guests, including former Governor-General David Hurley AC CVO DSC, Rear-Admiral Chris Smith AM CSM RAN, Department of Veterans’ Affairs Secretary Alison Frame, and other senior Defence, government and religious representatives.

‘This appointment is about bringing to the fore the importance of supporting our veterans and recognising that there are veterans right across the country in all our parishes, in our suburbs and in our neighbourhoods,’ Reverend Nixon says.

Reverend Nixon served as a Navy officer from 1989 until 2001 …”

– Read the full story here.

(2020 photo of Andrew Nixon.)

New Primate elected

From SydneyAnglicans.net –

“Canberra and Goulburn Bishop Dr Mark Short has been elected as the Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia.

The election is significant as the position, regarded as ‘first among equals’ in Australian bishops, had traditionally gone to a ‘metropolitan’ bishop from one of the major cities…”

– This report by Russell Powell includes a congratulory statement from Archbishop Kanishka Raffel.

Mark Short elected Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia

From John Sandeman at The Other Cheek:

“Mark Short, the Bishop of the Canberra-Goulburn diocese, is the new Primate – titular head – of the Anglican Church of Australia.

He is an alumnus of Moore Theological College, and was elected as Bishop of Canberra in 2019. Prior to that, he served as National Director of the Bush Church Aid Society from 2011.

His election means that the head of the Australian Anglicans is once more an evangelical. Short has been involved in EFAC, the Evangelical Fellowship in the Anglican Communion. …”

– More here.

Read some of Mark’s addresses on the Canberra Goulburn Diocese website.

Update:

The Melbourne Anglican has this story.

New Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia to be elected

A post from the Diocese of Bathurst:

“Tomorrow, diocesan bishops from across the country, together with elected clergy and lay members of the Primatial Election Board, will gather in Sydney.

The day will begin with a service of Morning Prayer at St Andrew’s Cathedral, after which, God willing, a new Primate will be elected to succeed Archbishop Geoff Smith, who has announced his resignation effective at the end of October.

Please join us in praying for wisdom, unity, and the leading of the Holy Spirit.”

– from the Diocese of Bathurst Facebook page.

Glenn Davies interviewed at GAFCON IV

At the start of GAFCON IV, Jodie McNeill spoke with Bishop Glenn Davies – on GAFCON and also the Diocese of the Southern Cross.

Archbishop of Perth continues with Ordinations in the face of large objection

“The Archbishop of Perth, Kay Goldsworthy, chose on Wednesday evening to continue with and preside over the ordination to the priesthood of a man living with his civil union partner despite receiving a formal objection from a large number of members of the diocese, both clergy and lay.

The letter of objection, forwarded to davidould.net, is signed by 25 clergy, 12 wardens, 18 parish councillors and 64 other church members. It asks the Archbishop to not proceed with ordaining the candidate …

The clergy objecting represent more than 15% of clergy in the diocese (based on 2022 General Synod delegate numbers). The laity represent a variety of the largest parishes and the overwhelming majority of financial contributions for the diocese from the parishes.”

– David Ould draws attention to events in Perth.

Communique from the Australian Bishops after meeting Archbishop Justin Welby

The Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, Archbishop Geoffrey Smith, has released this communiqué after the Australian bishops met with the Archbishop of Canterbury this week.

(This copy via the Diocese of Bathurst.)

The cracks widen in the Australian Anglican Church

“Archbishop Raffel’s ‘Do you see the crowds’ address at Oran Park was mission driven and gospel focused, particularly asking how to reach the new housing estates where 30 new churches are needed to reach the hundreds of thousands of people who are moving into the Greenfields areas to the west of Sydney.

There was no mention of Brisbane.

It was a stunning contrast to South East Queensland Archbishop’s Phillip Aspinall’s hand grenade presentation, attacking evangelicals and Sydney Anglicans, which has so far led to the resignations of two of his ministers and the splitting of two Brisbane congregations.

The second minister to resign in Brisbane is Peter Judge Mears. …”

– At The Pastor’s Heart, Dominic Steele highlights Archbishop Kanishka Raffel’s Synod Presidential Address on Saturday. He also speaks with Peter Judge-Mears who has just announced his resignation from the Diocese of Brisbane.

Related:

Archbishop Aspinall’s 2022 Presidential Address here (PDF file).

Next Page →