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Parish and Regional Restructure 255

Parish and Regional Restructure

(A report from the Standing Committee.)

Key Points

x Demographic trends mean that a realignment of Regional boundaries is necessary, and this will

take place in the latter half of 2021.

x There are inefficiencies in seeking to maintain the number and concentration of parishes in some

areas, and the requirements for implementing a ‘hub and spoke’ model of local administration

should be explored.

x Further consideration is being given to the implications of such changes for Regional Councils,

Mission Areas and the functions of Sydney Diocesan Services.

Purpose

1. The purpose of this report is to supply the details of a review of diocesan organisational and

administrative structures to allow effective ministry and mission outcomes given the sustained growth

and changes across the Diocese’s geographic reach.

Recommendation

2. Synod receive this report.

Background

3. Parishes and Regions with geographic boundaries are the main organisational and administrative

structure for the Diocese’s ministry and mission. The existing parish and Regional boundaries are

currently, and increasingly in the future, facing challenges with commonly used geographic divisions

and population growth. This report provides a review of parish and Regional definitions and

boundaries and suggests that a ‘hub and spoke’ option for parishes be strategically encouraged and

that current Regional boundaries be redrawn.

Parishes

4. The shift from chaplaincy to parish-based ministry happened relatively early in the development of

Anglican ministry in Sydney. Anglican evangelicals were convinced that the English parish model

was the best way to develop a gospel influence and to provide a way to build a stable community.

From the establishment of the first two parishes as St Philip’s, Sydney and St John’s, Parramatta in

1802, parish ministry quickly became normalised. “The evangelical movement had transformed

parish ministry into an energetic round of activities designed for the spiritual and educational benefit

of all parishioners.” (Piggin and Lidner, the Foundation of Public Prosperity, 2019, p.97).

5. The underlying conviction in the development of the parish system in Sydney over the following

decades was that the whole of society needed to be inducted into the truths of the word of God. The

parish system’s very structure, with the subsequent establishment of dioceses, was a reminder of

the task: every square metre of the geographical area is covered, which brings the responsibility to

plant and sustain churches by starting new parishes.

6. The social changes that resulted from the Industrial Revolution and the introduction of modern

transportation did not diminish the ongoing growth in the parochial network. By 1935 there were 165

parish units across the Diocese. Over the next 30 years, approximately three new parishes per year

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256 Reports & Papers for the First Ordinary and Special Sessions of the 52nd Synod

were created, concentrated in the post-WW2 baby boom era. What is noticeable is that since 1965

the total number of parishes has remained mostly unchanged.

7. Number of parishes:

(a) 1935: 165 (Population approximately 1.5 million)

(b) 1965: 260 (population approximately 2.5 million)

(c) 2020: 265 (Population approximately 5.5 million)

1972 Looking Into the Parish report

8. Until the 1960s the nature and expectation of parish ministry was relatively stable. However, societal

changes were challenging the long-term patterns. The extent of these challenges is highlighted by

the proceedings of the 1970 session of Synod. Standing Committee was requested to establish a

commission with the following guidelines:

(a) Examine the effectiveness and relevance of parochial ministry and organisation in the present age;

(b) Determine the means of increasing the effectiveness of the ministries of ordained men and

the ministries of laymen;

(c) Consider such other matters as may appear to the Commission to be relevant to the foregoing;

and

(d) Recommend any reforms the Commission considers necessary and means of implementing

these reforms.

9. The final report was presented to Synod’s 1972 session and then published as Looking Into the

Parish.

10. The report is clear that societal changes required a significant evaluation of how to undertake

effective parish ministry. The degree of these changes is seen in the sudden slowdown in growth of

the overall number of diocesan parishes highlighted above. Changes were rapid and financial viability

was forcing new parish configurations. Parish structure and ministry could not continue as it had for

well over 100 years.

11. The recommendations of the report were far-reaching and considered quite radical. Examples

include: an emphasis on the development of team ministry away from a solo-ministry mindset; a

focus on relationships and fellowship for ministry patterns; the possibility of dividing the Diocese into

Regions, each with an Assistant Bishop; a focus on the development of central diocesan services to

support parishes. It is worth noting that the theological emphasis on the local church, colloquially

known as the Knox-Robinson theology of church, informed many of the recommendations.

12. The report stated that the fundamental structure of the parish system should be maintained. “The

Parochial system is the main framework for ministry in the Anglican Church. It is the administrative

means whereby the manpower resources for the work of the gospel are allocated...In essence, it is

a system of dividing the Diocese into geographic units...” (page 9, Report paragraph 1) The parish

was an organisational and administrative system that allowed resources to be allocated and

developed to enable the gospel’s work to be undertaken.

13. The report concluded with a recommendation that there was an urgent need to form a group

responsible to Standing Committee to research and plan ongoing parish ministry changes. The

Commission’s view was that population and societal changes required continuous attention to

maintain gospel ministry across the Diocese.

New Parishes in new areas

14. One development that the Looking Into the Parish report anticipated, but took another decade to

implement, was the establishment of ‘Vision for Growth’ in 1984, followed by ‘Vision 2001’ in 1993.

With the rapid expansion of new housing areas, mainly in western Sydney, the initiatives gave

diocesan focus to establishing new parochial units in these new areas.

15. An indication of how the Diocese was able to respond to the new housing areas is observed by

tracing the average population size for each new parish church building after WW2:

(a) Post WW2: 5,000

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Parish and Regional Restructure 257

(b) Vision for Growth (1984-1993): 13,000

(c) Vision 2001 (1994-2001): 25,000-30,000

(d) MPC/NCNC (2001 - Current): 60,000-80,000

16. In the post-WW2 era, the goal was to have a new parish church within walking distance in each new

housing area, with the underlying assumption that ministry could be sustained with a parish

population of 5,000. Over the following decades, acquisition of suitable land became more difficult;

the cost of land purchase rose dramatically; development approval for church buildings was

contested; local government requirements increased building expenses; and societal changes

altered expectations of what was achievable with new parochial units.

17. The consequence of how new parochial units have developed over the last 30 years is that there is

an uneven distribution of parishes across the Diocese. 35% of the population running from north to

south along the eastern side of the Diocese has 60% of the parishes.

Other parish changes

18. While a 1994 Synod report “Future Patterns of Ministry” focused primarily on recruiting, selecting,

training, supporting, and resourcing lay and ordained ministers, it also discussed the ongoing

challenges of parish ministry. The report suggested that the restrictions on ministry development

were caused by focusing on geographic parish boundaries. Two options were briefly considered but

not pursued:

(a) Redraw parish boundaries so they encompass larger areas, something akin to current mission

areas; and

(b) Make existing Local Government areas the unit that defines the parish.

19. The report ultimately assumed the existing parish organisational structure would continue. However,

the final recommendation requested that the Standing Committee prepare legislation to allow more

flexible ministry practices as an alternative to the existing parochial system’s geographic boundaries.

It is again notable that the option of removing all geographic boundaries was not considered.

20. Over the next ten years, the Diocese adopted two initiatives that gave expression to the 1994 report’s

recommendation:

(a) Recognised churches (parishes without property)

(b) The establishment of New Fellowships (proto-parishes) under Evangelism and New Churches.

21. These initiatives have allowed some degree of flexibility in the development of ministry across the

Diocese. Currently, the Diocese has four parishes without property and five ENC fellowships, but

their establishment is not common.

Current observations on parish ministry

Maintaining the geographic coverage of the parish system

22. Parishes with geographic boundaries remain the main organisational and administrative structure for

diocesan mission and ministry. This structure’s advantages are shown in the diocesan concern for

establishing a ministry in new housing areas and sustaining ministry in more disadvantaged

socioeconomic areas that are hard to maintain. The very nature of each parish’s geographic

coverage is a reminder that the gospel is for every person in every community and the diocesan

network has a responsibility to use resources to enable this to occur.

23. The Diocese has never given any serious consideration to removing all parish boundaries. The

advantages of parish boundaries and geographic coverage are such that this not an option that is

worth considering now or in the foreseeable future.

Parishes enable good church order

24. The majority of diocesan parishes have different church gatherings in a local fellowship bound by

common leadership, common property, and common resources. A significant number of parishes