Next year the General Synod will meet in a special session to confer on the issue of same-sex blessings and same-sex marriage…The General Synod must make a clear statement about the teaching of the Bible on the sanctity of sex within the marriage bond of a man and a woman, so that marriage is held in honour among all and the marriage bed is not defiled (Hebrews 13:4). My own view is that if people wish to change the doctrine of our Church, they should start a new church or join a church more aligned to their views – but do not ruin the Anglican Church by abandoning the plain teaching of Scripture. Please leave us. We have far too much work to do in evangelising Australia to be distracted by the constant pressure to change our doctrine in order to satisfy the lusts and pleasures of the world.

Members of Synod, sisters and brothers, saints of the Most High, welcome to the third and last ordinary session of the 51st Synod of the Diocese of Sydney.

As we gather in the presence of God, I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land upon which we meet. In his wisdom and love, our heavenly Father gave this estate to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. Upon this land they met for generations until the coming of British settlers. As we continue to learn to live together on these ancestral lands, we acknowledge and pay our respects to their elders, past and present, and pray that God will unite us all in a knowledge of his Son, in whom all things were created, in heaven and on earth, whether visible or invisible—for all things have been created through him and for him….

A New Bishop for New Zealand

Regrettably, not all who are elected bishop are capable of being guardians of the faith. As Anglicans, we recognise both the merits and the risks of electing bishops to exercise oversight of the church of God. What happens when bishops fail to act as guardians of the faith? This is not a new problem. In the sixth century BC Ezekiel prophesied against the shepherds of Israel conveying a stinging rebuke from God

I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my sheep. I will remove them from tending my flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them. (Ezekiel 34:10)

Similarly, the apostle Paul warned the Ephesians elders in his farewell speech in Miletus ―

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers (episkopoi). Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. (Acts 20:28-30)

Bishops must be held accountable for their guardianship of the faith. We have seen too many around the world over recent years succumb to the false values of the world with a revisionist agenda to reinterpret Scripture to their own destruction, and the detriment of the flock of God.

By way of contrast, I am therefore delighted to have Bishop-elect Jay Behan of Christchurch, New Zealand with us this afternoon. He, like Mark Calder, will be a guardian of the faith. I am also grateful for the Dean’s motion, now passed by the Synod, which effectively endorsed Jay’s election as the first Bishop of the Church of Confessing Anglicans of Aotearoa New Zealand. We heard this afternoon of the sorry tale of the departure of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia from the teaching of Scripture, when their General Synod passed legislation last year, authorising bishops to allow the blessing of same-sex unions in their dioceses. If one knows the recent history of the Anglican Church across the Tasman, then this outcome was no great surprise. For years the province has not only tolerated, but also affirmed, senior clergy living in same-sex unions or marriages. It was sadly inevitable that they would choose to proceed to legitimise the blessing of same-sex unions, in contravention of Resolution I.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference, as it will be inevitable that over time the solemnisation of same–sex marriages using Anglican rites will also become acceptable in New Zealand, as it has in North America.

So what do faithful Anglicans do when their bishops betray God’s word, as did Israel’s shepherds of old? How do you remain Anglican when you have no bishop? How do you hold onto the time-honoured ministry of bishops as guardians of the faith and doctrine, when your own bishop is no longer a worthy shepherd? Just as Canon David Short chose to leave the Anglican Church of Canada when his Diocese of New Westminster approved of same-sex blessings, Jay Behan and his congregation, along with eleven other congregations and their ministers, decided to leave the established Anglican Church. But what next? They could have each become an independent church community, but they did not. They could have formed a fellowship of independent churches, but they did not. Instead, they wanted to continue owning the faith as expressed by the Anglican formularies of the Reformation. So they asked for help. They looked to the Gafcon Primates and to Australian Anglicans, who gladly assisted them with resources to establish an extra provincial diocese. In many ways, this is new territory for Anglican polity. Similar precedents exist where existing dioceses have left their province, such as the Church of England in South Africa (now known as REACH, the Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church) and the Anglican Church of Brazil. Yet these developments were not quite like the fledgling remnant of churches that have gathered to form a new diocese in New Zealand. The Confessing Anglicans of Aotearoa New Zealand have no remaining property to call their own. Their members have walked away from their church buildings, and their clergy have foregone their residences and security of tenure, leaving behind the infrastructure that the established Anglican Church has accumulated since the days of Samuel Marsden. Yet I venture to say that the Reverend Samuel Marsden would not recognise the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia of today as being the same church that he founded two hundred years ago. Jay Behan and his fellow clergy are now the true heirs of Samuel Marsden’s heritage – his theology and his faith.

It is therefore our privilege and delight to offer Bishop-elect Behan the right hand of fellowship this afternoon and to recognise him and his diocese as authentically Anglican. It matters little that the Archbishop of Canterbury is unlikely to recognise this new diocese as part of the Canterbury Communion. What makes it authentically Anglican is, as our Constitution expresses it, its allegiance to the Bible as ‘the ultimate rule and standard of faith given by inspiration of God and containing all things necessary for salvation’, whose teaching is confessed in the 39 Articles and given liturgical form in the Book of Common Prayer.

Next Saturday, three of my assistant bishops along with Bishops Paul Barnett and Peter Jensen, the Bishops of Armidale, North West Australia and Tasmania shall join me and other bishops, including two Archbishops of the Global South, in laying hands on Jay Behan as he is consecrated a bishop in the church of God. The Archdeacon for Women’s Ministry, the Dean of Sydney, the Diocesan Registrar, the Principal of Moore College and other clergy from Sydney will also be in attendance.

While I have been accused of breaking fellowship with the National Church, by joining in a consecration with a church purportedly not in communion with the Anglican Church of Australia, I plainly declare that my communion with the Church of Confessing Anglicans of Aotearoa New Zealand is the koinōnia of the Holy Spirit, as defined by Scripture. Moreover, our Constitution only declares that we ‘will remain in communion with the Church of England in England and with churches in communion therewith, so long as communion in consistent with the Fundamental Declarations contained in this Constitution.’ It is silent as to churches that have arisen since 1961, who may not be in communion with the Church of England, yet who share our belief in the supremacy of Scripture and the doctrine of Christ, as the Church of Confessing Anglicans of Aotearoa New Zealand do. It is clearly arguable, if not obvious, that the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia have departed from the ultimate rule and standard of faith as expressed in Holy Scripture. Even our General Synod Standing Committee has recognised this when they declared last year that ‘this step is contrary to Resolution I.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference and is not in accord with the doctrine of Christ (Matthew 19:1-12).’ Moreover, the Standing Committee also declared its ‘support for all Anglicans who have left the ACANZP, who will feel the need to leave, and those who remain yet struggle because of this change.’ It is therefore our honour and our duty to offer our support for the Church of Confessing Anglicans of Aotearoa New Zealand and Bishop-elect Jay Behan.

The Bishop of Wangaratta

If one were to think of bishops breaking fellowship in the National Church, sadly one need not look very far. Six weeks ago the Diocese of Wangaratta, with the full support of its Bishop, passed a regulation that authorised a liturgy for the blessing of a couple married in accordance with the Marriage Act 1961. That sounds innocent enough, and when no authorised liturgy exists for a particular service, the Canon Concerning Services 1992 allows a Synod to make regulations for such a service, so as to authorise it for local use. However, the intention of this regulation was clear, it was to accommodate and facilitate the blessing of same-sex marriages. Unintentionally, it also authorised the blessing of any marriage solemnised under Commonwealth law, including marriages, which would be in breach of the provisions of the Matrimony (Prohibited Relationships) Canon 1981 or the Marriage of Divorced Persons Canon 1981, which the Anglican Church could not sanction, let alone solemnise.

However, the more serious breach of fellowship within the Anglican Church of Australia is the explicit and cavalier endorsement of same-sex marriages, which is contrary to the teaching of Scripture and the doctrine of Christ. Apart from the repudiation of Resolution I.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference, our General Synod and our own Synod have frequently affirmed that marriage is between a man and a woman, an exclusive and permanent union―’forsaking all others…till death us do part’. You will see that the Bishop of South Sydney and the Dean of Sydney have a significant motion in our papers that is germane to this topic.

Yet our view of marriage is not a popular one in Australia, nor is it consistent with the definition of marriage under the amended Marriage Act 1961, after 60% of the population endorsed, by postal vote, a change to the Marriage Act, which would permit same-sex marriages. Nonetheless, God’s intention for marriage has not changed. We honour him when we abide by his instruction. We cannot bless samesex marriages for the simple reason that we cannot bless sin.

I am grateful for the Primate’s intervention by referring the decisions of the Wangaratta Synod to the Appellate Tribunal. He also requested that no clergy in the Wangaratta Diocese use the new service until a decision had been reached as to whether or not the use of such a service to bless a couple in a same-sex marriage is consistent with the doctrine of our Church.

This Primatial action was timely, as the Bishop of Wangaratta had previously advertised the fact that within weeks of the Synod’s anticipated passing of the Regulation, he would use the purportedly authorised service for the blessing of two priests in his diocese, who had announced their intention of being married to each other under the Marriage Act 1961. However, this did not stop the Bishop from attending a service of Morning Prayer where the two priests were conspicuously present at the service in celebration of their marriage. While we await the outcome of the Appellate Tribunal’s determination on this matter, notice has recently been given of a motion in the Newcastle Synod, which effectively replicates the endorsement of a similar service to that purportedly authorised by the Wangaratta Synod.

Friends, we have entered treacherous waters.

I fear for the stability of the Anglican Church of Australia. These developments have the potential to fracture our fellowship and impair our communion. I have stated this on numerous occasions at the annual National Bishops’ Conference, but sadly to little effect. If we return to the Pastorals, Paul predicts the decay, which will threaten the church in the last days.

People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. (2 Timothy 3:2-5)

Next year the General Synod will meet in a special session to confer on the issue of same-sex blessings and same-sex marriage. It has been planned by the General Synod Standing Committee as a consultation, with no opportunity for making decisions. However, the time has come to take action and make decisions, and these recent events have made it all the more imperative to do so. The General Synod must make a clear statement about the teaching of the Bible on the sanctity of sex within the marriage bond of a man and a woman, so that marriage is held in honour among all and the marriage bed is not defiled (Hebrews 13:4). My own view is that if people wish to change the doctrine of our Church, they should start a new church or join a church more aligned to their views – but do not ruin the Anglican Church by abandoning the plain teaching of Scripture. Please leave us. We have far too much work to do in evangelising Australia to be distracted by the constant pressure to change our doctrine in order to satisfy the lusts and pleasures of the world.

Mission 2020

Our vision is to see Christ honoured as Lord and Saviour in every community. We adopted this vision five years ago and it has been a helpful reminder of the Lordship of Jesus Christ and his unchanging commission to make disciples of all nations. We also adopted a Mission statement, referred to as Mission 2020.

We commit ourselves afresh, in prayerful dependence on the Holy Spirit, to glorify God and love our neighbour by proclaiming the Lord Jesus Christ, calling people to repent and living lives worthy of him.

Bishop Lin will provide an update on the progress of Mission 2020 during this session. While one might have assumed that Mission 2020 will conclude next year, the Strategy and Research Group has recommended to Standing Committee that we continue using the vision, mission, values and priorities of Mission 2020 for the foreseeable future. While the mission of the Diocese is never the personal fiefdom of the Archbishop, the opportunity for the next Archbishop to provide leadership in any suggested changes to Mission 2020, in consultation with the Strategy and Research Group, is a sensible way forward. What may need tweaking is our measurable goals. One of the clear advantages of Mission 2020 has been the manner in which we can assess our impact on society through itemised measures available through the National Church Life Survey (NCLS) statistics. The number of newcomers, for example, or the growth in number of those who have invited someone to church are all easily quantifiable. I commend to you the recent research on newcomers, initiated by the Strategy and Research Group and conducted by Dr John Bellamy of Anglicare’s Social Policy & Research Unit. It is a valuable resource for assisting rectors in ways to improve the attraction and retention of newcomers in our churches.

Some mission goals have been achieved, others have not been reached, and some may have been more aspirational than realistic. The projected number of 15 new churches in greenfield areas or the expectation that we would have two new churches in each Mission Area by 2020 have fallen short. Yet, we have made progress in establishing new churches in greenfield areas and seen new churches planted in Mission Areas. I believe that we have a heart for mission across the Diocese. The Synod’s reaffirmation, for example, of agreeing to a land levy of 2% of each parish’s net receipts has been a wonderful illustration of sacrifice for the sake of the kingdom. I am also delighted to see the ongoing work of New Churches for New Communities (NCNC), who have raised 4.6 million dollars over the past four years, plus a further $300,000 in pledges. The commitment of many parishes and individuals to donate funds through NCNC for the provision of buildings on the land purchased by the Mission Property Committee, has enabled the current construction of Stanhope Anglican Church and in a few months the construction of a larger building for Hope Anglican Church at Leppington. These buildings will only enhance the tireless efforts of the respective church planters and their congregations to be bearers of light and grace to the new communities springing up in the northwest and southwest sectors of Greater Sydney. The establishment of the Anglican Church Growth Corporation, which will be highlighted during this session of Synod, is another welcome development in the coordination of land, buildings and church planters for the growth of the kingdom of God.

Yet we need more church planters, and Evangelism and New Churches has been critical in identifying and mentoring such persons. We also need more rectors. Members of Synod will be aware of the unprecedented number of parishes with vacant incumbencies. The Reverend Gary O’Brien, Director of Ministry Training and Development, and Mr Peter Mayrick of Moore College’s Centre of Ministry Development have created an excellent program of support for new rectors, including coaching and mentoring. Yet I fear that many assistant ministers are too comfortable in their present positions and do not see the opportunities that exist to lead a congregation in the ways of the Lord, maturing disciples and making new disciples. I hope that the added protections for assistant ministers that we have made in the Assistant Ministers Ordinance 2017 have not enticed them to stay put! It is also possible that the growth of the 5M model of ministry that seems to have captured the imagination of some rectors has unintentionally prevented assistant minsters from reaching their potential in exercising their ministry to the whole congregation, rather than a segmented ministry to some, or a quarantined exposure to only one form of ministry. Rectors have an important part to play in the professional development of their assistant ministers, especially presbyters, who should be encouraged and trained to become rectors themselves.

However, we should not be discouraged. It is easy to see all the problems without seeing the blessings of growth among us. We have this year a record number of six provisional parishes seeking full parish status. This is exciting, and I am so glad that it is our custom in Synod to celebrate these achievements of gospel growth. It is also heartening to see the regional missions taking place across the Diocese next year. A couple of years ago the Wollongong Region joined together in a regional mission under the banner of ‘Jesus is…’ with great success, under God. Next year the Wollongong Region is doing a reprise of this mission endeavour. The Georges River Region has already begun a year of prayer and preparation for a John 3:16 mission for 2020, with the hope that every member of every congregation will be able to recite John 3:16, and also commit to using it as a way of sharing the gospel with unbelievers. The Northern Region is similarly preparing for mission in 2020, as are the churches in the Hills in the Western Region, climaxing on Easter Day – the day of resurrection.

If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruit of those who have fallen asleep… Therefore my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:20, 58)

The Public Sphere

The past twelve months have seen significant developments in the life of our nation and our State, particularly in the areas of legislation relating to sex discrimination, religious discrimination and most notably, abortion. If we are to be salt and light in our world, then we must not be silent on public issues where they concern the common good and the honour of Christ. While we shall, I fear, become increasingly subject to forces within our society that seek to marginalise not only the Christian voice, but all faith traditions, our engagement with these issues must not be based upon seeking to preserve ourselves or the privileged status we currently enjoy. Rather, our concern ought to be for the glory of God in following his paths. Since he has given us our charter for the care of God’s world and its inhabitants, this should be our prime concern. ‘Doing the good’, as the apostle Peter puts it, ought to be part and parcel of our Christian DNA. We are the true benefactors for the world. We not only have a gospel to proclaim, which will affect the destiny of every living person on the planet, including the unborn, but we have God’s charter for humanity, as Walter Kaiser describes Gabriel’s words to Daniel. God has told us what to do:

He has showed you, O Man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

We know that God’s laws are good for humanity. We should never be ashamed of presenting God’s ways to our fellow Australians as that which will bring harmony and peace within the world. Of course, we shall be opposed, or perhaps worse, misunderstood, as the media so frequently portray our views. The furore caused by a joint letter signed by the majority of our Anglican School Heads last year bore testimony to the deliberate misinformation and scurrilous misrepresentation of the entirely appropriate and reasonable desire to operate our schools in accordance with the doctrine, tenets and beliefs of the Anglican Church. I am grateful for the courage and boldness of our Heads, who suffered significant opposition and personal attacks from alumni and the public. Much time and energy were spent in the course of this public debate, and it was pleasing to see the Government refer the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 to the Australian Law Reform Commission, rather than attempting to make ad hoc changes to the Act, as both the Greens and the Labor Party sought to do in the Senate.

Since the federal election, the Government has now released an Exposure Draft of a Religious Discrimination Bill. This is a significant piece of legislation, which will have far-reaching consequences for the landscape of Australian society. While there is much to be applauded in the Bill, we have identified a number of features, which will be detrimental to those who hold a religious belief, and damaging to the promotion of a harmonious multi-religious society, including those of no faith. I am grateful to Bishop Michael Stead whose energy and acuity has, along with others, provided a robust critique of the Bill for the consideration of the Attorney-General. From our early conversations with both Government and Opposition leaders, we are optimistic of a bi-partisan approach to the Bill and of the adoption of some of our recommended changes. Yet this should drive us to pray for our politicians, especially Christians on both sides of politics, that we might ‘live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness’ (1 Timothy 2:2).

The sudden appearance of a Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill in the Legislative Assembly provided another opportunity for public engagement. It was regrettable that although Mr Alex Greenwich had given notice of his intention earlier in the year, that the Government were prepared to allow a private member’s Bill to be debated and voted upon within 72 hours of its being tabled. This was unprecedented. Such was the outcry from both religious leaders and politicians that the Premier intervened and delayed consideration of the Bill in the Lower House. As we all know, the Bill finally passed after numerous amendments in both houses, and the Bill was fittingly renamed, the Abortion Reform Bill 2019, as there was nothing in the legislation that pertained to reproductive health care. On the contrary, the Bill was aimed at terminating the lives of those conceived in their mother’s womb. As I have written elsewhere on the defects of the Bill, I shall not rehearse those details now. However, I do want to draw attention to the mischievous mantra of its proponents that the Bill was all about decriminalising abortion. This was and is simply not true. The Crimes Act 1900 only made it a criminal offence when a mother or another person ‘unlawfully uses any instrument or other means…to procure a miscarriage’. The lawful administration of abortion was not a crime, as Judge Aaron Levine’s ruling in the District Court in 1971 declared, when he defined circumstances where an abortion was not unlawful. Moreover, both the original form of the Bill and its final form continues to make unlawful abortion a criminal offence, where it is not performed in accordance with the Bill. So much for honesty and transparency.

However, I would like to take this opportunity of thanking all Anglicans in Sydney, the Illawarra and the Blue Mountains who signed petitions, contacted their local members, and prayed for those who were deciding the Bill’s final form in both houses of Parliament. Some of you heeded my invitation to join the rally in Hyde Park last month. People came from Campbelltown, the Blue Mountains and Western NSW, as well as the Central Coast. Some churches even re-arranged their evening services so that members of their congregation could join the remonstration. I know this took you out of your comfort zone! It is not the done thing for Anglicans to parade themselves with placards and make a public protest! But why not? Are we ashamed of our faith? We should never be ashamed of speaking out for the love of Christ in advocacy for the voiceless, unborn image bearers of God, whose lives will be terminated by the provisions of this Bill. We should at all times pray – but there comes a time when we also need to shout from the rooftops! So thank you for your support. Your labour has not been in vain. While the final form of the Bill is still less than it should be, the Bill was significantly improved. We are grateful to God for the courage of members of parliament from both sides of politics who advocated for the rights of the unborn child as well as the welfare of the mother.

We live, however, in a fast moving world where the revisionist agenda of the world is making inroads into the accepted Judeo-Christian norms that we have enjoyed in this country since the Europeans arrived. Legislation for euthanasia has been passed in Victoria and is under parliamentary discussion in Western Australia. Changes to birth certificates have been legislated in Tasmania.

The next issue we need to face is the troubling issue of gender identity. Two years ago, we considered and endorsed some Principles of Engagement, developed by the Social Issues Committee for use by our churches, organisations and schools. The plan was to have ready for Synod this year some more detailed work in this area. However, this has proved to be difficult for two reasons: (1) the conflicting medical advice and medical research that has arrived at no firm conclusion as to whether transitioning for young persons is either in their best interests or a form of child abuse; and (2) the changing landscape of the legal position in both State and Federal jurisdictions. Yet we are experiencing an increase in the occurrence of gender dysphoria in our churches, our organisations and our schools. I have had many discussions with the Chairs and Heads of our Anglican schools over the past few years, and we all fully realise the complex pastoral situations involved, and the need to proceed with wisdom, compassion and love, informed and undergirded by the love of Christ. I also recognise that the responsibility of developing detailed policies for our organisations and schools lies with those separately governed entities. However, we can, and should, affirm what comprises the doctrine, beliefs and tenets of the Anglican Church in the Diocese of Sydney. This is one of the purposes of our Synod.

Bishop Peter Hayward will therefore be bringing to this Synod for its consideration a Doctrine Statement on Gender identity, as well as Pastoral Guidelines for Churches, Organisations and Schools and a practical set of Guidelines for churches, since they come more directly under the governance of the Synod. Part of the proposal is to encourage each Diocesan Organisation and each Anglican School to adopt their own policy on Gender Identity, which aligns with the Doctrine Statement. The plan is that the Archbishop-in-Council will provide schools and organisations with some material to assist them in this enterprise, but the responsibility must lie with each separately governed entity.

The purpose of the Doctrine Statement is to make it clear not only to the public but also to our congregations, clients, customers and constituency, what the doctrine of the Anglican Church in the Diocese of Sydney is on this matter. Previous respondents in court cases have discovered to their disadvantage that unless one can identify a publicly available doctrinal position, which is adhered to by all those who claim to belong to that religious group, then the community expectations on issues of morality will prevail. A doctrinal position that expresses the doctrine, tenets, beliefs and teachings (to quote the Draft Religious Discrimination Bill 2019) will be necessary for the protection of our religious freedom, as well as providing protection from future charges of discrimination that may well be brought against the Church or its organisations and schools. This is an important issue, and I trust Synod members will give it their careful consideration.

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