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.
Mr President and members of Synod,
For my first General Synod motion, I am delighted to commend an opportunity that I hope will continue to unite Australian Anglicans in our common task: making Christ known and seeing people become disciples of Jesus.
Vision36 is a communion-wide call to prayer, evangelism, discipleship and church planting that starts now and builds towards 2036.
Some Background
As co-chair of the Anglican Communion Commission for Evangelism and Discipleship, or ACCED, I have worked with leaders across the Communion committed to renewal, evangelism and discipleship. Building on the global intentional discipleship vision of Jesus-Shaped Life, together with the Anglican Communion Church Planting Network, ACCED has developed Vision36.
This vision was presented to the Anglican Consultative Council at ACC-19 in Belfast in July and was warmly received. It represents a significant opportunity for the Communion to work together in mission while allowing every province, diocese and parish to respond in ways appropriate to their local context.
What is Vision36?
Vision36 is a Communion-wide call to prayer, evangelism, discipleship and church planting from 2026 to 2036. It is not a new program, but a framework that strengthens existing local initiatives and encourages collaboration across the Communion.
At its heart is a simple conviction: healthy disciples make disciples and healthy churches plant churches. This reflects the wider Vision36 language of Jesus-shaped multiplication: living Jesus-shaped lives, in a Jesus-shaped church, for a Jesus-shaped world, to the glory of God in the power of the Holy Spirit.
It seeks to encourage Anglicans around the world to pray, share the gospel, develop disciples, raise leaders and establish new worshipping communities so that more people may come to know Christ.
By 2036
The larger Vision36 horizon is wonderfully simple and ambitious: by 2036, every disciple has grown and helped someone else grow as a wholehearted disciple; every church has grown new, deeply rooted congregations or been revived; every congregation has played its part in transforming local communities; and every province, diocese and church has played its part in planting or renewing congregations.
Why Now?
Vision36 recognises and affirms what God already seems to be stirring across the Communion. These are stories from our commission:
In Malaysia, Bishop Moon Hing planted 50 churches as a parish priest in Ipoh, then enabled 50 more plants as a bishop. West Malaysia now has a vision to plant 1200 churches in the coming decade.
In Tanzania, the Bishop of Kondoa, Given Gaula started with 23 congregations and has planted 113 congregations over the last 14 years. He is aiming to plant 50 congregations every year.
In Mozambique, Fraser Muzungu, who was ordained deacon last week, is the church planting enabler. His diocese has planted 16 churches with lay catechists in the last year and a half. In his work as an evangelist, he has seen 780 people give their lives to Christ, 420 being students at the local university.
In India, Bishop Paul Swarup recently said that anti-conversion laws in some states mean that a person could be imprisoned if they are found conducting a prayer meeting in their own house.
He said, “At a workshop on the Five Marks of Mission, the first was how to share the gospel. We made people practise sharing their personal testimonies with one another – something to which there’s no challenge. So that’s one key way in which you can evangelise wherever you are.”
Melissa Theng, who helps start Alpha courses in the workplace, said, “A businessman in Hong Kong started running Alpha in his office building to reach the masses of workers in the area – two years later, he dedicated an entire floor in his building to plant a church.”
Across the Communion, there are many similar stories seeking to reimagine how we reach new generations with the gospel.
These are not isolated developments. They are signs of a shared conviction emerging in many different places around the world.
Here in Australia, we are also seeing fresh shoots of growth. In many dioceses, including this one, initiatives focused on church revitalisation, new congregations, leadership development and evangelism are gaining momentum. What has become familiar in some places is increasingly becoming part of the national conversation.
Vision36 simply provides a framework for these various stirrings to encourage one another and learn from one another.
Why support Vision36? 4 reasons.
1. It strengthens our life as a Communion
Vision36 gives practical expression to our global Communion. It enables us to pray together, share resources, learn from successes and failures, encourage emerging leaders and stand alongside Anglicans sharing Christ in many different contexts.
2. It is Anglican and mission-shaped
Vision36 directly reflects the first two Marks of Mission: proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and teaching, baptising and nurturing new believers. As disciples mature, they also grow in service, justice, reconciliation and care for creation.
3. It builds on Hope25
Hope25 showed that local churches can share “Hope in an Uncertain World” in ways that are contextual, creative and achievable. Vision36 offers a natural next step: not a single campaign, but sustained mission over the coming decade.
4. It turns existing momentum into shared action
Vision36 imposes no single model. Each diocese can respond according to its own context, building on existing work in evangelism, discipleship, church planting, revitalisation, chaplaincy and leadership development. It helps us move from isolated efforts to shared commitment.
And this motion provides a simple action for the oversight of the Mission and Ministry Commission to take the next step.
A Call to Walk the Extra Mile
Brothers and sisters in Christ, Hope25 showed what is possible when Australian Anglicans unite around a common mission.
Vision36 invites us to take the next step.
This is not about numbers for their own sake. It is about people encountering Jesus Christ, becoming his disciples and joining his mission. It is an invitation to pray together, learn together and work together for the sake of the gospel.
I commend this motion to Synod. By God’s grace, may we join Anglicans around the world in making disciples, raising leaders and planting new Christian communities over the coming decade.
The Motion:
That this General Synod:
1. Welcomes the agreement by the Anglican Consultative Council to the Vision36 report on church planting and revitalisation.
2. Is encouraged to know that evangelism, discipleship and church planting are priorities of the Anglican Communion.
3. Encourages Dioceses to find out further information about Vision36 and apply the principles locally.
4. Prays that Vision36 will see Anglican Churches across the globe being more focused on evangelism, discipleship and church planting.
Image: Vision36 logo