The national parliament of Australian Anglicans, the General Synod, meets in Melbourne this week. A series of proposals aims to tackle a long-standing problem: many of the church’s regional units, known as dioceses, are simply not viable without support from other parts of the Church – which a report to the 2014 General Synod from the “Viability and Structures Task Force” demonstrated over a decade ago.
This year the Diocesan Financial Advisory Task Force (DFATF) “has formed the view that the financial health of the Church in Australia, outside of the large metropolitan dioceses, is in a delicate state. This has been largely caused by various macro trends (eg declining church membership, changing demographics, shrinking rural economies, etc) and, in recent times, exacerbated by the magnitude of sexual and physical abuse claims in a number of dioceses. As a result, some of the smaller and/or regional dioceses have compromised financial viability. It seems quite likely that one or more of these ‘at risk’ dioceses will be unable to operate entirely independently – that is without financial support from another diocese – within the next few years.”
As previously reported, the North Queensland Diocese is in receivership due to sexual abuse claims through the redress scheme. DFATF reports that “In a number of dioceses the cost of settling known claims has been significant; and there remains considerable uncertainty surrounding the ultimate cost of settling yet-unknown claims, particularly given the recent uptick in activity of some lawyers.”
A second factor identified by DFATF is “The negative environmental forces which persist in many parts of rural Australia, such as diminishing and ageing populations, shrinking economies, depreciating properties with higher maintenance costs, and no or limited sources of alternative income.”
An example of support from one diocese to another is the funding of Bathurst’s bishop and registrar by the diocese of Sydney.
This session of General Synod will vote on bills to amend the Anglican Church’s constitution to allow dioceses to share a bishop, and to make it simpler to create or amalgamate a diocese.
The Constitution Amendment (Bishops of Multiple Dioceses) Canon 2026 would add a new paragraph to the constitution. “The Bishop of a diocese may with the consent of the Diocesan Council of that diocese and with the consent of a majority of Diocesan bishops within the province be elected as prescribed as the Bishop of another diocese in the same province. A Bishop of a diocese who is also the Bishop of another diocese does not become entitled to an additional vote in the House of Bishops by virtue of being the Bishop of that other diocese.”
This means that in a “province” usually meaning a mainland state, dioceses will be able to share a bishop, saving the cost of the bishop and possibly expenses for a registrar and other matters as well. (NSW, Victoria, SA and WA are provinces, Queensland and the Northern Territory are one province, and Tasmania is “extra-provincial.”)
This provision will make the House of Bishops smaller, and in the view of this writer, likely to affect the progressive vote more than the evangelical vote, due to the support from Sydney of several evangelical dioceses.
(The General Synod is tri-cameral, with Bishops, Clergy and laity (ordinary people) voting in separate houses when a vote by houses is called for. At the last General Synod an evangelical majority emerged for the first time in the Houses of Clergy and Laity, with the Bishops finely balanced.)
Another bill will make it easier, or at least quicker, to amend the number of dioceses in a province. Given the viability problems of dioceses, this is most likely to lead to removing a diocese rather than adding one. The Constitution Amendment (Provincial Composition) Canon 2026 will allow the General Synod’s standing committee (rather than the General Synod itself) to increase or decrease the number of dioceses in a province (mainland state) where “two-thirds of all the members of the Standing Committee, including all the metropolitans, vote in favour of the ratification.” Metropolitan is Anglican-speak for the Archbishops of the mainland state capitals eg Sydney or Perth. Giving the process over to the Standing Committee makes it more likely this process will actually happen, rather than negotiate through successive General Synods.
A less likely change is also made easier. The Constitution Amendment (Provincial Constitutions) Canon 2026 will allow the Standing Committee to approve a new province with a special majority defined as “two-thirds of all the members of Standing Committee and all five metropolitan.”
This story is not suggesting that these proposals are the most important material to come before the General Synod, merely that it provides insight into the state of the church.
DFATF has rated the dioceses viability into 4 levels.
“A: Strong (secure and able to sustainably withstand adverse shocks)
“B: Sound (steadily managing, but with some vulnerabilities)
“C: Watchlist (in a fragile financial position)
“D: Distressed (unable to operate without support from another diocese)…
“Six are rated A, eight are rated B, seven are rated C, and one is rated D. One diocese did not participate.” in the 2020 review.