Review of The Mission Before Us: Why Sydney Anglican Church Ministry?

The Sydney Rector drought has had some attention of late. However, on my reading of a book targeted at seeking men and women to put their hand to the ministry plough, "The Mission Before Us: Why Sydney Anglican Church Ministry?", I was led to an odd conclusion. Where the book spoke of drought, I was instead drawn to think of plenty. 

I had came to the book after recording, in another post, a rousting of a minister Steele by a senior. The rousting put the Gospel in the centre of the drought solution.

This book is written into a Diocese in abundance. A Diocese of a superb theological college and solid standing on the world stage. It is a Diocese that in terms of wealth is more aristocratic Vestey than stockman Lingiari. 

But the wealth didn't go towards nutting out robust strategy; instead seemingly everyone was scurrying for drought-breaking solutions. There may be a senior interest in putting Gospel at centre, yet the Diocese, despite all its resources, does not seem to have a single central whiteboard; one that would facilitate a rugged brainstorming session. I even found a Western Australian chipping-in. 

And, the pages of The Mission before Us revealed the risk of crowd-sourcing; an error of count and the subtle mentions of the so-so nature of Mission 2020. Leite’s rather thin reaction of what could be done (page 1) caused me to favour a Sydney Presbyterian’s alternate response.

 

Closing the book, I had an urge to consume writings of those who were resourced more like Lingiari. God often makes more from less. I turned from the rich Diocese’s plight and directed my sympathy towards a clergyman in COVID19 lockdown Melbourne and another cleric in his first-world impoverished ministry circumstances. 

  

The book has two redeeming qualities – Loane’s fine 1983 address and the Walter/Flinders pairing. The former has a fantastic exposition of John 3. The address caused me to think that all the Diocese’s Rector drought problems have an internal response - the Diocese needing to dig deep enough to find that response. The latter presents as a very worthy read as a set. Walter and Flinders perhaps benefitted from quick note sharing being situated a cooee from each other on Sydney’s North Shore.

 

Where the book speaks of drought of clergy, it instead strikes the reader for its drought of practice. One contributer scored half marks and Colgan, early in the book seems to be channeling Lennon’s Imagine, with his “sometimes”.

 

Colgan’s “sometimes” is depicted in this extract from page 6:

"Sometimes as I sit in cafes or on the train into the city and see the people running around in their work, their study, their shopping, their sport, I feel for Sydney something of what Jesus felt......so many people lost here on our doorstep"

 

Which appeared to have a retort in Loane's address, page 29. The address tantalisingly roars:

Henry Varley, in 1872, turned to his friend D.L. Moody and said: "The world has yet to see what God can do with a man who has wholly surrendered himself to Him. We are not used more...because our surrender is so incomplete"

 

....Varley signaling from the grave: “Colgan, your “sometimes” must be “always””, to wit:

 

 "Sometimes Always as I sit in cafes and always when I sit on the train into the city and see the people running around in their work, their study, their shopping, their sport, I feel for Sydney what Jesus felt......so many people lost here on our doorstep"

Vincent Lingiari is honoured in a song by Gough Whitlam

 

Shalom,

Ozhamada

 

Note 1: As I understand it Mission 2020 started well yet failed to meet all its numerous ambitions; a church planting/greenfield sub-objective seemingly being the only solid outcome. COVID19 put to an end any hope of Mission 2020 fulfilling during its token final year.

Note 2: To be fair to Leite, his extended response, on pages 32-33, to what could be done to resolve the drought looks more like Powell’s list. Yet, why didn’t Leite offer the extended response as he opened the book?

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