Archbishop Steve Wood gave his opening statement this morning, summarizing the growth of the Anglican Church of North America over the last year. The province has a more firm financial foothold than ever before and has seen a steady growth trend of 13 percent in church attendance and greater church planting than ever before. He spoke about the conversation of the day: what is the role of a province, and what is the Lord wanting to do in and through the province for the sake of the Church?
Archbishop Wood used the image of good soil as illustrating what the province is trying to accomplish in the parishes across North America. To have a good place for seed to land, you need good ground to plant in. “In the Church, we often use agricultural images, and this agricultural work is best done primarily at the local level.” He was vehement about the province not being a top-down structure but a bottom-up structure of servant leadership. “Leaders are the servants of the servants of God,” he said, quoting Archbishop Emeritus Bob Duncan. The province should serve those who are out in the field doing the hands-on work of the Gospel at the local level.
“There is no one size fits all,” he continued. Each local church and local diocese has a unique way of approaching their community. So, if much of this work happens locally, it does beg the question of what the province’s role really is. The province is tasked primarily with tending the soil, which grows all of the various plants that are the ministries and churches around North America. “While the local churches do the seed work, the province does the soil work.” As we see an increased need for evolving and creatively engaging the culture for the sake of Christ, the province is there to network like-minded leaders in the Church and provide whatever resources may be lacking for those on the field of mission and local ministry.
Archbishop Wood also outlined five pillars that will mark the province’s vision in the coming years.
1) The Seedbank Legacy Fund for Churchplanting and Leadership Development
2) The Exchange Resource Hub, for sharing resources, training, and tools across the province
3) The Life-cycle Leadership Development Pipeline
4) Strong Safe guarding measures, protecting children in our churches
5) Global and local partnerships that create and resource mission partners across the province and the globe
Each of these pillars hold up the commitment to resource and network, so that local leaders can be freed to do the main job of preaching and teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The vision Abp. Wood laid out seems daunting and it is surely ambitious. But he assured the Council that it is only ambitious because he believes it’s what the leaders and laity of the province believe is needed. It’s in their hearts as well. So with their help, the province can achieve those goals for the flourishing of the Church at every level. “Where do you see the Lord at work, because I’m persuaded that this vision is already in our hearts,” he said, in light of the ambitious plan set before the Council. So in that sense, it’s less of a plan and more of an invitation.” The vision will produce fruit if the soil and the seeds work in harmony, and that’s the way it must be, a partnership, not one of compulsion but one of mutual submission and friendship. He invited the Council to be co-laborers with him and with the provincial leadership in the fields that each one of those leaders are helping to cultivate, “not just for our sake but for the surpassing glory of Jesus Christ.”
After the opening statement, provincial updates on financials and program health were presented by Deborah Tepley, ACNA Executive Director; Dan Hassler, ACNA Director of Administration; and Kate Harris, Director of Outreach and Communications. Both helped lay out the administrative plans going forward, the planning of synods, development, and the practicalities of resourcing each diocese. These updates will then be followed by mission workshops, one of which is led by the Rev. Cn. Mark Eldredge and Dr. Alex Fogleman of Trinity Anglican Seminary on Developing Healthy Leaders in the Church.
