On Wednesday, 20 November 2019 the Primate called together the bishops of the Anglican Church of Australia to discuss some pressing issues facing the Church. Newcastle Anglican Bishop Peter Stuart, together with Assistant Bishops Charlie Murry and Sonia Roulston attended the meeting in Melbourne.
A copy of the official communique from the meeting can be found here.
We have also published the full text below:
“Greetings from the bishops of the Anglican Church of Australia
On Wednesday, 20 November 2019 the Primate called together the bishops of the Anglican Church of Australia to discuss some pressing issues facing the Church. We were conscious of being upheld in prayer by the people of our Dioceses as we conferred together at a time when our unity is under pressure.
The Primate began with prayer for all those affected by bushfire and drought, for our time of meeting and for our Church.
There is no doubt that we are living in testing times. In a spirit of co-operation, the bishops identified the range of issues we are facing and our desire to work together collegially for the life and witness of the Church.
In the light of the Primate’s decision to summon a meeting of the General Synod in the first week of June 2020, we welcomed the plan for a 1½ day conference to consider the range of issues the Church is facing in relation to human sexuality, same-sex relationships and marriage and possible ways forward for this Church, with the expressed intention of this being a safe place for people of differing experiences and views.
The bishops identified the following as having the highest priority in our shared leadership of the National Church: ‘working on a mixed economy and discerning boundaries of unity’; ‘responding to LGBTIQA+ people and their needs’; ‘further theological work on the doctrine of marriage and blessing; and ‘building trust as a college of Bishops’;
The Bishops’ Meeting in March 2020 will continue our conversations. We ask for your prayers for us and we commit to continuing to pray for all God’s people and the life of our Church.
In Christ
Ephesians 4:12-13
“to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
