By Archbishop Brad Billings
President’s reflections on Synod 2026
The Diocese of Adelaide took some important steps along the road ahead at our annual session of Synod this October. Gathering around tables at St Peter’s College allowed for us to spend some time in conference, during which members of Synod considered the results of a recent diocesan-wide consultation on our vision and priorities.
That consultation identified a proposed missional core:
1. Grow disciples and deepen spiritual formation
2. Share the Gospel
3. Plant and renew congregations
The consultation also identified several enabling priorities:
4. leadership development;
5. collaboration and shared ministry;
6. parish sustainability and renewal;
7. intergenerational ministry; and
8. effective diocesan support.
Members of Synod engaged with this around a series of questions that considered whether these were the right priorities at this time; whether there was a hierarchy of importance within those priorities; and what would be needed to resource the priorities and make them happen.
Within the buzz of conversation around the tables, the written feedback, and verbal responses on the day, there was sense of anticipation in the air, as the vision, and our role in it, became clearer.
In the presidential address members of Synod heard about a number of actions already taken, or about to be taken, in several key areas of missional focus. These included (but were not limited to):
- Prayer. A call to pray constantly, both individually and together, for the diocese, for our vision as it emerges, and our shared mission.
- Church revitalisation. The renewing of existing parishes and ministries, with a view to fostering and enabling growth – both spiritual, in service to others, and numerical.
- Pioneer ministry. The need for new and innovative ministries – be it a new expression of church, a new initiative in an existing parish, or a wholly new church plant.
- Vocation and Leadership. The importance of fostering vocations, both to lay and ordained ministry, and investing in and developing the leaders we have.
- Missional Communities. A call for more partnerships in ministry that cross traditional parish barriers – whereby clergy and lay people from across more than one parish might form a team ministry to share resources and increase effectiveness.
- The North. The need for an intentional, strategic plan, for the revitalising of Anglican ministry in the northern suburbs.
- Multicultural ministry. A coordinated approach, to be led by Bishop Sophie, to celebrate, enable, and prosper, our vibrant multicultural communities and ministries.
Enabling many aspects of these areas of focus, and the renewed vision and strategic priorities, will necessarily be a review of parish governance, in particular the Parochial Administration Ordinance 1985. A process for facilitating this reform was foreshadowed for next year. The intention, and hoped for outcome, is that our instruments of parish governance will be fit for purpose in the 21st century, and capable of serving our mission.
The hope present in this session of Synod is not naïve, because it is hope founded securely on the foundation of the good news of the gospel of Jesus, and on the promise of Holy Scripture that God will grow God’s Church. All of the baptised members of God’s church share in this great commission as disciples of our Lord. Together we are called to faithfully sow the seeds of faith, to love and build up one another, and to take up our part in God’s mission.
An old school favourite from the renowned contemporary hymn writer Sydney Carter (1915-2004) of “Lord of the Dance” fame, came to mind as our Diocese took these synodical steps along the road ahead.
One more step along the world I go.
One more step along the world I go.
From the old things to the new
keep me traveling along with you.
And it’s from the old I travel to the new.
Keep me traveling along with you.
