Synod 2009: Mission, Mission, Mission

There was a LOT of talk about Missional Church at this year's Synod of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto. Phil Potter was here from England to talk about Fresh Expressions and share a Word about how churches can be transformed to reach out the world. This was not the kind of Synod with endless motions and votes. Rather, we would gather with prayer and song, do a little bible study, listen to a presentation, and the go off into smaller Indaba Groups for discussion. The smaller group size of these Indaba groups allowed for everyone to be heard.

I was struck in my group by how many people had yet to hear of Missional Church before this year's Synod. Indeed, one lay person seemed annoyed that her priest had never mentioned the concept. Of course, her church was doing mission, but they weren't using the "mission church" or "fresh expressions" language to do it.

Naturally, everyone thinks this Missional Church stuff sounds great. Yet I think the resistance will arise as soon as anyone tries to actually do such a project! Some parishes, especially, will have a hard time becoming truly missional in the ways that Phil Potter and others have been talking about. It requires a shift in the culture and self-understanding of 90% of the parishes in the Diocese, and I'm not sure that was made clear at the Synod.

Still, it was all energizing and I'm sure more will come from it. As usual, however, structures are lagging behind. We don't have anything like Bishop's Mission Orders or Pioneer Ministers, yet!

-t