Presidential Address Third Session of the 51st Synod of the Diocese of Sydney The Most Reverend Doctor Glenn N Davies 14 October 2019 Members of Synod, sisters and brothers, saints of the Most High, welcome to the third and last ordinary session of the 51st Synod of the Diocese of Sydney. As we gather in the presence of God, I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land upon which we meet. In his wisdom and love, our heavenly Father gave this estate to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. Upon this land they met for generations until the coming of British settlers. As we continue to learn to live together on these ancestral lands, we acknowledge and pay our respects to their elders, past and present, and pray that God will unite us all in a knowledge of his Son, in whom all things were created, in heaven and on earth, whether visible or invisible—for all things have been created through him and for him. The Office of Bishop The apostolic letters to Timothy and Titus, which are often referred to as the Pastoral Epistles, have been a regular source of comfort and instruction to me as a minister of the gospel for nigh on 40 years, but more especially as a bishop in the church of God these past two decades. While Paul’s letters to his fellow workers, with their trustworthy sayings, clearly have application to all believers, they have particular application to those entrusted with the authorisation or ordination of the next 2 generation of pastors, teachers and evangelists. It is not accidental that we find the qualifications for appointing overseers (or elders) and deacons only in the Pastorals. Paul is coming to the end of his ministry, but knows that the apostolic mantle does not pass from one generation to another, in similar fashion to the transmission of the Spirit from Elijah to Elisha. For the apostles are limited in number, unique in their role, along with the New Testament prophets, in providing the foundation for members of the household of God, with Christ Jesus the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). There is no apostolic succession by way of a personal, authoritative inheritance in the New Testament. Rather the concept of apostolic succession properly applies only to the faithful transmission of apostolic doctrine. Paul therefore did not prepare Timothy and Titus to become apostles as his successors, but he did charge them ‘to entrust to reliable people who will be qualified to teach others’ (2 Timothy 2:2); ‘to teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine’ (Titus 2:1); to ‘preach the word, being prepared in season and out of season; [to] correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction’ (2 Timothy 4:2). As apostolic delegates, they were directed by Paul ‘to appoint elders in every town’ (Titus 1:5), as Paul and Barnabas had done in the Province of Galatia (Acts 14:23). Episcopal leadership, to a large extent, is a continuation of the roles of Timothy and Titus, servants of Christ to whom the responsibility of selecting and ordaining belongs, a specific application of passing on the gospel to the next generation. If there were a biblical precedent for Anglican episcopacy, it would be Timothy and Titus. While I am not of the view that the New Testament mandates a form of church polity beyond overseers and deacons (Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1-13), I do believe that episcopacy is a form of polity which is consistent with the teaching of the Bible. One of the difficulties in translating the New Testament office bearer, who has responsibility for 3 pastoring a congregation, is that both Luke and Paul use the terms episkopos and presbyteros interchangeably (Acts 20:17 & 28; Titus 1:5 & 7). Presbyteros is almost universally translated as ‘elder’, while episkopos is translated ‘bishop’ in the KJV and the RSV, whereas later versions, such as the NIV and ESV, prefer the translation ‘overseer’. No doubt, this choice was made to avoid confusion with the contemporary, ecclesiastical use of the word ‘bishop’, who is not the pastor of local congregation but one with oversight of a group of congregations. As Timothy and Titus appear to have a special portfolio of guarding the faith (1 Timothy 4:6: Titus 2:1), theirs was the responsibility of ensuring that those whom they selected and appointed as elders in the church of God were men of faith, godliness and ability, or as we express it for today’s ordinands, persons of conviction, character and competency. In the Ancient Church, the office of bishop developed as a reflection of the same responsibility that was given to Timothy and Titus. Anglican polity retained this ancient office of bishop as a means of guarding the faith, entrusted with the responsibility of ordaining, licensing and appointing ministers to serve the body of Christ. As guardians of the faith, bishops are charged to Be ready, with all faithful diligence, to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange doctrine contrary to God’s Word; and privately and openly to call upon and encourage others to do the same. [Ordinal, BCP] As the Doctrine Commission’s excellent report on ‘An Evangelical Episcopate’ expressed it: The first priority of the Archbishop of Sydney is to be a guardian of ‘the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints’ (Jude 3). This is true of all those who hold office as a bishop in the church of God. 4 Bishop of Bathurst It was therefore with great delight that I learned of the election of the Reverend Mark Calder to become the eleventh Bishop of Bathurst. I have every confidence that Mark, currently the Rector of Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, will exemplify the role of bishop as guardian of the faith. Synod will remember the decision that we made, by a very large majority last year, to provide financial assistance to the Diocese of Bathurst for 2019 and the next five years. This was a risk that the Synod took, not knowing who would lead the Diocese of Bathurst into the future. Many of us prayed fervently for the outcome of the election and I am sure we all thank God for his answer to our prayers. Mark Calder is an able servant of Christ, a faithful minister of God’s word and sacrament, who has demonstrated significant leadership in the parishes of Roseville and Noosa, ably supported by his wife, Susan. Both parishes experienced significant growth under Mark’s leadership, and his participation in the Brisbane Synod has won him wide respect. He has demonstrated his ability to work among ministers of different churchmanship, while being a firm advocate for the reformational truths of Anglican theology. He will be an asset to the Diocese of Bathurst and to our Province. Mark will be consecrated in our Cathedral Church of St Andrew on Thursday, 21st November and installed in All Saints Cathedral, Bathurst on Saturday, 23rd November. We pray for him and Susan as they commence this new ministry in Central and Western New South Wales. A New Bishop for New Zealand Regrettably, not all who are elected bishop are capable of being guardians of the faith. As Anglicans, we recognise both the merits and the risks of electing bishops to exercise oversight of the church of God. What happens when bishops fail to act as 5 guardians of the faith? This is not a new problem. In the sixth century BC Ezekiel prophesied against the shepherds of Israel conveying a stinging rebuke from God. I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my sheep. I will remove them from tending my flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them. (Ezekiel 34:10) Similarly, the apostle Paul warned the Ephesians elders in his farewell speech in Miletus ― Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers (episkopoi). Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. (Acts 20:28-30) Bishops must be held accountable for their guardianship of the faith. We have seen too many around the world over recent years succumb to the false values of the world with a revisionist agenda to reinterpret Scripture to their own destruction, and the detriment of the flock of God. By way of contrast, I am therefore delighted to have Bishop-elect Jay Behan of Christchurch, New Zealand with us this afternoon. He, like Mark Calder, will be a guardian of the faith. I am also grateful for the Dean’s motion, now passed by the Synod, which effectively endorsed Jay’s election as the first Bishop of the Church of Confessing Anglicans of Aotearoa New Zealand. We heard this afternoon of the sorry tale of the departure of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia 6 from the teaching of Scripture, when their General Synod passed legislation last year, authorising bishops to allow the blessing of same-sex unions in their dioceses. If one knows the recent history of the Anglican Church across the Tasman, then this outcome was no great surprise. For years the province has not only tolerated, but also affirmed, senior clergy living in same-sex unions or marriages.