On the first full business day for General Synod 2010, members received an update on the work of Vision 2019, a new strategic plan before the church that “invites the Holy Spirit to shape the life of [the] church more and more deeply in paths of discipleship and mission.”
At the foundation of Vision 2019, which encompasses three years of listening, prayer, consultation, writing, and waiting on God’s Spirit, are the Five Marks of Mission, which are used widely around the Anglican Communion and were developed by the Anglican Consultative Council in 1984 and affirmed at the Lambeth Conferences in 1988 and 1998.
As part of the Vision 2019 presentation, five individuals from across the church shared stories of faith and ministry based on the Five Marks of Mission, which are: to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom; to teach, baptize and nurture new believers; to respond to human need by loving service; to seek to transform unjust structures in society; and to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth.
The Rev. Lisa Vaughn, a priest at the Anglican Parish of Hatchet Lake and Terence Bay in Nova Scotia, spoke to how her congregation has tried to live out the call from the third Mark of Mission to respond to human need by loving service. “People don’t care what you know till they know that you care,” said Vaughn. The congregation has gradually focused on making their church a welcoming place with ministry programs reaching out to those in need.
ACC Primate Fred Hiltz summarized the call to Vision 2019 saying it, “reflects the Marks of Mission in ways that say to the world who we are and what we are about.”
“Vision 2010 has potential for providing renewal in the National Church, dioceses, parishes and in personal life,” said Hiltz who noted that the basis of the strategy, the Marks of Mission, have already begun to inform strategic plans in various expressions of the church.
A resolution to adopt Vision 2019 will be presented to General Synod on Wednesday morning. Further opportunities for members of General Synod to discuss the strategy are on the agenda prior to the vote.
Over 350 delegates and special guests have come from coast to coast to coast across Canada for this nine-day event, which takes place each triennium. Further details and highlights are available online atwww.anglican.ca.
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