National body approves ‘Pathways’ document—and allocation of up to $2 million to implement it
London, Ont.
General Synod has voted to pursue the six pathways for change recommended by a primatial commission over the next triennium—and to allocate up to $2 million of unrestricted funds from General Synod’s Consolidated Trust Fund (CTF) to do that work. Both resolutions passed with overwhelming majorities.
Addressing General Synod before the votes June 27, Sister Elizabeth Ann Eckert of the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine expressed her support for the pathways in stark terms. “If you say no to this, you’ll die. If you say yes to this and then do nothing, you will die,” she said. “You must say yes and do the work.”
The pathways are the product of a national consultation process undertaken by the primate’s commission on the changes needed to streamline church structures so that the church can adapt to 21st-century trends including diminished attendance and harsh financial realities. In its report, the commission lays out recommendations that General Synod reconsider its organizational structure, its staffing needs, the diversity of representation in its decision-making bodies, its communications strategy (including the print publication and journalistic mandate of the Anglican Journal) and its partnerships with the Indigenous church and the Council of the North. Among its stated goals is to look for ways to drastically reduce the size of the church’s “top-heavy” governance structure and the resources it takes to maintain them.
The first of two resolutions passed on the commission’s recommendations urges the next primate of the Anglican Church of Canada and the officers of General Synod to pursue the pathways and to report back to the members of General Synod at least once a year on the steps they have taken. The resolution says they are to present a cumulative report on all the work done in the triennium to General Synod 2028.
Archbishop Anne Germond, acting primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, was the resolution’s primary mover. Introducing it, she spoke of what she had heard about the pathways from others at General Synod. “There is hope that this doesn’t just become a bureaucratic process in which we end up with just another report. We need to act now. There is hope for tangible, concrete, proactive actions,” she said.
“This is not naive hope. This is not easy hope. It is difficult hope, but it is hope that in time diocese and parishes will feel enabled to proclaim the gospel in their context. Burdensome governance structures will become nimble, freeing people to participate more fully in the life of the church. Transforming these structures is necessary to empower and support parishes in proclaiming and living the gospel.”
Each of the members of General Synod who came to the microphones to comment on the pathways spoke in favour of the motion to adopt them as a map for policy. Some did raise additional concerns they hoped would be addressed as work proceeded, however. Hannah Wygiera, member for the diocese of Calgary, noted that the commission that created the pathways did not include any youth.
“We often hear that youth are the future of the church. They’re not. They’re present in the church today,” she said, urging the primate and the officers of General Synod to ensure youth were active participants in pursuing the pathways.
Helen Love, lay member for the diocese of Islands and Inlets, said she was a project and change manager in her career, working on large-scale transformational changes to organizations. “Unequivocally I support doing this. I could not support this more. This is going to be hard work. This is going to be painful,” she said. “But if we’re going to stop the fall of our parishes, if we are going to stop them dying on the vine, we have to do this.”
That said, she added, it will likely cost even more than the church currently expected. “It always costs more and that’s painful, but it will hurt a lot more for a lot longer if we are not brave today.”
The resolution passed 199 to 14.
Having decided to embark on the pathways, General Synod went on to discuss how much it was willing to spend to do so. Significant resources would be required, said Canon (lay) Ian Alexander, prolocutor of General Synod, who introduced the motion to allocate $2 million for the work. That money would be necessary to fund things like the constitutional convention the commission recommends for Anglicans to create and propose a new organizational structure as well as to various analysis projects, he said. These would require staff resources, he said, adding there is “absolutely no spare capacity at Church House” to add that work onto the responsibilities of existing staff. As a result, the church may need to hire additional staff or outside experts on a temporary basis, he said. Since it is unlikely that the church could afford that out of its normal budget, he said, it was appropriate to draw one-time funds for it.
The resolution arrived on the floor with an amendment brought by Bishop Andrew Asbil of the diocese of Toronto and Jane Hope, lay member from the diocese of New Westminster and member of the financial management committee. It specified that the funds drawn should be up to $2 million dollars; that this sum be determined through the budgeting process of Council of General Synod (CoGS); and that “any such allocation is to only happen consistent with principles of good financial stewardship.”
Given the financial reports delivered earlier in the week, Asbil said, it was clear the church’s financial work was complicated. He said the amendment was intended to commend the work to CoGS such that it could make appropriate financial decisions as need and emerging information dictated.
The reports presented June 25 specified that General Synod had about $15 million in unrestricted funds available to spend from the CTF, not—as reported to CoGS in March by treasurer Amal Attia—$ 24 million. The reason for this is that much of the $24 million of non-endowed funds, Chancellor Canon (lay) Clare Burns told General Synod, is “internally designated,” earmarked for other uses. Also on June 25 came the surprise announcement of an investigation into a lease for a new national office shared with the United Church of Canada and the Presbyterian Church of Canada which is projected to cost General Synod up to $9 million over 5 years—a lease signed by Attia and Archdeacon Alan Perry, general secretary of General Synod, without having been brought before either CoGS or General Synod’s financial management committee for approval.
Hope explained she and the financial management committee had voted in favour of the unamended resolution before they were aware of the lease.
“Obviously we have some governance issues that such a lease could be signed without the Financial Management Committee knowing, [which] point to the need for the work of pathways and restructuring … But yes, I’m in favour of this motion. I think the money can be found,” said Hope.
Bishop Jared Osborn of the diocese of the Arctic spoke against the motion. He supported the pathways, he said, but thought the resolution was allocating too much money, likely to be spent on staff and outside consultants, to their implementation. “I believe that a lot of the work in the pathways could be accomplished with good leadership from our primate and general secretary,” he said. “The use of these funds and the Consolidated Trust Fund not only takes away the funding that we have now, but also reduces our income for the future.”
Immediately after Osborn, Bishop Shane Parker of the diocese of Ottawa —and, as of June 26, primate-elect of the Anglican Church of Canada—asked General Synod to approve the resolution.
“The Synod has called me to serve as your primate. I have relinquished and will continue to relinquish a lot. To do that please equip me to do what you’ve called me to do. To not be stranded with no resources,” he said.
Another member, Zach Groves, lay member from the diocese of New Westminster, later asked if $2 million was enough.
The resolution passed with a vote of 199 to 14.
The church’s governing body is meeting in London, Ont. June 23 to 29.
This story has been corrected to reflect that Hannah Wygiera is no longer a youth member and to replace references to “discretionary fund” with “unrestricted funds.”
