GENERAL SECRETARY REPORT - Proposal The Synod note the General Secretary Report - NSW/ACT Synod
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GENERAL SECRETARY
REPORT
Proposal
The Synod note the General Secretary Report.
Synod Standing Committee Report 1 - 2021 P a g e |1
Introduction There’s an oft-quoted line from a Crocodile Dundee film along the lines of ‘That’s not a knife – THIS is a knife!’ accompanied by an enthusiastic demonstration of the utensil in question. It’s a phrase that’s been on my mind as I’ve pondered the global crisis of COVID 19 in light of the resurrection. I have an image of God saying of COVID ‘That’s not a crisis’, pointing to the resurrection and saying, ‘THIS is a crisis!’ I suggest that not in any way to diminish the catastrophic and ongoing impact of the COVID microbe all over the planet - it has simply turned all our worlds upside down and there is, so far, no lasting ‘normal’ anywhere in sight. However, it still seems to me that both the world and the church have been trying to come to terms with the crisis of resurrection ever since that miraculous event occurred two thousand odd years ago and we can still only claim to be ‘works in process’. I’m also reminded of Julia Esquival’s provocative poem, ‘They Have Threatened Us with Resurrection’ (link: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/41552) born out of a different crisis but surely resonant for our time. Baptised and gathered into a fellowship of reconciliation, God will not let us go until God’s work is done and living hopefully, acting faithfully is both the privilege and the challenge for disciples and for the church. However, 2020 took its toll – many are exhausted, many are uncertain and many are afraid of what the future might hold. I’m deeply grateful for everyone across the whole church – in congregations, presbyteries, community services and the Synod – who contributed hope and energy to helping the community to navigate the COVID crisis. Far too many to mention by name but collectively a profound witness to the resurrection hope that is in us. This report will provide updates on matters not covered elsewhere in the Synod 2021 agenda. Some of these matters will continue to be considered by the current SSC throughout the period of the Synod 2021 meeting. Synod 2019, among other things, committed the whole church (Synod, Presbyteries and congregations) to ‘prioritise, promote and enable growth in discipleship, in relationship, in number and in impact’, with a requirement that a progress report be provided to Synod 2021. This report will also outline some of that progress and highlight agenda items that relate to the ongoing work of prioritising, promoting and enabling growth across the Synod. Synod 2021 will also receive several other updates and reports on initiatives that were kicked off by Synod 2019. However, it will also come as no surprise to members of Synod to learn that the experience of COVID 19 over the course of 2020 (and continuing in 2021) has significantly inhibited progress in several areas. COVID 19 COVID 19 forced the church to rapidly re-organise all its operations in order to keep people safe, to comply with government health directives and to contribute to the national effort to prevent the spread of the virus. This had an impact across the whole church and all its entities and institutions, an impact that was experienced particularly acutely in those services providing care for vulnerable people, chiefly Uniting aged care services and the Parish Missions. Uniting, as a large aged care provider, faced extreme and continual challenges as they mobilised to keep residents, clients and staff safe. I’m deeply grateful to the Board, the Executive and all the staff of Uniting for their unstinting dedication and determination to provide safe, compassionate care for everyone. Similarly, the Parish Missions (large and small) found themselves at the forefront of the avalanche of need unleashed as people lost work or found themselves stranded in Australia with no visible means of support. All food services had to change their operations to ensure safety to respond for the increased demand for their services. General Secretary Report - 2021 P a g e |2
As the reality of the impending pandemic became clearer, the Synod Standing Committee appointed a COVID Response Working Group to guide the Synod office in supporting the church through these circumstances. The members were: − General Secretary − Moderator − Chief Operating Officer, Albert Olley − Executive Director UME, Glen Powell − UME chairperson, Michael Anderson − UME board member, David Scott − Executive Director Uniting, Tracey Burton − Deputy Executive Director Uniting, Doug Taylor − Executive Director UFS, Warren Bird − Synod Audit and Risk Oversight Committee chairperson, Scott Stanton − Synod Governance Oversight Committee chairperson, Allan Gibson One of the first initiatives was to provide prompt access to Zoom technology which enabled churches large and small to continue to gather for worship and fellowship and enabled the work of the Synod and presbyteries to continue. The speed with which the whole church adapted to the use of new technology was extraordinary. In the uncertainty surrounding the likely course of the pandemic, the decision was also made to take Synod 2021 online which presented a whole new set of ‘learning opportunities’ for the Synod Business Committee and the Synod office. The COVID-19 Response Working Group was formally discharged by the SSC on 5 March 2021 following a ‘lessons learned from COVID’ review. Key learnings included: − the need to prioritise the wellbeing of staff, congregations, and the wider community − the need to embrace new ways of working, especially technology − the need for agile decision-making − the need to have clear, whole-of-church, communication lines − the need to care about the whole Church through resource sharing − the need to maintain an alert risk awareness There were many unexpected blessings over the course of 2020. What began as a weekly Zoom meeting to enable the Synod Leadership Team, presbyteries and Synod staff to deal collectively with the emerging crisis became, in time, a more substantial conversation about the future of the church. Similarly, a fortnightly COVID response meeting with parish mission leaders moved into a deeper conversation about the parish mission model of ministry and what it might have to offer as the church continues to connect with and respond to human need and the challenges of the times. While these meetings (and many others) arose in response to an unexpected event, relationships across the church were strengthened and conversations about the future emerged, leaving all church leaders pondering deeper questions: what does growth in discipleship, relationship, number and impact encompass for the church in times of disruption and challenge? How should the church organise itself to be able to respond to those challenges? The Synod Leadership Team The Synod Leadership Team (SLT) was originally created as a reference group for the Acting General Secretary in 2016. It was an expansion of the regular meeting between the General Secretary and the Executive Directors. To date the SLT has not only been a valuable reference group for the General Secretary but has also played a significant role in building alignment and collaboration across all the Synod Ministry Areas and more broadly with presbyteries. General Secretary Report - 2021 P a g e |3
Currently the membership of the SLT consists of:
− General Secretary
− Associate Secretary, Rev. Bronwyn Murphy
− Chief Operating Officer, Albert Olley
− Executive Director UME, Glen Powell
− Executive Director UFS, Warren Bird
− Executive Director Uniting, Tracey Burton
− Deputy Executive Director Uniting, Doug Taylor
− UTC Principal, Rev. Dr Peter Walker
− Director of Mission Schools, Rev. Stuart Bollom
− Moderator
The SLT meets fortnightly. The SLT has a commitment to working collaboratively with a ‘whole-of-church’
perspective, modelling a connected and engaged Synod team supporting the wider church and, as necessary, acting
in an advisory capacity for the Synod Standing Committee.
Since the last Synod, the SLT has been actively involved in two major collaborations:
1. The Synod Culture and Values Program was launched late in 2019. It was born out of a desire to align all
the Synod office around a common purpose and a shared set of values and to break down the inevitable
siloes that arise in complex organisations over time. The starting point was a recognition that change is the
‘new normal’ and that all organisations are having to be a lot more agile and responsive to changing
circumstances. Over the last few years there have been several changes in Synod office structure and
process – these represent only one (possibly the most visible) aspect of a change process. The success of all
change initiatives ultimately depends on the collective commitment of everyone involved. The objectives of
the Synod Culture and Values program are to:
− Develop an organisational culture in line with the vision and mission of the UCA and the strategic
directions of the Synod; and
− Define and agree the values and behaviours which will underpin Synod office culture and inform
recruitment and performance development processes
It involved realigning and integrating existing cultures and improving the support experience for everyone
accessing Synod services. As with so many programs, the Culture and Values program also had to adapt to
an online environment. All Synod staff participated, including staff from UME, UFS and Uniting. Although the
program has not yet formally concluded, the process has resulted in a statement of purpose for the Synod
office: Serving the church to make a Jesus-shaped difference in the world based on the values of Compassion,
Respect, Integrity and Collaboration.
General Secretary Report - 2021 P a g e |4This is the result of the combined efforts of Synod staff, few of whom are members of the UCA, some of
whom belong to other denominations while others belong to different faiths or none, all of whom
collectively discerned and agreed to the statement of purpose and values. While the SLT provided oversight
and guidance to the program and participated in the process, it was the office equivalent of a ‘grass roots’
decision. I’m very heartened and still a bit surprised by the outcome.
2. The development of Future Directions for the People of God on the Way which will be presented to Synod
2021 for discernment and decision. The SLT and the SSC have been integrally involved in the development
of this proposal and have participated together and separately in a number of workshops and discussions
on the way to the finalisation of the Synod proposal and the associated Future Directions: Synod Resource
Framework that will be presented at a later session.
Relationships
UAICC
The review of the NSW Regional Committee by National Congress resulted in the disbanding of the committee and
its replacement by a Task Group incorporating leaders from the NSW Congress ministry centres (Wellington,
Condobolin and Broken Hill) and members of the Congress National Executive. The Synod has worked closely with
the Task Group to provide ongoing support to the ministry centres in partnership with Macquarie Darling
Presbytery. To assist with this work, Nathan Tyson (NSW Aboriginal person - Anaiwon/Gomeroi), was seconded
from Uniting’s Aboriginal Strategy and Engagement Group to work with the General Secretary and the NSW Task
Group to support, resource and strengthen the Congress ministry and to reinvigorate the Synod’s commitment to
First People and to the UCA Covenant with the UAICC. This has resulted in the development of a Synod Walking
Together Action Plan (see separate paper) which will be presented for discernment and decision at Synod 2021.
General Secretary Report - 2021 P a g e |5Presbytery Health
There has been a growing awareness within the SSC and, increasingly, across the Synod that the capacity of
presbyteries to fulfil the responsibilities given to them by the Constitution, Basis of Union, and Regulations has been
in freefall for some time. This decline has been exacerbated over the last twelve months and it is likely that the
consequences of the pandemic will continue to have an impact for the foreseeable future.
There were 14 presbyteries in the Synod in 1977. There are currently 13 presbyteries, including the non-geographic
Korean Presbytery. Until 2013 presbyteries in NSWACT were supported by an annual Presbytery Resource Grant
(PRG). All presbyteries were impacted when the PRG was discontinued (2013 – 24/13SC).
While not the only challenge faced by rural and coastal presbyteries, the loss of the PRG’s had a much greater
impact in the non-metropolitan presbyteries.
There has been a concerted effort over the last five years to foster supportive and collaborative relationships with
presbyteries (individually and collectively). This started with a workshop process in 2016 that led to the
development of the regular Conversations That Matter held from 2017 to 2019. In 2020, the relationships that had
been built and strengthened over that period were consolidated through the collaborative response of Synod and
presbytery leaders to guiding the church through the COVID drama. Conversations that Matter, for the purposes of
COVID 19, became the Presbytery Leaders’ Forum.
The Synod office has also worked actively with several presbyteries experiencing a variety of challenges and several
reviews have been presented to the SSC. These include:
− Riverina Review (2015)
− Korean Presbytery Review (presented at Synod 2017). The Synod office has worked very closely with the
Korean Presbytery to respond to the recommendations of the Korean Presbytery Review report. This work is
ongoing.
− Far North Coast Review (November 2019) and development of the FNC Blueprint
Every single report and resultant minute has recognised and affirmed the significance of the presbytery
responsibility in tending the faith and unity, health and vitality – growth – of the church.
Realistically, I expect that there will be additional requests for Synod review or intervention in the near future.
The Synod has specific responsibilities in relation to Presbyteries including:
Reg. 3.4.6(b) / 3.4.7(c) The Synod shall determine the basic requirements that must be met for the establishment
or continuance of a Presbytery;
I have been unable to establish whether this work has ever been done in this Synod. The second report of the
Assembly Task Group on Church Structures: Roles, Relationships and Resourcing of Church Councils (1996) notes:
…It is recognised that a uniform size of presbyteries is neither possible nor desirable given the diversity of the
context for mission in Australia, but it is proposed that the UCA move towards recognising, as a rule of thumb,
that for a presbytery to be able to faithfully and adequately fulfil its core functions, there should be a minimum
of, say, 20 placements (formerly settlements) and / or a regular worshipping attendance of approximately, say,
4,000 persons within the area…
I note that this suggestion did not appear in the recommendations that derived from this report following
consultation with the other Councils of the church. The presbytery situation in NSWACT is currently as follows:
General Secretary Report - 2021 P a g e |6STATE OF PRESBYTERIES NSWACT 2021
Population Served (x1000) Attendees (Congregational Ministry Placements
ABS 2016 Census 2019)
Parramatta Nepean 2160 3398 29
Sydney Central Coast 1050 3503 38
Sydney 972 4561* 29
Georges River 849 1265 16
The Hunter 653 1592 12
Canberra Region 649 1610 21
Illawarra 466 1261 14
Macquarie Darling 330 1241 4
Mid North Coast 311 891 6
Riverina 281 883 5
Far North Coast 273 742 4
New England North West 187 649 4
Korean 61** 1792 14
Total 8181 23388
* includes Tonga Parish, Fiji Parish and Wesley Mission
** Korean population of NSW and ACT in 2016 Census
NB. This picture does not include supply positions or those in Synod or Assembly placements. Using the Assembly
recommendation from 1996 as a yardstick, only one presbytery in this Synod would meet the criteria. However, it’s
clear that times have changed, and new criteria will need to be developed to assist the church to organise itself to
respond to new circumstances.
There have been several unsuccessful attempts in this Synod to consider the presbytery landscape from a whole-
of- church perspective:
− 2011: Leadership and Oversight – The Role and Structure of Presbyteries for the Next Decade
− 2013: The Shape of Presbyteries into the Future
− 2015: Supporting the Role of Presbyteries
Note that the development of the FNC Blueprint which was developed to respond to the emerging situation in the
Far North Coast Presbytery is sufficiently adaptable to provide a short-term holding pattern for presbyteries
experiencing difficulties bearing in mind that the capacity of the Synod budget to absorb the associated costs for
the long term is limited. This is not a permanent solution.
As part of the Synod’s response to the Focus on Growth resolution, and in recognition of the current presbytery
landscape intensified by the pandemic experience, the SSC has begun to consider the following questions:
− What is the optimal presbytery configuration to ‘support and enable the mission of the Church’ and to
prioritise, promote and enable growth?
− how can Synod ensure that all presbyteries are …equipped with or have access to the human and financial
resources required to fulfil the Presbytery’s diverse pastoral, missional and administrative functions…?
I am very keen to work with the SSC and with presbyteries - both individually and through the Presbytery Leaders
Forum - to create and resource a Presbytery framework that can provide effective pastoral oversight and support
to congregations, parish missions and faith communities into the future.
Schools
In December 2016 the schools asked the Synod to consider ‘The Case for Incorporation’ to enable the schools to
address the governance shortcomings identified by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child
Sexual Abuse.
General Secretary Report - 2021 P a g e |7The particular schools involved were:
− Kinross Wolaroi
− Knox Grammar
− PLC
− MLC
− Ravenswood
Note that Newington College and Margaret Jurd College were already incorporated entities. The project was
formally initiated in 2018 and the School Council Chairs and Synod team agreed to adopt a relational approach to
achieving a model for incorporation that is acceptable to the church and the combined schools. The schools were
introduced to the Synod Mission Strategy and recognised that they had a key role to play in developing healthy
communities and vital leaders grounded in the ethos, culture and values of the Uniting Church. At the same time,
both the schools and the Synod acknowledged that intentional communication strategies had been inadequate
over a long period of time.
In the Relationship Agreement that was developed as the foundation for moving to incorporation the schools
provided the following articulation of their role in the Mission and Ministry of the church:
− In common with all parts of the Uniting Church, the schools are to look for a continuing renewal in which God
will use their common worship, witness and service to set forth the word of salvation for all people. The
schools are called to be a fellowship of reconciliation, a body within which the diverse gifts of its members
are used for the building up of the whole, an instrument through which Christ may work and bear witness to
himself.
− In particular, the Uniting Church schools have a unique opportunity, privilege and responsibility to holistically
educate the next generation of our society to instil in our students the knowledge, integrity, compassion and
wisdom to be agents of positive change in a broken world, helping to bring into reality the God’s vision of
justice for all.
Key Principles
− Those who bear accountability for the activities of the school must have:
• Full access to information regarding the activities of the school;
• Full authority to make decisions in the best interests of the school; and
• The knowledge, experience, capability and resources to properly discharge their duties.
− The schools and church wish to work in partnership in this important ministry. There is interdependence
between the church and schools that must be respected by both parties, as should the different skills and
perspective each brings;
− Both the schools and the church recognise that their reputations and operations may be affected by the
operations of the other.
A key resource for the success of the Relationship Agreement has been the creation of a Director of Mission –
School’s position and the appointment of Rev. Stuart Bollom to that role.
Although the incorporation process has been protracted, I believe that the time spent developing relationships and
understanding the different environments has been invaluable and that a much more active and involved
relationship between the Synod and its schools has been established.
General Secretary Report - 2021 P a g e |8National Redress Scheme
The Synod is also a member of and financially contributes to the nationally constituted body Uniting Church in
Australia Redress Limited (UCARL). This is the body set up to deal with claims against the church arising through
the National Redress Scheme. A report on the work of UCARL and the statistics in relation to claims against
NSWACT will be presented with the more detailed Synod operational report at a later session.
All parts of the church should recognise that the National Redress Scheme will operate for at least the next 10
years and continue to have a significant impact on the church’s resources.
Risk Management Framework
In September 2020 the SSC approved (88/20SC) a Synod wide Risk Management Framework to help the church
monitor whether it is maintaining a safe and sustainable environment for mission. The framework articulates how
we will work collaboratively across entities to protect the interests of the church, people, resources and mission.
Over the past six months, the Synod Office has been working to implement the new Synod Risk Management
Framework. The focus is on providing assistance to entities to identify and mitigate risks, including those instances
where the risks of one entity may affect another.
Identified key risks are areas that will be actively monitored, managed and reported through the Synod Audit and
Risk Oversight Committee to the SSC and the Synod. The key risks for the church currently identified in the Synod
Risk Register are as follows.
Synod Risk Register
The following excerpt from the Synod Risk Register reflects the key strategic risks being managed by the Synod.
Each have a range of control measures in place and are being actively managed and reviewed, in collaboration with
the Synod Audit and Risk Oversight Committee.
Table 1: Top Synod Risks
Risk Risk Description
Rating
1 Synod Insurance Fund Extreme The sustainability of the Synod Insurance Fund could compromise
sustainability Synod viability. The surplus in the Insurance Fund has decreased
over time. In addition, insurance market conditions are hardening,
making insurance more expensive to purchase, and reducing
policy limits and scope of cover. The impact of sexual misconduct
(SMC) claims also places pressure on the fund.
Further control measures are being developed, and the risk level
is trending down.
General Secretary Report - 2021 P a g e |92 Church long-term Extreme The church may fail in its mission due to the impact of lower
sustainability congregation numbers, smaller numbers of congregations and
ageing congregations. This can be compounded by a 'survival
mentality' swaying the culture of the church. This could mean
opportunities for the good of the wider Synod may be missed,
especially if an overly protective risk appetite develops, or
territorialism develops.
Continuation of these trends reduces the potential outreach of the
church, and our ability to provide services to the vulnerable at
current levels. Smaller or weaker congregations also have a
compromised financial sustainability, and cumulatively, this could
impact on the sustainability of the Synod as a whole.
Smaller congregations may have a lower capacity to meet
governance and regulatory requirements. This may lead to
compliance breaches and personal liability for church council
members.
3 The Safe Church Major The Safe Church framework aims to create a safe environment in
Framework and our congregations, entities and services and appropriately
system effectiveness respond to risks of harm. It includes measures to create safe
spaces and have people behaving protectively, especially towards
children and vulnerable adults.
Failure to be a safe church gives rise to physical, psychological and
spiritual harm, including an inadequate response to protect and
support people experiencing harm which arises outside the
church.
The Synod’s Child Protection Framework could be found to have
shortcomings as a result of inconsistency across Synod entities, the
way the National Redress Scheme is implemented or the Synod’s
response to allegations. This may include a failure to adequately
respond to the Royal Commission and other legislative change.
4 Synod liability for an Major The Synod has in place a range of mitigations against liability, to
uninsured event or support the Synod Insurance Fund.
litigation
However, the Synod can still be exposed to significant loss which
fits outside our insured liability, such as:
− Losses which are not underwritten because cover is not offered
by other insurers for the nature of the claim
− Losses by an entity where both the Synod Insurance Fund and
external underwriters decline liability. The costs may be
substantial and compromise the sustainability of an entity
− Legal fees associated with litigation may not be covered, or the
litigation itself may bring about reputational damage, or
detract from the Synod's relationship with an entity.
5 Synod response to Major The Synod may fail to implement or report on recommendations
Royal Commission of a Royal Commission. This may lead to compliance failures,
findings inadequate systems, and serious reputational risk.
General Secretary Report - 2021 P a g e | 106 Presbytery Major Presbyteries perform essential functions to support the life and
governance and witness of the congregations in their care. The Synod is operating
viability in an increasingly regulated environment which increases the
workload of Presbytery and complexity for leaders.
The presbyteries rely on volunteers to perform high-level
functions and some demanding roles. The volunteer base is
contracting, so vacancies may become harder to fill.
Financial pressures on congregations can also flow to presbyteries,
and declining congregations may have a significant impact on
presbytery function. As Presbyteries are influential to the life and
witness of their congregations, factors which affect the
governance functions of the presbytery can in turn further
undermine the health of congregations.
7 Synod contract Major Contract management systems need to be established and/or
management sufficiently overseen, to avoid a Synod Body entering a contract
that won’t be fulfilled such as through over-reach of the entity, or
due to reasons outside the entity.
This may have implications for compliance with government
funding, DGR status or the ability for other entities to enter into
government contracts. The Synod may also fail to take advantage
of its buying power and the associated opportunity cost.
8 Financial sustainability Major Failure to put adequate financial sustainability reporting systems
of entities: oversight in place to allow identification and assessment of financial risk.
and support This may mean a Synod Body fails, causing operational or missional
failure, or a systemic issue is not adequately addressed.
9 Capital works program Major Over-extension of the capital works program could compromise
scope Synod viability or affect the charitable status of the Synod. Having
several capital works programs across the Synod could exceed the
Synod's financial capacity if an assessment of the cumulative
impact of concurrent developments isn't made, or the impact of a
failed development is not adequately taken into account.
Insufficient capital works could also compromise the church's
outreach and mission. However, commercial property
development could reach a level where the Synod is not
recognised as having charitable status. The resultant tax and
deductibility implications would have significant financial impact
and cause potential compliance failures.
General Secretary Report - 2021 P a g e | 1110 Synod systems and Major If IT systems are not adequately implemented and maintained to
programs to manage guard against, detect and manage cyber threats, systems may not
cyber-security prevent security breaches from occurring, or minimise the extent
of damage through containment of an attack or breach. As a result
of Covid19, the dispersed nature of the workplace increases
vulnerability to cyber threats. At any time, user error, particularly
in Presbyteries and congregations could lead to compromise.
This could result in serious data breaches, loss of data,
compromise of needed systems and associated financial and
reputational losses.
Synod Operations
Please note that a detailed Synod operational report will be available for the August session of Synod 2021.
Contact for report questions.
If you have any questions for clarification or would like further information on any of the matters raised in this
report, please contact the General Secretary prior to the first session of Synod 2021.
Name: Rev. Jane Fry
Position: General Secretary
Email: janef@nswact.uca.org.au
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