Living Mission: Synod 2024

Our recent annual Diocesan Synod was such an encouraging experience. The theme for our Synod was “Called to Go” and focused on the outward movement of the church into the world. As the missiologist Rolland Allen wrote, “The Holy Spirit is a missionary Spirit relentlessly driving the church outward to witness.”

Enjoy listening to and viewing the recordings from Synod, including the pre-Synod event, preachers, break-out sessions and reports. All of the documentation is available online, as well as photos from Synod. 

In Acts 1: 8-9, Jesus said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be my witnesses, in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus calls us to be his witnesses wherever he puts us and to whomever he sends us.  One such witness, and a personal hero in the faith to me, was Charles Simeon. Simeon was a British Anglican evangelical pastor who lived in Cambridge England in the early 19th century.

Synod is more than just “business.” It’s a joy-filled opportunity to gather as a diocese for worship, fellowship and spiritual growth. Come and be re-energized and refreshed by the worship, Bible teaching, testimonies and breakout sessions on topics central to our churches’ ministries and mission. In addition, many ministries are on hand in the exhibit area, offering us a wide range of resources.

What if Jesus meant that we should love our actual neighbors? This is a question posed in the book “The Art of Neighboring” and it’s a question that every Christian needs to wrestle with.

'The New Testament assumes that people outside of Christ and apart from God are lost and need a Savior. Jesus told vivid stories in Luke 15 about a coin, a sheep, and two sons. All were lost and all were sought. In those stories, to be lost is more about “awayness” than “badness.” The coin was away from the purse, the sheep from the sheepfold, and the sons from the father’s house.

You are likely familiar with Archbishop William Temple’s famous words, “The Church is the only institution that exists primarily for the benefit of those who are not its members.” We plastered that quote on our church website in Philadelphia. It inspires, it calls, and it convicts us to chew on what it means – practically. Honestly, 17 years later I wonder if we ever really plumbed the depths of that powerful assertion. It still feels far more aspirational than anything we ever realized.

Is evangelism a thing of the past?

That was the title of an article I read some time ago in Relevant Magazine. The article stated that according to a Barna study, 83 percent of American churchgoers aren’t clear about the Great Commission. Of those, roughly half indicated they had no idea what it is, while the others said they’d heard of the Great Commission but weren't sure of its exact meaning. The article also said that this lack of knowledge about the Great Commission increases among younger generations.

Our Synod is more than just a “business” meeting. It’s a joy-filled opportunity to gather as a diocese for worship, fellowship and spiritual growth. Come and be re-energized and refreshed by the worship, Bible teaching, testimonies and breakout sessions on topics central to our churches’ ministries and mission. In addition, many mission agencies are on hand in the exhibit area, offering us a wide range of resources.

I am delighted to report that today the College of Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America, meeting this week in Melbourne, Florida, voted to consent to the election of the Rev. Chris Warner to be the second Bishop of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic.

Our recent annual Diocesan Synod was such an encouraging experience.

Synod is a joy-filled opportunity to gather as a diocese for worship, fellowship and spiritual growth. Come and be re-energized and refreshed by the worship, Bible teaching, testimonies and breakout sessions on topics central to our churches’ ministries and mission. Enjoy Friday night worship and Eucharist via livestream.

Ministry in a Secular Age: Practices for Faith Formation and Evangelism with Robert Cunningham and April Murrie

We have so much to be thankful for as a Diocese. I hope you’ll join in praising God for his provision, and for his goodness and grace in blessing us to be part of such a Church. To God be the glory!

The Synod is the legislative body of the diocese, but Synod is more than just “business.” It’s a joy-filled opportunity to gather as a diocese for worship and fellowship and spiritual growth.

Will you please pray for the upcoming annual Synod? Please pray as you are led or use the prayers below from the Book of Common Prayer for guidance.

In-person attendance at the Saturday business session is for delegates and clergy only. You are invited to watch virtually the annual Synod, both the Eucharist at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 19 and the business meeting on Sat., Nov. 20 from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Like yours, my story is complicated, and my understanding of God and his grace is equally tangled. The gap between what I know to say and teach about the graciousness of God and my experience of him as a God of grace is sometimes painfully wide.

The Saturday business session of the 2021 DOMA Synod will be in-person attendance for clergy and lay delegates only, with others viewing the Synod livestream online. Non-delegates are welcome to attend in person the Pre-Synod Workshop on Friday afternoon and the Eucharist service that evening. Registration is required for the Pre-Synod Workshop, but not for the Eucharist service.