The 10th General Synod of HKSKH was successfully held between 21 and 23 June at St Andrew’s Church. Lasting three sessions, the Synod saw elections held, motions debated, and a lengthy discussion during adjournment on the Provincial Nurture Blueprint. The theme of the Synod was ‘Perfecting the saints, for the work of the ministry’, taken from Ephesians 4:12, ‘For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.’
The Synod opened on 21 June with an opening Eucharist at the Old Church of St Andrew’s. Our Primate, the Most Revd Andrew Chan, celebrated and preached. After the service, members of the Synod convened at the Life Centre Auditorium. The chair of the Synod, Archbishop Andrew, announced the formal beginning of the proceedings, and appointed the parliamentarian, session chairman, Chinese and English recording secretaries, scrutineer, and tellers. After the credentials of the Synod members were duly presented, office-bearers of the General Synod were elected. The elections this year were all done electronically.
Archbishop Andrew Chan preaching at the opening Eucharist
The Nomination Committee then announced the final list of nominees proposed for election to the Committee, Board, and Standing Commissions of the 10th General Synod. The minutes of the First, Second, and Third Sessions of the 9th General Synod were endorsed, and the Committee, Board, and Standing Commissions of the 9th General Synod gave reports on their work in the last three years.
The Second Session opened on 22 June with the Rt Revd Timothy Kwok leading all members in prayer. The discussion of this year’s motions then followed, all nine of which were carried. Afterwards came the election for this General Synod’s Committee, Board, and Standing Commissions. The ballots were filled this year in one single round for all candidates in one go. After the election came a tea break, when the votes were tallied and checked.
The Synod then adjourned for discussion. Mr Wong Lik Hak presented to the Synod members the Provincial Nurture Blueprint – the background and origin of this initiative. Members then split into groups of two for a round a discussion. The Revd Canon Dr Lam Chun Wai, another member of the Blueprint working team, afterwards led a round of Q&A.
The Third Session commenced on 23 June with a service of Evening Prayer, led by the Revd Bartholomew Wai Lee Ma. The Synod continued with the adjournment for discussion, with members splitting into 14 groups, each reporting back with a brief summary of their feedback, with a detailed written reply to follow. After these rounds of discussion and reports, the meeting continued with the announcement of election results. The Archbishop addressed the delegates in the closing speech, and with a blessing given, announced the conclusion of the 10th General Synod.
Provincial Nurture Blueprint
The working team for the Provincial Nurture Blueprint was formed by the Provincial Standing Committee back in 2021. Its aim is to formulate a complete blueprint of Christian nurturing for the whole province. Via surveys done with parishes, the working team gathers data on the current implementations of nurturing ministry, reviews and consolidates them into a holistic approach based on the experience of each parish and their circumstances, and reports the findings to each diocesan clergy meeting, further gathering feedback on what can be done in the future for a better nurturing ministry.
Mr Wong Lik Hak stated that the Blueprint is just a tool: its purpose is to act as a reference for all clergy and laity, and as a platform for communication that leads to better nurturing for all. The working team has taken into consideration the varying circumstances of each parish, recommending that the Blueprint is not a strict set of checklist where every parish would need to fulfil every single point; rather, it is a knowledge base of previous successes and failures, from which the whole province can learn from. Parishes should take the Blueprint as an encyclopedia of sorts, and adapt it to their own situation as it best fits.
Mr Wong Lik Hak, of the Provincial Nurture Blueprint Team, briefing members of the Synod the design of the Blueprint
The Seven Stages of Nurturing
After due study, the working team has consolidated the nurturing journey of church members into a seven-stage model:
1. Invite the Unchurched to become Faith Seekers
2. Prepare Catechumens for Baptism and Confirmation
3. Be Disciples
4. Make Disciples
5. Train the Trainers
6. Serve as Lay Leaders and/or Vestry Members
7. Colleagues serving (Including Clergy) taking up the ministries of evangelism and pastoral care in parish churches, schools and social service agencies
Seven-fold Culture
The working team also noted that church communities could promote a ‘seven-fold culture’ in order to facilitate the development and growth of faith, in both quality and quantity, establishing a community of parishioners characterised by love, mutual growth, and glorifying God:
1. Welcoming Culture: Establish a consistent and effective mechanism to facilitate clergy and parishioners in inviting and attracting the newcomers to join the church.
2. Walk-the-Talk Culture: Provide solid baptismal catechumen and confirmation programmes that encourage parishioners to deepen their understanding of faith and practice. Invite each parishioner to take up at least one church service, leading to “one person, good ministry,” and fostering mutual support and communal growth.
3. Lifestyle Testimony Culture: Guide parishioners in recognising the need for life-long learning and embarking on a pilgrimage, aspiring to become good, faithful, and knowledgeable mature parishioners, who are courageous in living out their faith in daily life.
4. Team Culture: Encourage mature parishioners to learn and practise teamwork, becoming disciple-making disciples, thereby creating church growth and establishing a team that is harmonious, efficient, and sustainably developed.
5. Response to Pastoral Calling Culture: Support mature parishioners who have pastoral calling to receive theological and ministry training (full-time or part-time, paid or volunteer) and serve as church leaders; promoting collaboration among church, school, and social service agencies to enhancing evangelism and pastoral care based on individual’s professions and/or experience.
6. Clergy Support Culture: Establish optimised training and mentorship mechanisms to provide relevant support and development for parishioners called to the ordained ministry, assisting them to be faithful servants who keep pace with the times.
7. Lay Leader Support Culture: Establish optimised training and mentorship mechanisms to provide relevant training for parishioners elected to serve as lay members in the Province, diocese or parish, thereby optimising the management and development of the vestry and diocesan synod. A House of Laity with enhanced faith, hope and love could foster effective interaction with the Houses of Bishops and Clergy, benefiting the long-term growth and development of the church.
In the closing speech, Archbishop Andrew thanked the Provincial Nurture Blueprint working team for their hard work on preparing this document, commenting that the Blueprint is a clear and targeted indicator of how the HKSKH can improve in its mission and nurturing ministries.
The Archbishop encouraged the Synod members to ‘Affirm ourselves, respect others, appreciate others, and thereby enrich ourselves’. God must have a reason that he has led us all into the Anglican Church, and it is now our duty to bring the ethos of Anglicanism into the wider world, and to appreciate and learn from the strengths of our brothers and sisters who come from different traditions. For only then can we enrich ourselves. The Archbishop noted that we can all do so, then the ‘Seven Stages of Nurturing’ would not be a distant dream, but a practical set of steps we can all take. For as long as we insist on high quality whenever it comes to our pastoral ministry, and that we insist on taking our teaching and nurturing seriously, then all of it will be possible and probable.