Rethinking Church structures

No changes yet…Provinces asked to think

While no immediate changes were made to diocesan and provincial boundaries at GS2010, the topic was raised and a heated debate ensued. Finally General Synod approved a resolution that asks the Church’s four ecclesiastical provinces to hold discussions on “the appropriate number of dioceses and the appropriate boundaries within the provinces” and to report back to GS2013 with their conclusions.

Bishops from dioceses with dramatically shrinking church populations such as British Columbia, (James Cowan) and Quebec (Dennis Drainville) argued strongly in favour of the resolution. Bishop Greg Kerr-Wilson of Qu’Appelle argued for cooperation across diocesan boundaries and the pooling of resources while Dean Iain Luke of Athabasca urged General Synod to support the mission of the local church, not “undermine its existence.”