ABOUT OUR DIOCESE AND OUR PARISHES

The Diocese of Fredericton was founded in 1845. Bishop John Medley was the first Bishop of the Diocese and Bishop William Hockin the eighth. The diocese has affirmed, in its Declaration of Principles, that it has been, and continues to be, a full member of the worldwide Anglican Communion. As such we are a church built on the faith expressed in the Solemn Declaration of 1893 (see BCP page viii) and subscribe to the canons of both Provincial and General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada.

The boundaries of our Diocese are those of the Province of New Brunswick. According to a recent Statistics Canada census, New Brunswick has a total population of 730,000 with 68% English and 30 % French. Approximately 62,000 are reported as being Anglicans. Ours is a largely rural Diocese with 85 parishes and 76 parish clergy and chaplains. Noteworthy is the fact that we have one international and one inter-denominational parish. (Note: Eight parishes are currently being served by retirees). Following is a breakdown of our parishes:

• 6% (4) have less than 50 members
• 14% (13) have 50-150 members
• 39% (35) have 150-350 members
• 41% (37) have 350 - 500+ members

There are almost 30,000 members on our parish rolls, and approximately 8300 or 28% attend church on an average Sunday. Of the 2425 children on the parish rolls, 1727 (71%) attend Sunday School. In 2000 there were 489 baptisms, 248 marriages, 644 funerals and 264 confirmations. Liturgies vary from parish to parish; both the BCP and the BAS are used extensively. 8712 identifiable givers across the 85 parishes give an average of $12 per Sunday. The "open" and "envelope" offerings provided a revenue total of $5.4 million for our parishes in the year 2000.

The diocesan budget, which is established using a consultative approach that includes regional meetings, is $1.6 million. We are currently enjoying a period of financial stability, with modest increases in revenues over the past three years. Through their annual assessments and mission contributions parishes provide just over 80% of the Diocese’s total income. Following is a breakdown of budgets for certain costs: $681,000 (43%) for program and ministry, $323,600 (20.5%) for clergy-related, $412,600 (26%) for administration, and $168,200 (10.5%) for Episcopal.

The organizational structures and decision-making processes of the Diocese include the following:

• Synod normally meets every two years. It is chaired by the Bishop and is currently comprised of 135 active and retired clergy, and 285 voting lay delegates.
• A Diocesan Council (currently composed of 52 members) is chaired by the Bishop. The council supports and acts in an advisory capacity to the bishop, and has responsibility for the management of the diocese between synods.
• The main organizational committees of the diocese are the Board of Finance (which has sub-committees for stipend and human resources, property, and investment matters) and the Constitution and Canons committee.
• For the purposes of parish oversight the Diocese is divided geographically into seven archdeaconries: Chaleur-Miramichi, Moncton, Kingston-Kennebecasis, Saint John, St. Andrews, Fredericton, and Woodstock.
• The Synod office staff comprises the following positions: the Diocesan Administrator/Treasurer, the Administrative Assistant, the Diocesan Secretary and Assistant to the Bishop, and the Executive Assistant to the Bishop.
• The Bishop has been very visible across the diocese (both in person and via the electronic media). This has been part of a highly consultative leadership and decision-making style that has been very well received by both clergy and lay leaders.

Diocesan program and organizational structures are strong. There are active and committed groups that oversee or coordinate outreach and spiritual growth programs such as Alpha, Teens Encounter Christ, annual men’s and women’s conferences, Cursillo, PWRDF, Anglican Fellowship of Prayer, Order of St. Luke, Lay readers, and summer youth camps (the School of Church Music, Camp Medley, Camp Brookwood, and St. Michael’s Conference.) In addition there are several active and committed diocesan organizations such as the ACW, Mothers Union, and the Guild of St. Joseph.

PRIORITIES OF SYNOD & OUR RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

There is a renewed sense of unity and purpose in our Diocese, primarily the result of the Bishop’s charges to the 2000 and 2001 synods. These charges were particularly well received, because they reflected the concerns and priorities of both clergy and lay leaders, and called for collective action in key areas of ministry. The Diocese is united in its desire to work with the Bishop in making significant improvements, through integrated action plans, in these four main areas:

• Youth Ministry
• Education and Development of Our Clergy and Lay Leaders
• Stewardship and Financial Development
• Strengthening Struggling Parishes

As well, there is general support across the Diocese for two basic principles: first, that parishes are "the engine of Christian mission" and must be strong and healthy in order to help individuals develop strong personal relationships with Jesus Christ; and second, that the role of the Bishop and the Diocesan Council/staff is to provide leadership, coordination and support. Based on this model many people are currently serving on diocesan action teams and committees that are leading to improvements in the four areas mentioned above. The extensive involvement of clergy and lay leaders in identifying and formulating plans in these areas has led to momentum, support and parish-based commitment to many new diocesan programs and initiatives such as:

Youth Ministry

• A highly-successful Diocese-wide Youth Consultation which led to the Bishop declaring 2003 as Year of the Youth, a 14 point Youth Action Plan, and the creation of a new diocesan leadership position in youth ministry
• The establishment of a new diocesan Christian Education Director (part-time) whose focus has been to increase the importance and visibility of Christian Education programs for our children, and to train those who teach and lead
• New guidelines to help prepare candidates for confirmation
• Increased support for summer camps (Medley, Brookwood)
• Diocesan financial support of parish youth ministry
• Increased support of Teens Encounter Christ

Education and Development of Our Clergy and Lay Leaders

• The establishment of the highly successful annual Clergy College
• New investment in divinity education and improved post-ordination training
• The establishment of a new diocesan resource centre
• A diocesan Men’s Conference designed to encourage personal spiritual growth (note: a number of women from throughout the diocese annually attend a similar conference, which is sponsored by the Christ Church Cathedral ACW
• The Bishop’s video-taped Lenten Bible study program
• Continued support of lay readers, Cursillo and Alpha programs
• A new "Definitely Not Synod" (DNS) lay leadership weekend
• Warden’s Day and development of new guidelines for parish officers

Stewardship and Financial Development

• Two diocesan conferences/workshops on stewardship
• The creation of a new Stewardship Education & Action Team
• Regional consultations as part of the diocesan budget-development process
• Two very successful Bishop’s Dinners, the proceeds from which provided base financing for the clergy college and various youth ministry initiatives
• Two successful Bishop’s Appeals

Strengthening Struggling Parishes

• Creation of archdeaconry commissions to help the Bishop address challenging parish issues
• Partnering of smaller parishes, and (in some cases) the sharing of clergy leadership
• Facilitation of parish amalgamations in close cooperation with parish clergy and lay leaders
• An overall reduction in the number of aided parishes from 16 to 6
• A renewed "sense of community" in many parishes