By Rev Dr Peter Lockwood

On Saturday morning, the 5th of October, the retired New Zealand Bishop Mark Whitfield sang a prayer in both English and Te reo Māori that called on the Holy Spirit to guide delegates at the 21st Convention of General Synod as they debated the Way Forward proposal. The location was the Concordia College gymnasium in Highgate, transformed into a vast general assembly hall for the event.

General Church Board (GCB) member Tim Wiebusch presented the proposal on behalf of the GCB and the College of Bishops (CoB). Debate continued for about two sessions, coming to an end mid-afternoon when a proposal that the vote be put was accepted with a show of green cards. Tim summed up the case for the proposal, and it was carried with a vote of 269 (71.35%) in favour and 108 (28.65%) opposed. Bishop Paul immediately invited FRM support worker Pastor Malcolm Wilcocks, the chaplain for the day, to lead the gathering in prayer.

There was stunned silence in the auditorium when it was announced that the super-majority mark — two-thirds of registered delegates — had not only been reached but well and truly exceeded. Who dared hope that this moment would ever come? Who knew ahead of time that this would be the day that ushered in a fresh start in our Church’s history? It was going to take a long time for the significance of such a turning point to sink in. No more synods when women’s ordination would be the main item on the agenda. There were no whoops of delight, only tears spilling over from deep wells of pain and frustration that the Church had taken so long to reach the momentous decision, and on the other hand sorrow and anger among those who believed that the Church had taken a wrong turn.

​

To read the full article click HERE