Bathurst's Anglican Bishop has used his inaugural address to the church's annual synod to stress the need to acknowledge past indiscretions in order to create a better future.
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Bishop Mark Calder gave a 45-minute address [via Zoom] to the synod on Saturday calling for the Anglican Church to acknowledge past wrongdoings in order to work towards a more constructive future.
"The Diocese has done a lot of good for the Bathurst community but we mustn't shy away from acknowledging the shocking, shameful incidences of sexual abuse committed within the Anglican Church," Bishop Calder said.
"In addition, the Diocese has been in dire financial straits for the past decade due to poor decisions, which has hurt the church's standing in the community."
"These poor decisions continue to cause hurt and pain for many residents in our community, and our church must address these issues to work towards forgiveness and reconciliation."
Bishop Calder also addressed the need to reach the Anglican Church's message to a younger generation through more modernised engagement methods.
"We're struggling to connect with people in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s, and unless we do something to change this, the church doesn't have a future," he said.
"Our past indiscretions are certainly a factor in this, as is our more traditional model of worship, which is in need of remodelling."
Bishop Calder, who was appointed in November last year, said the local Diocese is in the process of working towards a more contemporary standing for the church in Bathurst.
"We have to renew the clergy team, because there are many vacant parishes without ministers," he said.
"I have three ministers coming at the end of the year, which is fantastic, but we still need around seven or eight."
Bishop Calder also said there's a pressing need to get parishioners excited about 'the good news' again through modern technology.
"We need to get churches online and improve our connectivity on social media," he said.
"One of the new ministers I'm bringing in will be tasked with starting a contemporary service to reach a younger generation."
Bishop Calder is known for his use of Youtube to deliver sermons.
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