News

Changes at SWAC

Graham and Jane Crew

By now you are all aware that Jane and I will be leaving Springwood next year, after 13 wonderful years. We are extremely grateful to God for the blessing of ministry and friendship with so many of God’s people. There is no greater privilege than to be God’s child, but being paid to teach his word, pray and love His people, is certainly an extra privilege. Our last Sunday will be 21^st March 2010.

Jane and I love SWAC and living here. We are not leaving because we feel like a change, but we believe for the sake of the Parish we ought to leave. We are acutely aware of rectors who stay too long. One of the strengths and weakness of our denomination is security of tenure given to Senior Pastors (SP). We don’t believe it would be in the best interest of the Parish for us to stay many more years, even though if we were to purely please ourselves, that’s what we’d do. I’m certainly not bored and “looking for new challenges” – there are always plenty of those in any Parish, especially this one. I’m not looking for a “promotion”.

We believe the Parish needs new blood at the top. I have been aware of some plateauing and on-going weaknesses that I have tried to address quietly over the past 3 years. I don’t think I’ve been successful in that. I hope that a new leader and a refreshed team can. The longer a SP stays the longer the Parish has to benefit from his strengths and suffer from his weaknesses. It is my hope that a new man will bring different strengths and will be met by a new willingness to move forward and change where change is needed.

I’ve been working a little with our leadership & staff on re-evaluating our structures, strategies and staff deployment. I hope over the next 6 months we can do more of that so that when the new Senior Pastor comes he will have the benefit of the existing team’s analysis of pros and cons of various options. He will of course bring his vision to bear on it all.

I believe though that the Parish is in very good shape with lots of excellent ministries, finances and property in good order, great paid staff, where Biblical faith nurtures creative and innovative ministry, and with fine, united elected leadership including our Parish Council, Synod reps and Nominators – so if I had to leave SWAC, now is a good time to do it. Also, I have always believed in the value of longer term ministry. Since I turn 55 today that gives me another 10 years or so, God willing, to contribute to another Parish.

There will be anxiety over change (as well as relief and excitement) for many, especially for our staff who have committed so much of their time and energy and hearts to nurturing and growing God’s people here. It’s a time of uncertainty for all of us and another opportunity to honour God by trusting Him, not just for eternity but for tomorrow and next year. It’s a chance for all of us to model what we seek to preach – “trusting God daily”.

Having decided before God that we should move, this gave Jane and me a great freedom (at least in theory) as to what we might do next. What were our options?

A little struggling Western suburbs church? We raised this with Bishop Lee, but he suggested other Parish needs.
Overseas work? I don’t know if we’re really resilient enough for that – but it’s on our hearts (the needs are so great) and maybe we can do something short term in our retirement. Also if our family situation was different, then overseas ministry might have been more of an option.
Inner city work? We were asked to consider an exciting development with a new team to try a “new and creative thing” in hard ground. I hope I didn’t chicken out but it just wasn’t me. I think I resonate with the suburbs rather than the inner city – and I’d have to learn to drink coffee and there are just some sacrifices too great even for the gospel …. (my attempt at humour)
We looked at interstate and some other churches but …
About 3 years ago Gymea Parish approached me and though I’d admired their ministry for some time, we believed very much that God wanted us here at SWAC. As it turned out, over the past 2 ½ years Bishop Reg Piper has done a brilliant job leading the Parish of Gymea through some rough times.

And some days ago, we said “yes” to Gymea and will commence ministry there on 22^nd March 2010. Our commissioning will be on Saturday afternoon on 27^th March and we’d love to see as many of your friendly supporting faces there as possible, among all the new ones. Gymea has breadth of ministry like SWAC and a membership about half the size of SWAC. It’s part of the Sutherland Shire, but “no” it’s not “close to my beloved St George. In footballing circles, they are bitter rivals!

At the moment Jane and I are feeling real grief and loss. We will miss you deeply, our friends at SWAC. Jane will also leaving friends, students and her job at St Paul’s Grammar School after 12 years. All of which she loves deeply. No doubt as Gymea gets closer there will be some excitement for us as well, mixed with the usual trepidation that comes with change. We are also concerned for the impact the change will have on our family.

We hope to pop back every fortnight or so to catch up with our family, but not to annoy the new Senior Pastor. I trust that he will be given the same wonderful support and loyalty as you have shown to me. Please pray for Gymea, SWAC and our leadership during this transition.

Now let me share with you what I understand of how the process will work for SWAC having a new Senior Pastor.

As soon as the Archbishop approves the move, the Registrar sends letters to the Nominators and Wardens informing them that the process has begun.
The Archdeacon, Ken Allen then has 40 days (?) to meet with the wardens and check that the rectory and finances are all in good order. He then notifies the Archbishop that all is fine for the Nominators to meet with the Diocesan Nominators and get the official process started. But they of course can start meeting and planning as soon as they are ready.
Our Parish Nominators are fine, godly people with a long history of ministry at SWAC. They are Jeanette Calderwood, Roger Phillips, David Blanch, Ken Dickens and Warren Irwin. They remain “on duty” till either they resign for some reason or till the task is completed.
If they are able to find a new SP before I leave, then that can be finalised (but we’re not leaving early). I hope this will be the case given that the timing is good and there’s a long lead time.
If there is a period between me and the next SP, then an acting rector will need to be appointed. I am hoping that Rob Powell will be that person as he will have already done that twice (brilliantly!) while I’m on long service leave.
I have encouraged the staff to lobby, suggest, and “arm twist” our Nominators about who and what sort of SP they should look for, as well as praying about it! I hope all our church members will also be proactive in this and then the Nominators under God will say, “thank you” and make their own decisions. Please suggest to them clergy you think might be good t approach.

Jane and I will be away on Long Service Leave (28^th Sept to 8^th Nov) visiting and ministering with our Link Missionaries – in India, and Melville Union Church (South Africa). This was planned long before our move to Gymea was but it is timely, I believe. Our absence gives the Parish “space” to discuss openly the sorts of changes that new leadership should seek to bring, and to raise these with our Nominators.

Jane and I are much in prayer for our leadership and the parish. We’ll be working just as hard too up till 21^st March 2010. Just this week our staff has agreed to work with our members to offer every home in the Parish a copy of the Connect 09 gospel materials, by concentrated home visiting over the next 10 weeks. It will compliment the Jesus All About Life campaign of all the churches. The care of God’s people and the ministry of the Gospel are both too exciting and too important to have a 6 months of “lame duck” ministry, or for our Parish to “switch off” while we wait for a new Senior Pastor.

Your pastor and brother in Christ,

Graham Crew
(13^th Sept, 2009)