From October 22–25, 2024, the Diocese of Singapore hosted the Planting Future Dioceses Mission Consultation Roundtable in Bangkok. The event brought together key leaders from across Southeast Asia, as well as mission organisations like NZCMS, to coordinate support for Anglican ministries in the region, where the Anglican presence has historically been sparse but is now experiencing steady growth.
Dr Titus Chung, Archbishop of Southeast Asia and Bishop of Singapore, set the tone for the gathering.
“Since its inception, the purpose of the Consultation has been to dialogue, to facilitate networking, to update and renew commitment, to share ongoing missiological learnings so that the missions of the Church can grow from strength to strength and for the future planning of the mission initiatives of the deaneries.”
The Province of Southeast Asia, one of the largest and most geographically expansive provinces in the Anglican Communion, stretches from Nepal to Indonesia, reaching a population of nearly 497 million people. It includes four dioceses in Malaysia and Singapore, as well as six mission deaneries in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. A seventh deanery, Timor-Leste, will officially be added to the Diocese of Singapore in November 2024.
The roundtable discussions focused on the continued growth of the Anglican Church in these diverse contexts, with a special emphasis on strengthening local leadership, fostering collaborative mission strategies and multi-cultural teams working together, and a posture of servanthood.
Partnership with NZCMS — Past, Present and Future
NZCMS has a rich history of supporting Anglican mission work in Southeast Asia, and this partnership continues to bear fruit. NZCMS Mission Partners Neill and Rebekah serve under the Deanery of Cambodia; assisting with a new multi-cultural church plant and a dormitory ministry that serves young people seeking education in the capital, Phnom Penh.
Rosie Fyfe, National Director of NZCMS, attended the Consultation and was very encouraged by the growth of the Church and the invitation for the New Zealand Church to partner. She notes:
“There are many opportunities for partnership, whether short-term stints, church-to-church partnerships, or serving as long-term Mission Partners. There is a need for ordained Anglican clergy who could support these young and growing churches, as well as opportunities to teach English, vocational training, among many other roles.
The Mission Consultation felt like an invitation to live out ‘partnership in the Gospel’ that Paul writes about in his letter to the Philippians. My prayer is that NZCMS can continue to partner in Gospel ministry in this region.”
Thank you for this encouraging update!!