Our Global Family

Our Global Family

As a diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia, we are an active member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, one of the world’s largest Christian communities with tens of millions of members in over 165 countries.

We understand we live in a diverse, cross-cultural and multi-national context. This global diversity will encourage us to adopt more inclusive practices and helps us to understand different perspectives.

Creating understanding and inclusiveness is asking us to get on with what Jesus is all about. The insight, experience and wisdom gained through joint endeavours by members of the Anglican Communion means that together we can be influential at national and international levels and transform lives and our world in the direction of love.

Within the Anglican Communion, there are 40 member churches and six national churches spread across the globe, all in a reciprocal relationship with the Archbishop of Canterbury who is the Communion's spiritual head.

There is no Anglican central authority such as a pope.

We embrace our mission of service guided by recommendations from the four Instruments of the Anglican Communion:

• Archbishop of Canterbury is the Focus for Unity of the Anglican Communion
• Lambeth Conference is held every ten years and Bishops from around the Anglican Communion are invited to take part
• Primates’ Meetings are attended by the chief Archbishops as an opportunity for “leisurely thought, prayer and deep consultation”
• Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) facilitates the co-operative work of the churches of the Anglican Communion, facilitates the exchange of information between the provinces and churches, and helps to co-ordinate common action.

It is through this common action, that ripples through our global Communion, that the narratives of our lives, our families, our neighbourhoods and our world can be created with love guiding our actions, thoughts and prayers.