As Anglicans, we are committed to the missional work of church planting and going about that work in a way that carries on our long and valued tradition. As such, we hold deeply to the concept of “collaboration with subsidiarity.”
In other words, we believe the mission of the church should be done at the most local level possible. Local planters and churches plant new churches, so all of our collective efforts should support their work. They are the heroes in this endeavor. At the same time, we believe we can do this work better together than we can alone. Our Dioceses can create a healthy environment where local planters are better cared for, equipped, and supported as they plant churches. The Province can then help support the Dioceses’ work by facilitating our shared work, catalyzing resources for the cause, and leading us forward together as a movement across North America.
The mission of Always Forward, therefore, is threefold:
Equipping A Movement
We see the collaboration of the churches of the Anglican Church in North America as part of a significant movement for the church’s flourishing in her mission to bring the love of Jesus Christ to the world. Always Forward helps create resources (like the Planting Framework), facilitate partnerships, and provide assistance for the advancement of this work.
Strengthening Our Dioceses
The role of the Province is to assist the dioceses in their support of church planters. As Anglicans, we believe that our polity system (system of governance and organization) has both the backing of history and continued relevance. We desire to see the church’s historic structures empowered to support our mission in our contemporary setting. To see this come to fruition, we have developed a comprehensive strategy to facilitate church planting—from raising up new planters to the multiplication of new churches.
Supporting Local Planters
The beauty of an interconnected church organization is that planters do not have to do this work alone. They can be a part of a larger support network in their dioceses and a part of a greater family within our North American movement. We long to see the proper tools in their hands and loving relationships surrounding them to give them the best possible chance of planting healthy churches in healthy ways.