Church address:
5350 Baillie Street
Vancouver, BC
(on 37th Ave between Cambie and Oak)

Church office address:
2325 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC V6J 3J2
604.558.4400

St John's Vancouver Anglican Church is a community of Christians dedicated to the exposition and teaching of the Word of God, to the spreading of the good news of the Gospel at home and abroad, and to the application of God's purpose in our own lives and families.

legal update 2011 > Dec 2009 discernment

Dec 2009 - Discernment

The leadership’s decision to appeal Justice Kelleher’s judgment was not done without broad consultation and prayer within the whole parish. Below is a summary of the discernment process and results

Process

Results

Reasoning

The Discernment Process - Step 1

The leadership of the four parishes involved in the Legal processes gathered together shortly after the judgment from Justice Kelleher was received to discuss how to proceed. After much discussion and prayer, the leadership agreed to the following:

Unity in the Gospel is the essential.
Either decision could be honoring to God. What mattered is how we made the decision and our posture of heart in it.
Each parish needed to discern and pray through the decision separately and then their leadership would make a recommendation of the parish to the larger group.

St. John’s then started to hold discernment meetings in which the we read scripture, prayed, the facts were presented on the implications of the judgment, costs and chances of appeal, and what leaving would looks like. This was followed with discussion and group exercise in which Gospel reasons and Non Gospel reasons to Appeal or to Depart. As well people were invited to Answer the following questions:

Are you in favour of appealing?
Are you in favour of departing?
Could you support either direction?
Are you unsure?
If an appeal was pursued should it be pursued as far as it could be, which maybe to the Supreme Court of Canada?
Would you relocate if we departed?

Then we took a break to celebrate Christmas and individually pray in small groups pray about the situation.

The Discernment Process - Step 2

A second set of discernment meetings were held and the same questions were asked with the addition of has your mind been changed since you first heard the judgment and how has it changed?

St. John’s Parish Discernment Results

Gospel Reasons to Appeal	Gospel Reasons to Depart
God allows obstacles in our life- this is an opportunity to demonstrate our faith and persistence. An expression of leadership that would help other churches, particularly those that do not have the resources that we do to follow this through. We prayed for clarity and justice and we don’t see it in this judgment so we must persevere with the process. Short term ministry disruption for longer term outreach from St. John’s and for the rest of the churches in Canada. If we do not continue in the process of appeal we will never know for sure that the decision is God’s will. We still have the opportunity to protect this location for the Gospel and we should pursue it. Justice issue – there were errors in law that need to be rectified as the precedence could impact the broader church body in Canada in the future.	Physically going out into Vancouver with the Gospel. Diaspora – New Churches New Start Opens us up to new growth and possibilities Focus on ministries and not on the court case Demonstrates that it is not about the buildings by leaving the building. Demonstrates our faith in that we have to rely on God to provide for us. Allows God to demonstrate to us his provision and power. Focuses on the proactive ministry front as oppose to the reactive ministry front. Shows humility
Non-Gospel Reasons to Appeal	Non-Gospel Reasons to Depart
Revenge Wanting to win Don’t appeal just to buy and extra year – we need to be prepared to go to the Supreme Court of Canada and see this through. Loving the building or unhealthy attachment to the building. Maintaining the status quo. Fear of moving on. Not willing to share with another church. The desire to go down in history. It is a lot of work to move.	Fatigue Fear of losing an appeal Fear of living in the uncomfortable position of being in process without resolution. Assumption that it is the cheaper option and we will be saving money. Fear of the media.

St. John's results from a confidential survey taken at the end of the discernment process

100% were in favour of pursuing a Negotiated Settlement if possible
76% were in favour of Appealing the judgment
12% were in favour of Departing
12% were okay with either option
32% changed their mind over the discernment period, with 93% moving from Depart to Appeal and 7% moving from Appeal to Depart.
80% felt that if we Appealed we should take it as far as we could.
97% would relocate, should we Depart.

Results from Good Shepherd, St. Mathias & St. Luke, and St. Matthews Abbotsford

Parish leadership from each of the churches reported that the decision to move ahead with the appeal was what they felt God was calling us to.

Overall Reason to Appeal

Pursuit of Justice: There is no clarity in the judgment and in fact errors in law. We need to pursue clarity and justice so that this unclear decision does not stand as precedent for others.

Stewardship: Every reasonable effort should be made to keep the building for Gospel ministry, as was its intended purpose and we still have a legal option to pursue.

Responsibility: We have a responsibility to see this through both for St. John’s and for the broader Anglican and Christian body. God has given us the resources, leadership, expertise, and finances, to pursue this.