Faithfulness in Ministry conference 2026
FiM 2026:
The Healthy church
June 15-17 2026
About
Faithfulness in Ministry is a triennial conference for all licensed clergy and authorised Lay Ministers in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney.
The Archbishop requires these categories of workers in the Diocese to attend this conference as a condition of their licence/authority.
In 2026 the one-day conference will be repeated over three days in different locations. Attendees may pick any of the venues to attend.
Ministry spouses are also welcome.
All attendees must register prior to attending.
Morning tea and lunch is provided. There is no charge for the conference.
Locations
Monday 15 June – Hoxton Park Anglican Church (1 Latrobe Road West Hoxton)
Tuesday 16 June – St Paul’s Carlingford (Cnr Moseley & Vickery, Carlingford)
Wednesday 17 June – Figtree Anglican Church (4-19 Gibson Road, Figtree)
Program runs from 9:00am to 3:30pm each day
Archbishop Kanishka Raffel
Archbishop of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney
“The Faithfulness in Ministry Conference is a triennial opportunity for those who are serving as gospel workers in the Diocese of Sydney to receive practical and helpful training to support safe ministry practices in our churches, organisations and schools. In 2026, the conference will focus on ‘Healthy Churches’ and creating a culture in our churches that is safe for all. I look forward to seeing you there.”
Speakers
Lauren Errington is the Executive Director of the Family Systems Institute, a training organisation in the theory and application of family systems theory in counselling, mental health, organisational, educational and ministry contexts.
Lauren is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AASW) and Clinical Family Therapist and Accredited Supervisor (AAFT) with experience working in tertiary level mental health services and private practice contexts in Australia and Scotland, currently working at the Family Systems Practice.
Lauren has had an interest in family systems theory since first encountering the ideas in her counselling training almost 20 years ago. She finds the ideas offer a compelling description of the dilemmas we all face in life’s relationships, resonating across therapeutic, workplace and ministry contexts. Lauren has published several articles in family therapy journals and co-edited a book with Jenny Brown entitled Bowen Family Systems Theory in Christian Ministry.
Lauren became a Christian in her teens, convicted by Galatians 2:20 which remains a pillar of truth in her life. She is married to Andrew, rector of Newtown Erskineville Anglican Church, where they live with their three school age children, who they are trying to raise with an awareness that not all bread needs to be sourdough, nor all ice-creams coming from Messina.
Find out more about family systems theory at: www.thefsi.com.au or www.systemsinministry.com.au
Lauren can be contacted at: lerrington@thefsi.com.au
Conference Talks
There are predictable things that occur when people bump up against each other in relationships. The advantage of having a psychological framework to better understand human behaviour is that it can bring relationship dilemmas into our awareness and so reduce surprise and reactivity when things get tense or problematic. Instead, over time, we can work to increase our capacity to make thoughtful choices to relate to others in a way that is consistent with what might be important to us.
Ministry work is full of interactions with other human beings. This is both a great gift, and the source of many frustrations. These sessions are an invitation to think about the very human dilemma of how you and others in your ministry team and congregation interact, particularly under pressure. In this way, family systems theory can be source of practical wisdom that can help us observe, learn and become more thoughtful in our relationship interactions in service of gospel ministry.
Session 1: You, me, we – Understanding the relationship systems you are a part of at church and your part in them
Session 2: From furious to curious – How disagreement can become a source of growth, not grief, for ministry teams.
Tim Dyer is a trainer of pastors, church consultants, mentors and Christian leaders. He works across many mainline denominations and focuses on the care, development and support of clergy and the health of congregations.
Tim is a regular speaker at Pastors’ and Clergy Conferences in areas of leadership, church systems, professional ethics, self care, mentoring, conflict management, staff and team dynamics and the impact of clergy sexual abuse. He contributes to in-service training programs for clergy and leaders across many denominations and states.
Besides mentoring pastors and leaders himself, Tim trains Christian leaders in the skills required to equip others to become leaders through intentional one to one mentoring. Tim has an interest in healthy congregational and parish life and consults with churches and denominations on processes which create and support parish health.
For relaxation, Tim enjoys bushwalking in the Tasmanian highlands, camping, computers, gardening, reading and music.
Archbishop of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney
Conference Talk: Philippians 2:1-11
FAQ’s
Partners
We are delighted to have the following organisations joining with the Office of the Archbishop and the Office of the Director of Safe Ministry in presenting Faithfulness in Ministry 2026:
