ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE RIGHT REVEREND THE BISHOP OF WAIAPU BEFORE THE SYNOD AT A DIOCESAN MEETING HELD RECENTLY AT NAPIER.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume 1, Issue 7, 16 November 1872, Page 1 (Supplement)

ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE RIGHT REVEREND THE BISHOP OF WAIAPU BEFORE THE SYNOD AT A DIOCESAN MEETING HELD RECENTLY AT NAPIER.

My Reverexdßrethern and Brethren of the Laity,— I am thankful to meet you on the present occasion, for the purpose of taking into consideration various important subjects which may tend to the orderly arrangement of our Church affairs. There have been already several sessions of the Synod of the Diocese of Waiapu, but our present meeting is the first under the * new regulation, by which the boundaries of the Diocese have been altered. The Southern boundary of this Diocese, at the time of its formation, was the same as that of the Province of Auckland, and terminated North of Table Cape. A change was proposed at the meeting of the General Synod in October 1868, contingent u pon the assent of the Church members of the Province of Hawke’s Bay, which was to be signified to the Primate, and on June 14, 1869, the Primate wrote to me as follows : —“ I hereby inform you that I have received from the Church members of the Province of Hawke’s Bay, through the clergy and lay officers, their formal assent to the following resolution, ‘ That the Province of Hawke’s Bay be considered part of the Diocese, of Waiapu.’ ” —(Signed) 11. J. C. Christchurch. Up to that date the Diocese of Waiapu embraced chiefly a native population, and the meetings of the Diocesan Synod were confined for the most part to the natives. Since the alteration of the boundaries of the Diocese this is the first opportunity I have had of calling a Synod together, because it was

not possible to assemble a sufficient number of English clergy to form a legal quorum of members. Under the New Zealand Church Constitution the government of our Church is in the hands of a General Synod, which holds its meeting once in three years, to which every Diocese sends the appointed number of representatives. Synods in each Diocese consisting of the Bishop, clergy, and laity, exercise all such powers, and make all such regulations (not repugnant to any regulation of the General Synod), as may be necessary for tjie order and good government of the Church in the Diocese. I now proceed to notice some of the chief matters of business which will require the attention of this Synod. In order that the Church members may be fairly represented in Synod, it has been provided by the second Statute of the General Synod, that every Diocesan Synod shall consist of such number of Synodsmen to be apportioned amongst the several Parishes and Parochial ’ Districts, as the Synod of the Diocese shall from time to time prescribe in that behalf. Eor the purpose of carrying out this object, so long as the Diocese was principally Maori, a number of electoral districts were formed. But the altered circumstances of the Diocese require that a new arrangement shall be made. While the Province of Hawke’s Bay was a part of the Wellington Diocese, it was only one electoral district. This was considered to be sufficient when the province was only beginning to be occupied but it has now risen into greater importance. Until Districts shall have been defined by this Synod it remains with the Bishop to make such division as to him may seem most convenient, according to the provision of the Statute quoted above. It now rests with this Synod to define the electoral districts as may seem to be most expedient, and also to prescribe the number of representatives to be returned by each district. It will be seen also by reference to Statute 15 of the General Synod, that provision is to be made by the Synod of each Diocese for the registration of persons qualified to vote for lav representatives. With our English ideas we have' learned to appreciate the value of • parochial arrangements ; and one of the ' first steps to be taken to secure the \ orderly regulation of affairs, as soon as i a district is sufficiently advanced, is I that it should be formed into a parish, j with its pastor and all other appliances [

which may promote the religious welfare of the community. By the 4th statute of the General Synod we are instructed as to the first steps to be taken towards the formation of a parish. “ Whenever any members of the Church shall apply through the Synod of the Diocese to have the district in which they reside, constituted a parish, the Diocesan Synod shall, if it think fit, constitute such parish accordingly, and define the boundaries thereof.” The only parish which has been constituted in the Province of Hawke’s Bay is that of St. John’s, Napier ; and in this case we have a good illustration of the benefit of this arrangement.

Another very important part of our Church system is the regulation which has been made for the appointment of pastors. In the Church at home the means of support for the clergy generally arises from an endowment, which has been given by the pious liberality of our ancestors ; and an evil has arisen out of this provision, namely, that the appointment of the clergy is for the most part vested in the hands of patrons, who may appoint to the charge without sufficient regard to the interests of those who are to be provided with pastoral care. In this country the clergy are dependent almost entirely upon the funds which are collected from the parishioners, and the appointment of pastors is made by nominators, chosen by the Diocesan Synod, and by the Vestry of each parish respectively : the number of nominators of each body, and the time and manner of election arc to be determined by the Diocesan Synod. It is desirable that this provision for the appointment of nominators should bo at once made, so that any future nomination of clergymen may be conducted according to the regulation of the Church.

As members of the Church of England we have lived under a system which has not called upon individual Christians to contribute to the support of their ministers. In the days of our forefathers a large landed proprietor, with many persons depending upon him felt it his duty to provide for them a church ; and, following the Mosaic rule a tenth part of the produce of his land was devoted to religious purposes, including the support of the clergy: and hence the community, which was to receive the benefit, was exempt from direct payments. It may seem irksome therefore to many, in coming to a new country, that they should be asked to tax themselves for the support of religious services. When the first proposal was made to have offertory collections it was thought to be a hardship, but after a fair trial has been given to the system, it is found to be a success, and it is acknowledged to be both proper and reasonable. Still it is often found, excepting in our towns, that there is much difficulty in obtaining even a moderate income for a clergyman ; while there are some districts which are of great importance, such for instance as Wairoa, where it is quite impossible to raise a suitable income. It is to be remembered that a clergyman, to sustain the position of the office which he holds, ought to be looked up to by every member of his flock. It is from him that advice is sought on many ordinary occasions, but above all, upon the subjects which are of vital importance to every one of us. It is expected therefore that he shall have received an education, ■which is equal to that of any person in the community. And indeed in respect of his attainments, he is, or ought to be. competent to fill any position which is open to others. It surely therefore is unreasonable that when he gives up his undivided services for the benefit of his fellow creatures, he should, as to the means of living, be placed oftentimes in a position which is far inferior. The difficulties of the case are serious, and it is a subject which demands the careful consideration of this Synod. The contributions which are made are generally upon a liberal scale. What then can be done to meet the difficulty ? Our population is made up of people of enterprise, —of men who came to this country in the hope of improving their circumstances, and it must be admitted that, as a general rule, their efforts have met with success.

If then there is a provision to be made, which would not have been required from us in our native country, there is also the means put into our hands, by which we may do this. There is an advantage arising from the fact that a clergyman’s income should be in part at least raised by the congregation. It is well that the duty should be recognised, and that the scripture principle should be kept in mind ; but it not well that a clergyman should depend upon this alone. In cases to which I have alluded it is evident that his necessities will compel him to wish for a change of location. In the Free Church of Scotland this subject has been taken up by practical men, who had to face difficulties upon a large scale, and they did it most effectually. Abandoning their old endowments they had to provide at once for the exigencies of a large body of clergy. They began by looking to their various congregations to do their best to support their ministers, and then they set on foot a large supplementary fund, out of which all deficiencies might be supplied. This course has been already followed by ourselves, but not to the extent that is required. The subject of Endowment was taken up by the General Synod upon a broad principle. («) That it is expedient that the subject of Endowment Funds should be taken up without delay: For the Bishopricks of Auckland and Waiapu: for the maintenance of clergy in every Diocese.

(i) That for the Endowments, of the Bishoprick, of Auckland and Waiapu, it is desirable that the whole amount of income should be raised. (c) That for the maintenance of clergymen, at least half the amount of the income which has been fixed by the scale of the Diocesan Synod, should be secured upon Endowment Fund ; and that the remainder be raised by voluntary offerings. (ff) That for the purpose of carrying out these objects, it be a recommendation to the various Synods, that action should be taken in every district, and that contributions should be solicited, either in money, land, or any other property.

With respect to the mention which is here made of endowment of the Bishoprick, I have less scruple in calling your attention to it, because it is not a matter which concerns myself. But when the time for my removal hence shall come, I fear there may be some difficulty in providing a successor to my office, unless some steps be taken in the meantime to secure a sufficient stipend. That part of the resolution which relates to endowment towards the stipend for the clergy, will, I am sure, commend itself to the consideration of the Synod, and I trust that steps will be taken to secure this object. I have already stated that the population of the Diocese of Waiapu, at its first formation, was almost exclusively Maori. In consequence of the change which has been made in the boundaries of the Diocese, and the influx of English population into Maori districts, the difference of the language, and of the circumstances of the two races, might have occassioned serious difficulty in the working of the Diocesan Synod. It has, however, been provided by the 3rd Statute of the General Synod that, for the better government of the native districts, Native Church Boards should be constituted. These Boards are not independent of the Diocesan Synod, but are under its control. Meetings of these Native Boards have been held at Waiapu, Turanga, and Pakowhai, audit is found that they answer well the purposes for which they were formed. Under these circumstances the necessity of providing for the special requirements of our Maori fellow churchmen, in any measure that may be passed by this Synod, is in a great measure, obviated.

Speaking of the Native Church Boards reminds me that I ought to say a few words upon the state of the Native Church. I believe lam correct in stating that there are few persons in the English community who have ever been present at the time when the natives are holding religious worship in their own villages, and hence a very prerailing idea that the Christianity of

the natives is a matter of the past. The general intercourse held with them as they are met with in the town or upon the roads often produces an impression which is unfavorable. The worst characters among them are more likely to come under open observation. If on the other hand we follow them to their, village and particularly on the Lord’s day, we find that in every village there is a well-ordered congregation meeting as regularly for worship as ourselves, notwithstanding the serious difficulties and temptations with which they have had to contend. It is well known that it is along this coast from Cape Kidnappers to East Cape that many of the fiercest struggles have taken place during the late outbreak, and moreover that those natives who have been most true to the Government are those who, boldly rejecting the Hauhau superstitions,have endeavoured to pursue a Christian course. Among these natives there are eight Maori clergymen who, though often placed in very trying positions, have for the most part been faithful to the trust which was committed to them.

It will be necessary to appoint a Standing Committee which shall represent the Diocesan Synod, and act for il when it shall not be in session. The nature and extent of the powers to be confided to this body, will require careful consideration.

There is only one other subject for me to call your attention to at the present time, which is, the Clerical Pension Fund. At the first General Synod a resolution was passed that a Pension Board be elected by the Diocesan Synods to manage a fund for providing retiring pensions for clergymen and pensions for widows and orphans of clergymen. At the second General Synod a Central Pension Board was appointed to manage a fund for the above purpose. At the last General Synod held at Dunedin further resolutions were passed—first, to invite the co-operation of the various Dioceses in support of a plan proposed with a view to the ultimate establishment of a Pension Endowment Fund, for the benefit of all clergymen in New Zealand : and, secondly, that as there is not a sufficient prospect of unanimity in the adoption of the central scheme to justify the continuance of the present system, each Diocese be allowed to manage its own “ Pension Fund.” I have since received a proposal which emanates from the Diocese of Wellington, for a General Pension Fund. I place some copies of this paper upon the table, and recommend the subject to your consideration.

There are doubtless many other matters which will occur to individual members of the Synod, which it will be desirable to bring under notice. One great advantage of our meeting together is, that by intercourse with each other we are reminded of matters which, when pursuing our separate avocations, may not have occurred to us as deserving of notice.

May God grant to each of us the wisdom which cometh down from above, so that the affairs of the Church may be rightly ordered ; that due provision may be made for all our requirements ; and that, in all our deliberations, the glory of God may be promoted.