Over the last 30 years, Anglican Bishop of Tasmania, Richard Condie, has continued to draw on the lessons he learnt from doing Arrow. Although the program was still in its early days, Richard approached it with expectancy and a willingness to be shaped and equipped as a faithful leader.
Reflecting on its lasting impact, Richard shares, “ The real lasting gift has been a self-understanding of who I am as a leader and how I’m formed.” Today, those formative insights still shape his ministry and leadership.
Expanding Your Horizons
Before Richard participated in Arrow, his conviction to serve God in ministry had already taken shape. From the early age of 15, Richard felt a strong calling on his life to serve God in vocational ministry.
“ It felt like the Lord put his hand on my shoulder and said, I want you to go into ministry,” he shares.
Much like the saying, “All roads lead to Rome,” Richard’s journey as the now Anglican Bishop of Tasmania has been a winding, yet purposeful one, where each step paved the way for the next.
Richard’s journey has always been anchored in God’s Word, shaped by 7 years as a lecturer in New Testament and Greek at Ridley Theological College and 14 years as vicar of St. Jude’s Church in Melbourne. In 2016, he was installed as the Anglican Bishop of Tasmania and has served faithfully for almost a decade.
Being one of Arrow’s first participants, Richard didn’t know what to expect. However, once he arrived, he “ was blown away by the quality and the intentionality of the program and the other participants,” he says.
The Emerging Leaders Program was unlike any leadership training Richard had received. “ The content, the program, and where it was held […] they had thought so much about what the experience was going to be like, I just found that absolutely transformative,” he explains.
For Richard, his involvement with Arrow was an opportunity to expand his horizons beyond his lived experiences and enter into a space that challenged him. The program broadened his understanding of God’s work in the world and fostered, as he explains, “an appreciation that God works through all different people and different traditions.”
By welcoming a more expansive perspective of God, Richard was personally transformed in meaningful ways. Reflecting on that change, he shares:
“I’ve changed very much since then. I’ve grown in confidence, and I’ve grown in self-understanding, and understanding my weaknesses and working on them.”
Arrow also helped reshape his ongoing habits and leadership style. A pivotal shift for Richard came through the reading program.
“Arrow expanded my horizons about what to read,” he explains. “ And then discussions about books; that has fuelled me.” This has shaped how he leads today, by encouraging the leaders in Tasmania to “read and stretch themselves.”
For the last 30 years, Richard has practised the discipline of reading and leading, seeing first-hand its ability to expand one’s thinking of God, the world, and ministry.
“ Leaders are readers,” he says. “That’s an Arrow legacy for me.”
Arrow’s Impact in Shaping Leaders
Completing Arrow set the wheels in motion for Richard, equipping him with a level of introspection that allowed him to have a broader perspective of God’s work and ministry.
When Richard entered into service as Vicar of St. Jude’s Anglican Church in Melbourne, one of his convictions was the need to raise up local church leaders. Across his 14 years of ministry at St Jude’s, he was involved in sending out over 20 missionaries and equipping more than 30 people for vocational ministry.
Richard brings this same attitude to his role as Bishop, with a desire to empower the leaders of Tasmania to work towards their united vision of making disciples of Jesus. Over the last 10 years as Bishop, Richard has appointed 90% of Tasmania’s ministers, reduced the average age of the clergy from 63 to 47, and has seen parishes turn around from being in decline, and unable to pay a minister, to having flourishing ministries.
Looking to the future, Richard believes the Church is in need of leaders “who work closely with Jesus, people who have deep conviction. People who are resilient, and people who love people.”
He sees Arrow as a key player in shaping and equipping such leaders. “Arrow’s role is to take the good leaders and make them better,” Richard reflects, “helping them focus on their own development, self-understanding, and the ability to multiply their strengths.”
Arrow’s focus on personal growth and leadership development, combined with an intensive community and a broadening of connections, is what Richard believes strengthens ministry leaders. As a result, he has encouraged several of his ministers over the past decade to join Arrow, supporting their continued growth as leaders.
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