CMS is an evangelical, voluntary, lay, church society. As a voluntary society, CMS is made up of enthusiasts for the gospel. They have joined together to form a society which is independent and does not report to any other organisation or denomination. Through its constitution, CMS is accountable to its members who elect a General Committee to oversee its affairs.

As a lay society, CMS is not a church within a church. It is a facilitator enabling the church to send missionaries to serve God in other places. Right from the earliest days, the Society has been made up of laity and clergy on equal footing.

CMS is a church society in the sense that it was set up and continues to function in

order to facilitate the church to obey the Great Commission. For most of its history, CMS has exercised this service to the Anglican denomination. However, recent years have seen greater mobility of people between denominations. Accordingly, we now aim to ensure that any member, who commences supporting the work of the gospel through CMS while participating in an Anglican congregation, can continue to do so with ease even if he or she moves to another denomination.

CMS is an evangelical society in that it was established by evangelicals. It continues as such by seeking members among evangelicals.

They in turn seek to pursue a gospel-centred obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ and to express that obedience by doing all in their power to bring that gospel to thosewho 'do not know Christ and have not heard his name'.

We believe that if people are to support CMS by prayer and giving they need first to be committed to Christ and his mission.

On that basis, we strive to help them in that commitment in the following ways:  

• To be a genuine gospel agency;
 • To send out people who are truly gospel people;
 • To send them to valid gospel tasks and
 • To effectively communicate to them our needs for prayer and financial support.

Visit the CMS NSW web site now for further information!