Most of yesterday’s business was routine. Nothing particularly notable for me.
There is, however, a theme which I noticed in the Convening Circular and which was event in some of the resolutions: decline. Committees are being reduced in size because of budget constraints. A wonderful presentation from the Council of the North ended with a sobering account of reduced funding and ministry.
The Communications and Information Resources Committee (CIRC) also reports:
…a challenge to the committee (and to the church at large) by one of our members, as to whether we and the church are taking seriously the data suggesting a church in decline. We commended that member to the House of Bishops, who undertook a serious and thoughtful conversation, but it is more true than not that we were unable to find a way to integrate those concerns into the life of the committee, and in fact, there is no clear sense that the concerns were brought forward and explored in a coherent way. Nevertheless, we are part of a church whose energies are sometimes taken up with activities and practices at odds with our being a community in mission.
Good question.
The Governance Working Group acknowledges the problem in their report. They call for a “discussion about the amount of government that is appropriate in this day and age for a declining church.” Folk who identify themselves as Anglican in the Canadian census have decreased by 20% since 1971, they report. The number of Anglicans on parish roles has decreased by 42% during the same period. It’s interesting that there is no real attempt anywhere to grapple with how to reverse the decline. I’m not sure it’s governance that will do it.
We also participated in “Conversations” on same-sex blessings, the St Michael and Windsor Reports. Nothing really new in them. The positions are entrenched. It’s all going to come down to the “mood” of the house and how it effects the undecided, numbers at the vote, amendments and skilful parliamentary procedure. PRAY!!!
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Your comments are powerful fodder for relection and prayer. Thanks for taking the time to share with us.
Good Morning:
Yes, I would be one of those statistics.
Question: how much Money does the ACC spend on “goverment”? On meetings; debates; bishops; infrastructure; politics [church and state]; committees; travel etcetera: my guess is a small fortune and a totally inappropriate amount.
Between Money and the Same Sex Blessings issue the ACC is heading toward Schism, and if that were to happen the monumental decline in Anglicanism will not miraculously reverse itself; rather, whatever ecclesiastical entities emerge from the debris will be required to prove themselves as Christian Churches to those many ex-Anglicans as well as any potential new adherents.
This, I suspect, will prove a daunting, if not impossible, task to a blinkered leadership, full in denial, that can see precious little except the Money, and a model of Pastoral Care that is focused inward and deeply entrenched in a modus operandi that emptied the pews in the first place.
Remember the bard: “Desperate ills need desperate remedies…” I sugest that the ACC return to Jesus’ program: “Love God with all your heart and your neighbour as yourself.” Forget the Money [Mammon] because it and everything it purchases is working contrary to the Word.
Rev. Malachy Egan
Abba Ministries of Canada
I think the decline is due to the appalling amount of energy that has been poured into fighting and squabbling amongst ourselves, into sad debates over who’s in and who’s out in God’s Kingdom. The witness we have shown to the world has been so sordid and I am certain God is weeping at how we have dragged His name into the mud.
Let us set aside our squabbles! Let us stop this talk of division and splitting off! Let us instead focus on our mission of sharing the Good News of Jesus to the world!