A disturbing headline recently warned that the Anglican Church of Canada may disappear by 2040. According to a report by Neil Elliot, commissioned for the Council of General Synod in Ontario, current data suggests there will be no members, attenders, or givers left in the denomination by that year. This forecast highlights a critical turning point for a religious institution facing an unprecedented decline.
The report utilized five distinct analytical methodologies, all yielding the same dire prediction. The statistical free fall is significant: membership plummeted from a peak of 1.3 million in 1961 to just over 357,000 in 2017. While some leaders called for a more robust and creative witness for Christ, others adopted a more passive stance. One rector cited former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, stating that “the church is not ours to save,” ultimately concluding that clergy are merely stewards of what they have been given. However, this perspective can lead to a dangerous passivity when it excuses a lack of strategic action.
If this mindset prevails, the predicted death of the Canadian church will likely become a reality. This theology is particularly damaging when used to justify inaction. While relinquishing control to God is a core spiritual tenet, completely abandoning institutional responsibility and leadership initiative under the guise of divine sovereignty is a recipe for obsolescence.
While there were many appropriate reactions to the report, including calls for the church to put forward a more robust and creative witness for Christ, one rector took solace in the words of former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who once said that “the church is not ours to save.” Reflecting on the statement, the rector concluded: “We are only called to be good stewards of what we have been given. God will do what God will do.”
If that thinking rules the day, the prediction of the death of the Canadian church will come true. Why? Because it is among the deadliest of theologies when put forward in this manner.
Of course, the church is not ours to save. I believe I know what Williams meant, and in its broad theological context it is, of course, true. But it is the erroneous sentiment that was drawn from it that is so wrong.
Yes, God is going to do what God is going to do, but what God has willed to do is work through his people. There is no room for a passive fatalism when it comes to the work and expansion of the church. This generation of Christians will give an account to God for this generation of outreach to those outside of the church. Period.
There is a telling verse from the great wisdom book of the Bible that says, “The horse is made ready for the day of the battle, but victory rests with the Lord” (Prov. 21:31). The vital dynamic contained in that verse is critical to maintain. Yes, the victory is always the Lord’s; we do not put our trust in horses. But it is our responsibility to ready the horse for the contest. If we don’t, we are not inviting the Lord’s victory. It is akin to Augustine’s adage about praying as if it all depends on God, but then working as if it all depends on you.*
I hope the Church of Canada turns things around. I hope they rekindle their evangelical moorings. I hope they risk creativity and innovation in their evangelistic efforts. I hope they pray like mad.
But I also pray they will not give way to an insidious theology that removes the responsibility and urgency to do something.
Because that is not what God would have them do.
Read more from James Emery White »
This article originally appeared on ChurchAndCulture.org and is reposted here by permission.
Sources
John Longhurst, Church of Canada May Disappear by 2040, Says New Report, Religion News Service, November 18, 2019
* The quote attributed to Augustine has also been attributed to St. Ignatius of Loyola.