THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND WILL BE DEAD IN TWENTY YEARS

from Midwest Conservative Journal by The Editor

What is blindlingly obvious, Alex?

The Church of England will no longer be “functionally extant” in 20 years time according to some projections, a member of the General Synod has warned.

The Rev Dr Patrick Richmond, from Norwich, told members of the Church’s national assembly that they were facing a “perfect storm” of ageing congregations and falling clergy numbers.

The average age of congregations was 61, with many above that, he said.

“These congregations will be led by fewer and fewer stipendiary clergy … 2020 apparently is when our congregations start falling through the floor because of just natural wastage, that is people dying.

“Another 10 years on, some extrapolations put the Church of England as no longer functionally extant at all.”

I don’t accept any of the various explanations for the decline of the Church of England. Because none of them get to the heart of the matter any better than this:

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away.

Churches don’t die because of their histories or internal contradictions in their theologies or any of the rest of explanations that keep getting bandied about. Churches die when they become afraid to continue to serve their Lord because of what the world might say.