ANGLICAN JOURNAL Since 1875 anglicanjournal.com @anglicanjournal vol. 146 no. 1 january 2020 g SPECIAL REPORT Gone by 2040? Statistics report a ‘wake-up call’ to church, says primate Tali Folkins STAFF WRITER Recently released data suggesting the church’s rate of decline has not slowed over the past decade and a half— while not surprising—should serve as a useful reality check for Canadian Anglicans, says Archbishop Linda Nicholls, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada. SHUTTERSTOCK / PLANT “I don’t think they’re a surprise to anybody,” Nicholls said of the statistics in an interview with the Anglican Journal. CHARLES “Anybody who’s been in the church in the pews, or as a priest, BY or as a deacon or a bishop has known that this decline has been PHOTO happening. We see it every Sunday, we see it in lots of ways. FROM “I think it is a wake-up call…. If people are not coming to the church and finding a place of hope and good news, then we have to ADAPTED , ask, ‘How are we presenting that hope and good news to this current generation and time? And what might need to be tried?’” TOWNSEND MATTHEW : See STATISTICS, p. 6 IMAGE g A LETTER FROM CUBA g THE ROAD AHEAD g GREEN SHOOTS g THE PHILOSOPHER g I’LL BE THERE 3 10 12 14 19 Balancing institution, What will Sunday Community outreach Churches may shrink 20-40 on 2040: Young mission: Lessons from morning look like, in fuels thriving but will survive in our Anglican thinkers on a changing church the years to come? congregations secular age: Taylor the church’s future Episcopal bishop of Cuba Buildings are closing and Following discussion of Why are so many While the church faces offers reflections on the congregations merging, or church statistics, the House congregations in Western significant questions about church’s role in the world. even meeting in houses. of Bishops and Council of countries shrinking? In its future, there are young General Synod were asked an exclusive interview, the Anglicans who plan on to consider some “green Anglican Journal spoke seeing that future, whatever shoots” in the church. with Charles Taylor, one of its shape. The Anglican In that spirit, the Anglican Canada’s most recognizable Journal asked some of the Journal spoke to five philosophers, on what church’s younger theological thriving churches, some the future might hold for thinkers to share their PM# 40069670 of which were even facing established churches—and reflections on church closure before managing to why people are drawn to decline and what they turn things around. faith in the first place. anticipate ahead. 2 anglican journal • january 2020 COUNCIL OF CoGS roundup: Decrease in contributions prompts GENERAL SYNOD4 vote on 2021 contingency provision By Anglican Journal Staff Diocesan contributions, which account for 87% of General Synod’s net revenue, have decreased by around 20% over the past 25 years, Council of General Synod (CoGS) heard Nov. 9 during a budget presentation by General Synod treasurer Hanna Goschy. Following the presentation, CoGS voted to approve the 2020 budget and a contingency provision for the 2021 budget that would see $250,000 made available from the church’s Ministry Investment Fund to balance that year’s budget, if required. During General Synod in July, then- [Racism] bishop of the diocese of Athabasca 5 Anglican that has not met its commitment in three Fraser Lawton, a member of the financial Next Sacred Circle planned is certainly at Council of consecutive previous years and a $60,000 for June 2020 “ management committee, reported that Indigenous undesignated contingency. Goschy noted the heart, in proportional gifts, the money forwarded by Peoples members in her presentation that the total budgeted The next gathering of Sacred Circle—a our country, the dioceses to the national church every lead the Council proportional gifting in 2020 is $862,000 meeting of Indigenous Anglicans from across Canada—will be held June 14-19 in of some of the year, declined by $519,000 in 2018. This of General Synod lower than the actual figures from 2016. Orillia, Ont., CoGS heard Nov. 8. drop represented the largest single-year in a hymn Friday, The motion to make an additional challenges Sacred Circle—the largest gathering decrease in proportional gifts the church Nov. 8. (l-r): $250,000 available from the Ministry of our had suffered since 1994, Lawton told of the Indigenous Anglican church—is Judith Moses, Investment Fund, if required, to balance relationship General Synod at the time. normally held every three years. It met Canon (lay) the 2021 budget was passed after an In her presentation to CoGS, Goschy most recently in August 2018, so the next with Donna Bomberry, amendment from the floor reiterated that noted that because proportional giving meeting will come a year earlier than Indigenous Archbishop Mark this would be a one-time measure. makes up such a large portion of General “It is a one-time request given that usual. But organizers felt that after the MacDonald, Shilo peoples, for Synod revenue, “that’s pretty critical, to proportional gifts have decreased quite passing of a number of resolutions at Clark, Canon racism in its understand where that’s coming from and substantially on very short notice for 2019, General Synod last July formalizing the Murray Still, systemic forms the direction that it’s going.” and forecast in the 2020 budget,” said Goschy. creation of a self-determining Indigenous Canon Ginny is embedded in Goschy also said that it was important In total, CoGS approved four resolutions church within the Anglican Church of for the council to “understand exactly where Doctor. related to the budget: to approve the Canada, they wanted to move as quickly the laws and most of our revenue is coming from,” and PHOTO: MATT GARDNER 2020 operating budget (with a surplus of as possible on “putting some meat on in the ways in provided a chart detailing contributions $34,934); to approve the 2020 capital budget the bones of what a self-determining which we have from each diocese over a number of years. (with expenditures of $55,900); to approve Indigenous church will look like,” Canon lived together. Goschy noted on a line graph how this four grants totalling $250,000 for 2020 by Murray Still, co-chair of the Anglican giving has declined since 1995, with a much the Ministry Investment Fund; and to make Council of Indigenous Peoples (ACIP), —Archbishop Linda steeper decline beginning in 2017. an additional $250,000 available in order to told CoGS. Nicholls, primate “In 1995, proportional giving was ensure a balanced 2021 budget. The agenda, he said, will include topics about $9.4 million. It’s $7.6 million in the such as finances and stewardship, with the 2020 budget. So, that’s a decrease of $1.8 Primate hopes to make racial short-term objective of setting up some million over 25 years, or about 20%.” Its justice a focus for the church benefits for currently non-stipendiary level remained relatively stable at around Indigenous Anglican clergy, he said. $8.4 million in the period of 2008 to 2017, In her first address as primate to CoGS, Goschy added. Archbishop Linda Nicholls, primate of the Jubilee Commission presents She noted that, as CoGS had heard Anglican Church of Canada, said one of early work on path to the previous evening, Anglican church the tasks she wanted the church to focus on in coming years was fighting racism. ‘equitable funding base’ for membership and attendance have declined Indigenous church sharply in recent years. “The decrease in “I believe that it is at the heart of many The Jubilee Commission has started the proportional giving actually is not as steep areas of difficulty for us,” she said. “It is work needed to propose a “just, sustainable as those statistics indicated, and mostly certainly at the heart, in our country, of and equitable funding base for the self- that’s because there are fewer donors, but some of the challenges of our relationship determining Indigenous Anglican church,” they are giving more,” Goschy said, adding with Indigenous peoples, for racism in its CoGS heard Nov. 7. that “despite decreases in attendance of systemic forms is embedded in the laws Judith Moses, chair of the commission, the church, proportional giving hasn’t and in the ways in which we have lived told CoGS that the group had convened decreased as much. However, I think the together,” the primate told CoGS Nov. 7. three video-based teleconferences, had story’s going to change very soon.” But the primate said she had also seen developed a new logo and now had a Proportional giving is based on a target racism within the church. website where information could be percentage of 26% of diocesan revenue, “I’ve seen the pain amongst clergy of gathered. though not all dioceses commit to giving colour who are very clear when I ask them, Moses said the commission has that figure. Annually, dioceses indicate ‘Have you been a victim of racism in our been given a number of tasks, including their planned giving for the fiscal year church?’ and every one of them nods.” examination of historic and current funds around May. In the current fiscal year, She said she had seen clergy be turned made available to Indigenous ministry; Goschy told CoGS, a number of dioceses down for positions in parishes for no assessment of funds that are designated advised in September that they will not be other reason that she could see than “an to Indigenous programming; and able to meet their current commitment.