From here:
Nearly four years ago, the Anglican Diocese of B.C. recommended closing 11 churches across Greater Victoria, and selling the property in a bid to reduce debt and reinvigorate itself in the face of shrinking congregations.
Out of the 11, three have sold and two are leased by other organizations. The remainder are open for business as Anglican churches, and no longer face imminent closure, largely by strokes of luck.
“They were put all on the market at once, the ones people wanted to buy immediately are the only reason (others remain),” said Rev. Chris Parsons, speaking for the diocese. “We only wanted to sell a certain amount and re-evaluate what was needed.”
Properties like St. Saviour in Vic West and St. Martin in the Fields in Saanich sold, the former to a dance company and the latter to an evangelical denomination.
St. Columba in Saanich’s Strawberry Vale and All Saints in View Royal have closed as Anglican churches and the space is leased out (St. Alban’s had sold in 2009, prior to the mass sale).
Others once on the block – St. David by the Sea in Cordova Bay, St. Peter’s in Lakehill, St. Philip and St. Mary in Oak Bay and St. Mary in Metchosin – survived by the grace of not being attractive to other organizations or property developers.
[….]
A steadily declining congregational base, the basis for church closures and sales, and internal debates on issues such as same sex marriage still remain a problems for the Anglican Church.
A report from the diocese estimated that in 2009 barely one per cent of B.C. residents identify as Anglican. St. David sees about 40 parishioners on Saturdays and Sundays, and St. Peter’s sees about 60 people between two Sunday services.
St. Mary in Metchosin which is “not … attractive to other organizations or property developers” once housed a flourishing congregation that left the diocese to join ANiC.
The fact that an evangelical denomination bought one of the buildings as, presumably, part of their growth contains a message that will probably be lost on the Diocese of BC.
What do you expect? People want to go to a Church to hear the Gospel preached! Well, people don’t go to Church for this! This is too much, thank you, no. I want a place to go where there is peace and fellowship with a body of believers. This is the very essence that built these Churvhes and kept them going. Our Church, St John’s Vancouver, is ANIC and doing very well, we rent and pay the bills. The preaching and Bible Studies are Bible based.
We’ve done the same thing over here on the Island and we, too, rent and pay the bills – and don’t have to listen to propaganda: we get the Gospel.
As a Latin-rite Catholic who worships on occasion with the Ordinariate group at St. Columba’s, it pains me to witness what is happening to the Anglican Church. It pains me to witness Anglicans being turfed out of their parishes by so-called tolerant overseers who frequently use their office to marginalize opposition to a twisted agenda which, as has been well noted here, is leading to the death of a communion and a once important ecumenical partner. Were it not for a firm belief that God will draw all people to Himself, and that Truth (capital “T”) will prevail, my hopes for christian unity would be all but destroyed by the Anglican Communion’s further drift away from orthodox Christianity.
Frankly, dialog with Anglicans of the ACoC and TEC variety is becoming next to impossible because the shifting sands of Anglican theology make it so. Those continuing Anglican groups that are striving to be faithful to the Gospel represent a much more engaging and fruitful ecumenical prospect.
Lastly, it seems particularly un-Christian that the Diocese of BC would sell buildings to non-Anglicans while ANiC folk are ignored or refused consideration. I understand the arguments employed by the Diocese to avoid or prevent sale of properties to ANiC congregations. The actions of the Diocese of BC, to this Catholic at least, seem unnecessary, unreasonable, baleful or certainly far from charitable.
It doesn’t seem to work in that the ANIC Congregations are still going strong and without their offerings in the old buildings results in financial problems resulting in sales. These buildings had kept going for 100 or so years until now. The quality of sermons in the ANIC Churches are very good as well as Bible Studies and learners’ exchange. It seems in our society now we’re changing anything into anything and calling it all sorts of things and it it works is ok. Is that true or just plain unclear and confusing?
I worshiped at St. Peter’s Lakehill from 1979 to 1989. I was very active in the Parish, including participating in the Choir. I was encouraged by the “Senior” members of the Parish to run for Parish Council, by all existing members of the outgoing council. I did so, and ultimately was elected to the new Council. When I was asked to run, I was told that the church wanted “youth participation”, and wants to hear from it’s youth.
I attended the first meeting of the new council, and soon discovered that Politics is a part of church life too. Prior to election I was told the views of youth were valued. At that first meeting the same people that asked me to run, now told me to sit in corner and shut up, because the “senior” members were the financial “backbone” of St. Peter’s. The Rector, (who had been a Family friend for over 50 years) made no effort to protect me, or to control the comments levelled against me by those senior members.
That was the last Parish Council I ever attended. I apparently was not missed, Not one member of that council, nor the Rector asked me to return. Those “senior” members who treated me so badly, will all be gone by now, and they therefore will no longer be the financial backbone of that parish. By alieniating it’s Youth, St. Peter’s future was well on it’s way to the financial ruin long ago.
I learned my lesson well. I was married at St. Peter’s, and I will never step foot inside it again. My children have never been introduced to any form of religion, and they never will be. I no longer consider myself a Christian at all. I am sharing my story with you, not because I am vendictive, but because I believe that the Anglican Church could learn from my words, and hopefully survive without me. I can not be “saved” so please don’t bother trying, I am merely sharing my disallusionment with you in hopes that it helps you, understand that the actions of men and women within that church, have destroyed an entire generation of future Christians, and that internal pressures have as much to do with decline of the Anglican church, as external pressures.
It pains me to say it, but my wounds are still fresh, even though it was more than 25 years ago that I left. If the Anglican Church is going to survive, it needs to accept that Youth are it’s future. Please remember that while your Youth do very little for you financially, they are likely to be successful later, when they can support your churches financially. Please cherish your youth, and please treat them properly. It is much too late to save me, or my children, but you have an opportunity to build future parishioners if you treat your youth properly now.
Hi Patrick: Sorry to hear about your sad testimony! We must continue to remind ourselves that the future of the Church depends on Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) said that we should invite the youth “to struggle, along with the rest of the church, to discern the presence of Christ in their midst” (Christianity Today, January/February 2015, p. 36). No church will grow if Jesus Christ is not in charge of it.
Hello Patrick,
Your story is not unique. When I was in my early twenties I served on the Building Committee for our Parish. A legal question came up at one of the meetings about a “letter of intent”. Having graduated from a College with a Diploma in Business Administration I was fully aware of contract law including the letter of intent. I expressed my concerns and was told that I was wrong. Later it was discovered that I was 100% right. But it was too late. The letter had been issued and the hands of the Parish were legally tied.
I guess the point that I am agreeing with you is that the talk of including youth is just that. Nothing more than talk. But that seems to be the way with the current leadership of the Anglican Church of Canada. Lots of talk about being inclusive and accommodating, but that’s all it is. So long as you go along with their agenda than you are fully included. But go against them and you quickly find out that they only pretend to listen, which is more insulting than anything else.
Still though. Decisions must be made, and after everyone has had their reasonable opportunity to contribute to the discussion we must be willing to accept the decisions that are made (so long as these decision do not go against God).
Hopefully you will realize that a bad experience in one denomination (or even just one Parish) is not the way it is everywhere. If you ever do come to a Church it will be quite likely that you will have something valuable and important to contribute. At the very least you can tell others that are your age (I am guessing that you might be in your 50’s) of your experiences and to help them to not make the same mistakes that were made by others not so long ago.