The Church of England may be turning to other traditions for revitalization amid plummeting numbers, in hopes that “fresh” preaching styles will reinvigorate and reverse their declining membership.
While the cathedrals and church buildings The Church of England owns are impressive, “these days that’s not enough to fill the pews,” the Associated Press reported Thursday.
A proposal that was likely to be approved Friday at a synod meeting would allow local bishops to decide who can preach sermons in Anglican churches without previous approval from the Archbishop of Canterbury and York, which is the case at present.
“The Church of England thinks it can make itself more attractive by resorting to style,” said Gavin Ashenden, who is a former chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II.
“It’s the end of the snobbishness that the Church of England has confined itself with,” he said, expressing concern that the Church might suffer a “demographic meltdown.”
The average age of a Church of England parishioner is 68.
Yet many were moved by the enthusiastic preaching style of Anglican Michael…
… Read More
—-
Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.