Vision 2019
My vision is a visual one. To change the appearance of the average Anglican church membership and congregation. Instead of a relatively sparse collection of fairly elderly women to see it transformed into many males and females of all ages.
This is obviously much easier said than done! However, here are just two things that might help sew the seeds.
- Get a copy of the book: “Why Men Hate to go to Church” into every parish. It will help them understand some of the challenges revealed in a good, analytical discourse on how a church started by Jesus and twelve male disciples came to look the way it does today.
- Focus on getting far more parishes (and especially their clergy) to realize what they are missing by not using current communications techniques in distributing information to the community they serve. Church publications and web sites (if they exist) are often pathetic! This is also a way of challenging missing young people in our parishes to use their superior computer skills.
I won’t be around, because of my age, in 2019. On the other hand lifelong membership as an Anglican, as a warden in three churches, membership of Toronto Diocese Executive and General Synod has, I believe, given me some useful insights — even though I may have been part of the problem!
Best wishes for success of what really is a very admirable project.
Jim W., Cobourg, Ontario
