A wealth of data suggests that we are headed in the same general direction, if more slowly. At the same time, news out of Britain indicates that there are clear bright spots in the midst of the gloom of decline. Anglican Cathedral churches, as I noted last year (here), are growing in numbers and vitality. The Fresh Expressions movement, again especially among Anglican churches, seeks to respond to decline with new ways of "doing church" and is doing so with some success. In any event, what is happening in England and Wales is what is happening across much of Europe. The old-time European concept of Christendom by which the church and the nation were intimately intertwined has become a thing of the past. Churches have to find their own way in a world that is more disinterested in than hostile to its "quaint" lingering presence. The challenge, of course, is to become un-quaint. In truth, that is our challenge here in the U.S. as well.
What this means, however, is not that the church become more relevant. It means that the Christian faith needs to be seen as a viable life-option in a secular age. It is discovering Christ again and sharing that discovery, not saving the church, that is the key to the future.
