THE VALLEY PULPIT: Does the Church have a future? 

Unless, like Rip Van Winkle, you have been sleeping through the last decade or so, you will have noticed that the churches are, generally speaking, in decline. To take an example, Census figures tell us that the United Church of Canada lost about a quarter of its supporters in the last 30 years of the 20 th century. Anglicans and Presbyterians are also in decline, if not free fall. In the UK only eight percent of people ever darken the door of a place of worship. Fewer people are going into ordained ministry (mostly second career folks, not ‘lifers’ like me). National offices in Toronto are sharing buildings instead of each denomination having its own. Article content

Congregations are closing or amalgamating because members and finances just aren’t there. Article content