Church Needs Clearer Vision, but It's Not on Death Row

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Noticing that something isn't working or is worn out doesn't require a great deal of ingenuity, only a degree of attentiveness. Genius is figuring out how to fix a problem. It's the ability to see the way forward.

It's no surprise, then, that lots of people can see problems with the institutional church these days.

Anglicans in Canada, the U.S. and England are involved in a degree of introspection. Both the Americans and English conducted major surveys recently to find out what the faithful, and perhaps the unfaithful, are looking for in the church. Canada has no official surveys under way. But that hasn't stopped self-appointed observers from diagnosing the church's problems.

Last year, Rev. George Eves of New Brunswick self-published a book on the decline of the church and sent it to all General Synod delegates. …