The Growth and Decline of the Anglican Church in North America

The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) grew markedly in the years after its foundation in 2009. But the latest available figures show it has experienced decline as well as growth, depending on where you look. These new figures give a more textured picture of the nature of ACNA. They offer lessons for ACNA, but also for all Anglicans in North America. Read More

The logo is that of the Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others (DC4SO), one of the growing diocese in the Anglican Church in North America. The decline in the former TEC dioceses is most likely to due to demographics and a lack of enthusiasm for evangelism and church planting, a carryover from TEC. The lack of enthusiasm for evangelism and church planting in the TEC is why TEC and I parted company in 2002. It is also found in the Continuing Anglican Churches, a part of their inheritance from TEC. They are not known for their vigorous evangelistic outreach and church planting efforts. A worthwhile study would be why dioceses like the DC4SO and the Diocese of the Carolinas are growing; and what kind of growth are they experiencing--transfer growth, conversion growth; and what population segments are they reaching. Other dioceses and jurisdictions might learn from what they are doing. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted church attendance in the ACNA and other denominations. It will be interesting to see which dioceses and jurisdictions are most successful at rebounding from the effects of the pandemic.