Institutions in Decay — Watch and Learn
The story of the Anglican Church in Canada is the story of an institution in Decay — the last and final stage in the rise and fall of movements.
It’s a recurring pattern in history. In The Rise and Fall of Movements I tell the story of a dynamic missionary movement on both sides of the Atlantic that inspired tens of thousands of university students to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
It was known as the Student Volunteer Movement (SVM), it’s expression on local university campuses was called the Student Christian Movement (SCM).
I contrast the SCM of the 1880s in the United Kingdom with the SCM of the 1980s. The divergence could not be more stark.
What’s the relevance for today? The pattern recurrs again and again. Evangelical movements that once pursued the Great Commisson — multiplying disciples and churches — drift from and then deny their Identity. It may take decades, but the results are always the same — Decline followed by Decay.
Here are the signs of a movement in Decay:
From drift to denial: The declining institution wanders from its Identity. In Decay the institution denies its Identity as a missionary movement under the Word and the Spirit.
Breakdown and collapse: It experiences a rapid loss of membership, leaving a band of bureaucrats whose beliefs and behavior no longer reflect the movement’s origins. The institution exists on artificial life-support through asset sales, state support, and funds invested by past generations.
Bypassed: The rise of new movements: New movements arise on the fringe and are rejected by the declining institution; these new movements eventually replace the decaying one. (In the case of the Anglican Church of Canada, and the US Episcopalian Church, they are being bypassed by the rise of the evangelical Anglican Church in North America.)
What are we to do to avoid Decline and Decay? Watch and learn: Be sober and alert, praying you would be renewed by his Word and the Holy Spirit and remain faithful to his Mission.
