The small turnout was support for Reverend David Yarde’s assessment that the universal Anglican Church “appears to be slowly dying”.
During his sermon Yarde said the church was unable to capture lost souls, as evidenced in Europe, especially where hundreds of Anglican churches were closing their doors and being turned into department stores, pubs, theatres and schools.
“We can safely reach a logical conclusion that members of our Anglican churches are slowly leaving. Some are leaving and attending other denominations, whilst on the other hand some are so frustrated with the culture of the Anglican Church that they are just staying at home,” he said, adding that people could no longer cope with the negative behaviour that emanates from the church.
Yarde said the diocese might not be experiencing the physical closure of the church, but many of its members had already closed the doors of their hearts to the church.
“Whether we believe it or not, many of our faithful congregation members have already gone and others are in the departure lounge awaiting exit . . . ,” he said.
“Many will tell that there are too many cliques or social groupings within the church. They can no longer feel that sense of harmony and unity that should exist within the body of the church. In contrast, they are experiencing tension, loneliness, disunity and a sense of bewilderment.
“How many more must go before the church rouses from its slumber and recognizes that it must listen to the voices of its people, that there must be changes in its thinking, in the way it does things, especially in this new, demanding technological age?
“We can no longer have leaders who are not inclined to change, who believe that they are CEOs of the institutions and so whatever goes,” he said.
Noting that the Anglican Church was not alone with regard to the exodus, Yarde said St Paul offered some words of consolation in his letter to the Philippians.
According to Yarde, St Paul demonstrated the quality of life that a Christian should emulate. He said that even though Paul was incarcerated, his letter served to confirm that he was a slave for Christ.
