Anglican Communion targets one million new or revitalized churches by 2036
A plan for the largest missionary expansion in Anglican history has been unveiled in Belfast.
The Anglican Communion has presented its Vision36 strategy, which aims to establish or revitalize one million congregations worldwide by 2036. The plan is expected to attract around 20 million new followers and firmly shift the focus of Anglican missionary work toward Africa, Christian Daily reports.
The project was unveiled in Belfast during the 19th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council. The initiative calls on every province, diocese, and parish to take part in establishing new communities.
Robert Sihubwa of Central Africa, who presented the program, stressed the need to make the Church as accessible as possible.
“This is a vision of bringing the Church into the world and as close to the people as possible, so that no one has to travel long distances to find the nearest Anglican church,” he said.
According to Sihubwa, Anglicanism “has something to offer the world,” and the creation of one million churches over the next decade will provide a means of realizing that potential.
Africa is expected to play a central role in the success of Vision36. According to researchers, 30.7% of the world’s Christians now live in sub-Saharan Africa, allowing the region to surpass Europe in this respect.
This demographic shift has led African churches to be increasingly viewed as leaders in evangelization and church planting, while attendance at European parishes continues to decline sharply.
Vision36 builds on the foundation laid by the Decade of Intentional Discipleship, an earlier program that helped develop educational resources and strengthen ties between Anglican Communion churches in 165 countries. If successfully implemented, the project will become one of the largest coordinated missionary expansion efforts in Anglican history.
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