It sometimes seems that Anglicans, at least in America, are like something out of a fairy-tale. We read about them occasionally, but when pressed we would have a hard time saying who they are and what exactly they have done for Christianity. It doesn't help matters that much ink has been spilled, including by myself, about the demise of the Church and its never ending controversies. But this is really only half the picture.

As congregational leaders, we must confront the fact that our churches are dying. While we may wish they were timeless and eternal, at the core our churches are living human organisms, and dying is what all living organisms eventually do. But first they are born, live, adapt, create new life, and pass on their DNA to the next generation.

While I believe we need to understand reality inside our ranks, I don't believe the situation is quite as dire as many are making it out to be. Actually, no serious researcher believes Christianity in America is dying. Not one.

Instead, I believe this current cultural shift is bringing clarity that will assist in defining who we are as Christians, and that is a good thing in some ways.

Meena: Rescued from Death, Now an Evangelist

Meena Kumari was born into a traditional carpenter's family where she grew up worshipping many Hindu idols and practicing many rituals. She studied up to 9th grade, but after that her family felt that girls should not study any further and planned for her marriage. When she was 15 years old, she got a wound in her leg that she did not take seriously-she put some medicine on it but it never healed.