"If England adopts a new faith, alien to what has been handed to us together, they will walk apart. Simple as that," Akinola said at a Thursday news conference where he reaffirmed his stand on gay issues.

Last month, he accused Anglicanism's mother church of an "outrageous" departure from biblical teaching that is "totally unworkable (and) invites deception and ridicule."

Moreover, the average age of Christian congregations will have risen to 64 as the young abandon the churchgoing habits of older generations in the face of growing secularisation.

The total membership of all the denominations will fall from 9.4 per cent of the population to under five per cent by 2040, and 18,000 more churches will have closed, the report says.

Some officials believe New Orleans residents will be separated from their homes for another three to six months. In certain areas, it may be a year before the infrastructure is rebuilt and in others, there may be no going back.

Rev. Danny Hollins of Greater Fairview Baptist Church in Jackson, Miss., says the decision to take in 68 members of an extended family is the biggest test he's encountered as a pastor.

About 100 Church of the Redeemer parishioners held a service on the grounds of their ruined church.

Not a brick remained standing, and most of the rubble had been swept off the site. But spirits soared as members of the Episcopal church gathered and saw each other for the first time since the storm.

"To see so many people here and well is wonderful," said Marcia Swetman, who has attended the church for 36 years.