You may have heard the famous quote attributed to Mark Twain upon hearing reports of his death: “The report of my death has been grossly exaggerated.”

That quote, whether it’s accurate or not, was fresh on my mind as we concluded the ACNA Provincial Council meeting last week in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There was much online angst about what a mess the ACNA is in, given the various trials (literally), theological disagreements, churchmanship divergence, and more in the lead up to the Council. One would have thought the ACNA was on death’s door. In fact, I saw multiple headlines like, “Can the ACNA Survive This Latest…” or “Does This Mean the End of the ACNA?” 

What I experienced at Council was quite the opposite of what was feared. Those of us in attendance found the ACNA to be very much alive and well. During what some have called a “spicy” voting session there was very much a spirit of unity and Christian love on display. Believers in Jesus can disagree without being disagreeable, and I witnessed that in abundance last week. Also, the worship, both liturgically and musically, throughout the Council’s gathering was rich and filled with the Holy Spirit. The many reports about the good Kingdom work happening throughout the church both at home and abroad was encouraging, and even with honest acknowledgment of real challenges there was a sense of hope and strategy in addressing those realities head on with God’s help.

In short, the reports of the death of the ACNA have been grossly exaggerated!

Additionally, provincial leadership made significant strides in analyzing and reporting on the data collected from around the province. This is something the American Anglican Council has been looking forward to seeing for quite some time. We’ll be analyzing the data ourselves and looking for the areas needing the most strengthening, so we can run to the sound of the battle, as God leads us. We’ll share insights and opportunities with you as we make discoveries on some of the work ahead.

One of those data points showed the Council something that the AAC has focused on for quite some time. The ACNA has a lot of smaller, local churches in need of revitalization and renewal. This is the reason behind Anglican Revitalization Ministries and its three programs: Revive, Renew, and Reframe. All of these resources support existing churches, while other ministries focus on church planting; both are desperately needed in a growing province. We now have hard data that quantitatively confirms what we’ve long known qualitatively, verifying the continued need for increased church revitalization and renewal. 

This is what the province reported last week in the ACNA Mission Index 2025 report:

“Small Church Vulnerability & Regional Sustainability: The Province relies heavily on micro-churches, with 73% of all congregations averaging fewer than 100 worship attendees, and 48% of those averaging 50 or fewer. These smallest communities struggle to scale, averaging a gain of fewer than two attendees over three years. This poses a serious sustainability risk to broader governance structures: in 13 of the ACNA’s 27 dioceses, at least 80% of their churches fall into this vulnerable bracket of fewer than 100 attendees.”

“Demographic Headwinds of an Aging Population: Vital statistics reveal a trajectory of aging demographics across small and midsize parishes. Between 2022 and 2025, marriages performed across the Province dropped by 13%, while burials increased by 24%. This generational contraction is entirely isolated to churches with fewer than 250 attenders, revealing a stark cultural and structural divergence from the ACNA’s largest parishes, which saw marriages increase during the same period.”

Did you catch that?Half of the entire 1005 churches that make up the ACNA are under 50 in average Sunday attendance and almost 75% are under 100.

To be clear, bigger is not always better. A church can be big and unhealthy or small and healthy. Being healthy is what matters most. I’ve worked with enough churches who have between 100-200 in attendance that were still struggling and needed areas of their church life revitalized. Having said that, smaller churches, especially those under 50, have bigger hurdles to overcome to get healthier and grow, and aging, often tired members, can make it even more challenging to redirect a parish’s vision and direction. The ACNA has a great need to strengthen over half of its churches.

The good news is that the AAC’s Anglican Revitalization Ministries is uniquely called and equipped to address these needs. We’ve been developing proven and practical resources that already help many of these existing churches in need of revitalization. 

The Rev. Jedd Trenum, of The Anglican Church of the Valley in Staunton, VA, who is going through the Revive program, recently said of his experience: “I’m so thankful for the ministry of Canon Mark and the American Anglican Council. We’re already experiencing the fruit of our labor, and our parish is excited and enthusiastic to find ourselves in a new season of renewal and health as we clarify our mission for the advance of our Lord’s kingdom!”

As a designated Ministry Partner with the ACNA, we are looking forward to working together in even greater ways to see healthier and growing local churches, which will mean healthier and growing dioceses, which will mean a healthier and growing ACNA, so that together we will reach North America with the transforming love of Jesus!