01/19/2026
Encouraged at Church Yesterday
It was great to be at All Saints Church yesterday morning. My two daughters really enjoyed the service and listened to the entire message from Revelation 9.
I’m thankful for my Anglican friends who have stood firm, rejected compromise, and remain faithful to Scripture. This is NOT the Anglican Church of Canada and NOT the Church of England.
I also had the privilege of giving a copy of my book THE STREET to Pastor Peter Klenner and Pastor Ed Hird.
There are two chapters in my book that address Anglican history and my own journey, including reflections on the Anglican Church of Canada.
If you’re interested, you can download THE STREET for free here:
👉 https://www.brotherjohnelving.com/thestreetbook
Grateful for faithful churches, solid teaching, and seeing my kids truly engaged in church.
THE STREET Chapter 16
The Rampant Apostasy in the Anglican Church of Canada
First, I want to be clear that I deeply love and work with people in the LGBTQ+ and transgender community. I would gladly lay down my life for any one of them. I have many friends and have ministered to several through my street outreach. I also have family members who experience same-sex attraction, and I love them dearly. I do not discriminate against anyone.
In fact, I often reach out to this community because of that love. Many are marginalized and have experienced deep pain, especially those who have gone through irreversible procedures or life-changing transitions. But behind all of that is a precious soul, created by God and loved by the Father. Christ died for them on the cross, just as He died for me. There is always hope, forgiveness, and salvation for anyone who repents and turns to the Lord Jesus Christ.
I am a traditional Christian. I believe the number one reason the Anglican Church of Canada is collapsing before our eyes is spiritual. The church has drifted away from the authority of God’s Word. God’s original design for humanity is clear. In the beginning, God created male and female, and He ordained that the two would become one flesh in marriage. That is the relationship God blesses and calls holy. Scripture is very clear on this.
Jesus affirmed this truth in Matthew 19:4–6, saying, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female?” and, “The two shall become one flesh.” Marriage was defined by God, not culture.
Today I looked up the numbers, and they are shocking. Since 2017, the Anglican Church of Canada has lost over twenty-five percent of its Sunday attendance. Baptisms are down by roughly a third. Giving has fallen by nearly twenty percent. Most congregations are shrinking rapidly, especially among the younger generation.
Many Anglican leaders not only bless same-sex marriages but also offer prayers, services, and pastoral practices that affirm gender transitions and alternative identities. Several dioceses have developed or adapted liturgies and pastoral guidelines to accompany people through those transitions. These practices publicly celebrate a person altering or redefining the gender they were born with, and all the while, children are watching this happen in church.
God did not make a mistake when He created you. Every person is loved by the Father and uniquely formed for His glory.
During Pride Week 2018 in Victoria, Bishop Logan McMenamie presided over a Pride Eucharist at Christ Church Cathedral following the Dragball Games and the Big Gay Dog Walk. The event was promoted as a joyful conclusion to Pride Week and stands as clear evidence of how far the Anglican Church of Canada has drifted from its biblical foundation.
The church has traded timeless truth for cultural approval. When the church redefines what God has already defined, it no longer stands on Scripture. It stands on sand. The further any church moves from God’s Word, the faster it loses His blessing and power.
This is why we are seeing this decline. It is not merely about attendance numbers. It is a sign of spiritual decay. The solution is not politics or modern programs. The solution is repentance, a return to the authority of Scripture, and the preaching of Christ as Lord once again.
The ideologies of the trans movement and LGBTQ+ activism have now found a home in many pulpits. Across Canada, churches march proudly in parades that often feature open nudity and messages contrary to holiness, events children are sometimes encouraged to attend. Rather than guarding the next generation, the church is planting seeds of confusion in their hearts.
The Anglican Church of Canada and the Global Division
As I write this book in 2025, the Anglican Church of England and the Anglican Church of Canada are in major conflict with a global movement known as GAFCON, the Global Anglican Future Conference.
GAFCON is a worldwide coalition of orthodox Anglican provinces, dioceses, and churches, primarily from Africa, Asia, and South America. It was formed in 2008 to preserve traditional biblical teaching within Anglicanism. GAFCON represents millions of Bible-believing Anglicans who have rejected the authority of the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, after the church chose to bless same-sex unions and move further away from historic biblical teaching.
GAFCON leaders have declared that they no longer recognize Canterbury’s leadership and have formed their own council to preserve the historic Christian faith. If you are part of the Anglican Church of Canada, I encourage you to learn more about this movement.
The Anglican Church has a long and rich history within the Reformed tradition and remains home to many faithful pastors, families, and congregations who love the Lord and honor His Word.
I have many friends within the GAFCON movement here in Canada who love God, love the Bible, and share my deep concern for what has happened within the Anglican Church of Canada. God is calling His people back to holiness, repentance, and faithful teaching of Scripture. He is always calling His church back to the simplicity and power of the cross.
When I reflect with my Anglican friends and grieve with the wider Christian community, I see how far the Anglican Church of Canada has fallen from its biblical roots. Yet even in my sorrow, I hold on to hope. God’s mercy is still reaching out to leaders, congregations, and every heart willing to return to Him.
Instead of calling people to repentance and holiness, many pulpits have settled for being polite. Instead of preaching salvation through Christ alone, they offer messages of self-affirmation and moral relativism. When the church loses the gospel, it loses its power. When the fear of God is replaced with the fear of offending people, the Spirit of God withdraws His blessing. The decline we are witnessing is not random. It is the visible consequence of spiritual compromise.
Still, I do not write these words to condemn anyone. There are faithful believers within the Anglican Church who love Jesus deeply, and I thank God for them. My prayer is that God will raise up voices of truth and courage once again, men and women who will call this nation back to repentance, holiness, and Scripture.
Canada does not need another rebranding of religion. What we need is revival, a return to the cross, the power of the gospel, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. When God’s Word is preached without apology, people still respond. The gospel still works. It is the church that has changed, not the message of Christ.
A Personal Reflection
What made those early days even harder was being rejected by one of the largest churches in Canada. I knew God had sent me there, although I did not know why. If they had simply sat down and talked with me, allowing me to share my story, I would have left that same day. I did not want anything from them.
It was only after waiting so long, becoming sick and weak, that I began to think they might offer help. I was convinced that if I had been dressed nicely and carried a good reputation in the city, this never would have happened. It felt as though I was judged by my appearance: poor, homeless, and unclean.
As I sat in my apartment reflecting on those years, I did not realize another battle was about to begin. My health was declining and would soon break in ways I never expected. The next season would test my faith more than anything I had ever walked through in my life.
Core / Theology
Anglican / Church Discernment
Canada / Culture
Gospel / Repentance
Personal / Ministry
