http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2011/December/Anglican-Fever-Youth-Flock-to-New-Denomination-/The American Anglican Church has broken away from the liberal Episcopal Church and enjoys a solidarity with the Latin American and African Anglican Communion.
A Different Approach
While property battles are still a reality for many congregations, ACNA leadership doesn't want to focus on the courtroom drama.
Instead, the group is ambitiously planting new churches with a goal to double in size to 2,000 churches in five years.
The strategy involves combining Anglican tradition with modern church planting models from Africa.
"They're actually following some of their southern and global Anglican churches in how they're building churches using less trained leadership," explained Lon Allison, evangelism expert and director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College.
This is exactly what's happening in Chicago.
Rev. William Beasley has overseen the planting of nine Anglican churches in and around college campuses there. He said he expects continued growth with students.
"I think we're actually just beginning," he said. "We're at the very beginnings of something that's perched to grow exponentially."
What's drawing young people to the Anglican Church is what many would not expect. It's about sacraments, like weekly Communion and traditional prayers, that the entire congregation participates in reading.
"I like the fact that it's something that Christians around the world are saying, and that they've been saying it for a long time," said Wheaton College student Josh Melby who attends a church just off campus.
"I grew up in a Baptist church my whole life," fellow student Michelle Nelson added. "So coming to an Anglican church where there's liturgy and sacraments every week, I appreciate the tradition."
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