The Episcopal Church appears to be at a crossroads. The decisions our leaders make in the next two or three years may determine our prospects for centuries to come.

One course would be to continue the re-shaping of the church along the lines pursued in the last 25 years. It has been a time of diminished expectations and of theological confusion. We have declined from 3.6 million members to 2.4 million, and we might drop to 1.5 million by 2025. Many parishes would close or merge. Hundreds of those remaining would have very small congregations and would lack the means to employ full-time rectors or priests-in-charge. The Episcopal Church would become a minor sect like the United Church of Christ or the Disciples of Christ.

The other path would be to restore our Anglicanism and our relationship to the worldwide Anglican Communion. This would require a sharp turnabout. We would embrace the teaching of the Communion and undertake serious evangelism. We would listen more to the Archbishop of Canterbury and less to the National Council of Churches. We would give priority to helping poorer countries and upholding Anglican norms of behavior. I do not know whether the second option is still open to us. It may be too late. Could it be that the Holy Spirit has decided that the Episcopal Church has made its contribution and is no longer needed?

Manning M. Pattillo, Jr.

Atlanta, Ga.