Faced with declining enrolment and revenue that will force it to shutter churches on Vancouver Island, the Anglican Church is turning to the social medium where millions of followers already flock: Twitter.

The Anglican Diocese of British Columbia last weekend voted to close seven churches outright and move those congregations to "hub churches."

The meeting, during which several members tweeted updates to followers, came on the heels of an ominous recent report that predicted that the once powerful church was headed for extinction unless dramatic changes occur.

In addition to recommending that churches close, the report described Canada as a post-Christian society and urged a change in attitude to attract new members, including embracing modern forms of evangelism. A

mong other things, the report suggested members and lay people go "outside the walls of our parish buildings," to talk to people about the church and even invite them to a service.

Some clergy have already begun this modern missionary work, using social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, to reach new followers.

Rev Christopher Parsons said the notion of evangelism has traditionally struck a raw nerve among churchgoers, but he argued that the status quo hasn't worked for years.

"Over the years, the church has been able to rest on its laurels," he said. "You could open the church and its door and people would pour in."

That's not happening any more. Canon Parsons, who has his own Twitter account, said finding new faithful through social media isn't a gimmick. "On the one hand it's modern. On the other hand it's incredibly ancient," Canon Parsons said.

"The idea of doing church differently . . . there are examples of this happening all through the history of the church," Canon Parson added.

If anything, Canon Parsons drew comparisons to the church and Twitter groups. He attended a recent tweetup, (a social gathering organized by Twitter users), which he described as similar to church.

"The times I've gone, they know who I am. They know what I do, so we talk about church. And I say: 'What is church for you? What is important about this [tweetup]?' And they say: 'I find meaning. I find belonging. I find like-minded people.' I think: 'This is exactly like church.' "

The call for fresh approaches was contained in a 48-page document prepared by The Anglican Synod of the Diocese of British Columbia. Released in January, it repeated earlier predictions that the Anglican church in Canada is losing 13,000 members per year and risks extinction by the 2061.

As a result, the church synod last weekend voted to close seven churches outright, and their congregations will be urged to moved to so-called "hub" churches.

There are 54 Anglican churches on Vancouver Island and the adjacent Gulf Islands. More closings could occur in the future.

The changes have sparked concern, sadness and wariness about the future. "Will this work?" asked Christopher Page, the rector of St. Philip's in Victoria and archdeacon of Juan de Fuca.

"It could go either way. This is not a slam dunk. "It's not an easy task to be a Christian church in the present cultural climate. There are far too many other attractive options for Sunday morning."

But Archdeacon Page hopes people will return to religious institutions - and not simply because the Anglican church restructured and consolidated.

He said people crave a spiritual life and will tire of the individualism that pervades our culture.

"The hope lies in the reality, I believe, that people do have an abiding hunger in their hearts for something beyond themselves, some kind of transcendent reality. And I think the hope lies in the fact that in our culture, even as we speak, people are becoming dissatisfied and discontented simply with materialism and the focus on getting ahead in the world. And they're realizing that that is not a fully satisfying life."