Anglican Bishop James Cowan says the church is trying to avoid a crisis by closing 14 churches on Vancouver Island. (Anglican Diocese of B.C.)

The Anglican Church of Canada may close 14 of its 59 churches on Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands because of falling attendance.

Five other churches would be renamed and become so-called "hub churches," which would provide services in the areas affected by closures, Bishop James Cowan said in a report released Tuesday.

'A crisis could come if we don't act.'— Bishop James Cowan

"We have the choice at this time to be able to make the choice for a transformational change, focused on mission and where we're going, rather than dwindling," Cowan – the top Anglican bishop in the province – said at a news conference in Victoria.

Parish churches need at least 150 members to stay alive, and the churches he recommended for closing do not have that many, Cowan said.

One church, with a congregation of about 45, has trouble paying its hydro bill.

"I would not say we are yet a church in crisis," Cowan said. "We are a church that is saying a crisis could come if we don't act."

Report goes to synod in March

Cowan said the five hub churches would have enough members to stop focusing on survival. They could look beyond themselves to grow. The churches that close would be sold or rented, potentially raising millions for new ministries, he said.

Anglicans needed to stop focusing on their local churches and reach out to the community, said Dr. Canon Martin Hendy, who co-chaired the team that wrote the report.

"We live in a post-Christian era now," Hendy said. "They're not coming through our doors in sufficient numbers, so we must go to them where they are."

Bishop Cowan said that if the report is approved at a synod in March, it would take 18 months to put into place.