Tag: Discipleship

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Engaged Laity: A Case Study of a Certificate in Catholic Leadership

Are you a leader who is Catholic or a Catholic leader? This is one of the fundamental questions for participants in the Certificate in Catholic Leadership program at St. Jerome’s University. This non-credit program runs on an employer sponsorship model; organizations such as school boards, parishes, and non-profits send a range of participants for the year long experiential program that includes lectures and other foundational teachings, a local or international service learning experience, a cohort retreat, and a capstone project that brings something back to their home organization. Participants are supported both by liaisons at their organization and assigned mentors. The program was designed to meet the needs articulated by church and school leadership who identified a need to help form leaders and engaged laity. In particular, a gap was identified for people who need more than a workshop or in-service training but want something less than a Masters degree– either because they are in the season of family life that might make a traditional program too much of a commitment or because they are already (multiply) credentialed and simply want something more focused.

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Comparing Youth Engagement on Either side of the 49th

When it comes to religion, Canadian and American young adults display a remarkable similarity on at least one point: they’re hungrier for transcendent truth and more interested in matters of faith than previous generations. That’s just one key finding after think tank Cardus partnered with the Angus Reid Institute (ARI) to survey 5,000 Canadians and 5,000 Americans on the state of North American religiosity and faith in public life. This commonality between Canadians and Americans aged 18 to 34 stands in marked contrast to what this massive survey found more generally—that religion is different and operates differently on either side of the Canada-US border. (If you’re interested in those differences, you can read more about them here and here.)

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How Hospitable are Congregations to Pastors?

How hospitable are congregations to pastors? Pastors are often central in extending care and hospitality in congregations. But they need to be recipients of care by their congregations too, not just the givers of it – congregants are wise to consider how they prioritize this.

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Lessons from Christian witness in Vancouver

Dr. Ross Lockhart shares highlights from his recent research project studying 14 Christian communities in Vancouver, British Columbia where the major of the city’s population now identifies as having “no religion.”  Lockhart provides a summary of his findings with suggestions on areas for pastoral leaders to focus on in order to connect with their secular neighbour.

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Faith and the Future: Navigating the Church’s Reluctance Toward Emerging Technologies

As disruptive technology continues to shape the world, the Christian church faces critical decisions in engaging with advancements like Artificial Intelligence and digitalization. A recent study by Futuring Hub at Acadia Divinity College reveals surprising hesitations among Canadian church leaders toward four key technology trends, including hybrid worship and AI. These initial findings invite Christian leaders to thoughtfully discern technology’s role in ministry, recognizing both the potential for good and the ethical implications.

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Christian Identity vs. Christian Doctrine

Many Canadians identify as Christians, but what do they actually believe? Canadian Christians’ beliefs don’t necessarily match what their churches teach. That’s one of the key findings in a major new study by think tank Cardus, Still Christian(?): What Canadian Christians Actually Believe. Ray Pennings, Executive Vice President of Cardus, highlights some of the key inconsistencies between Christians’ personal beliefs and historical doctrines, which have significant implications for discipleship, evangelism, and reaching the next generation.

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Reverse Testimonies Behind the Shifting Stats: Blessed are the Undone Spotlights Canadian Deconstruction Stories

We have heard of the religious “nones” and “dones” but this book talks about the “undone.” Blessed are the Undone: Testimonies of the Quiet Deconstruction of Faith in Canada by Angela Bick and Peter Schuurman offers an assessment of the “deconstruction” trend by examining 70 “reverse testimonies” of conservative and evangelical Canadians. The stories form a pattern of 7 trigger issues that reveal the “church hurt” that leads to becoming undone. They insist, however, that deconstruction is the necessary precursor to the reconstruction of the church.

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