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How is co-vocational ministry being experienced across Canada? Data from Co-Vocational Canada Symposium reveals insights from denominational leaders, co-vocational practitioners, and academic leaders as we consider ways to strengthen co-vocational congregations in our context.
I am an editor for the journal Post Christendom Studies. In the most recent issue we asked a number of scholars to reflect on the 2021 Canadian census with a view to understanding the implications of religious trends in Canada on the church today. The 2021 Canadian census confirmed trends in religious habits that are now cemented into the Canadian identity. It offered a picture of the reality that Canadians are increasingly less inclined toward participating in structured religious activities and are less inclined to belief in God. While there may not have been any great surprises in the latest census data it depicts some sobering realities for anyone engaged in church leadership. The diverse group of scholars, from Canada and elsewhere, came up with a number of thoughts that have implications for ministry in Canada and North America today. Here is a sampling of them.
There is increasing handwringing about the decline of the Canadian Church, but an analysis of our reconciled Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) dataset suggests the story is less bleak and more complex. This blog charts a decade of pre-Covid changes in net churches and charitable giving in eleven major Christian traditions. We find stories of decline, stability, and growth; and discover evidence that losses in congregations may not lead to equivalent losses in denominational engagement.
Let’s start with a personal anecdote. It’s a normal Thursday evening, I’m on the subway, on my way home after a day of work at the university. As I’m about to leave the metro station, two women stop me, saying with a big smile: “Are you a Christian? Are you saved?” After a very quick chat, they invite me to read a short prayer where I recognize I am a sinner and that if I want to get eternal life, I must give my life to Jesus. Then, the two women explained to me that that they are from Nigeria and that their Church (the Christ Embassy, one of the most powerful and successful transnational African Churches) is about to launch a congregation in my neighbourhood.
Encounters of this kind happen daily on Montreal’s public transit systems, which is why a colleague and I decided to do some fieldwork about Christians who evangelize in such public spaces. The questions guiding our research are simple: can we identify different strategies in the task of evangelizing urban populations? What do the people who evangelize in the streets and public transit systems expect to achieve? Do they care about finding strategies for most efficiently proclaiming the gospel in a post-Christian Quebec, or do other concerns animate their activities? How do the province’s lively debates about the visibility of religion in public spaces impact their evangelizing activities?
Violence and abuse happen across all types of relationships and backgrounds—economic, ethnic, and social. It involves physical, sexual, emotional, spiritual, and financial abuse to control and maintain power. This reality can be discouraging for Christians. Many wonder, “How can domestic violence happen in our church family, where we profess to live God’s love through Christ?”
The Flourishing Congregations Institute researches the Canadian Church, interpreting and sharing data with church leaders across the country.
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