This is the first of a series of articles on the Canadian church. In this series, we will be drawing on the expertise of a variety of researchers and church leaders, including sociologist Reginald Bibby, pollster Andrew Grenville, Regent College professor John Stackhouse and many others.
Church attendance in Canada is declining rapidly. Atheism is rising. Christian moral values are being replaced by secular ones. Canada is no longer a Christian nation, and Canadian Christians will soon be a persecuted minority.
These are among some of the understandings — and, in some cases, misunderstandings — prevalent among Canadians.
But what is the actual state of Canadian Christianity? That is the question that we hope to address in this series. The reality is that the situation is far more complex than it seems at first.
Church attendance
Let’s begin with church attendance. This has been analyzed by the Canadian government in censuses and in the General Social Survey, by polling agencies such as Ipsos Reid and by various scholars, most notably Dr. Reg Bibby, a sociologist at the University of Lethbridge. While there is always some variation in statistics, the most obvious trend over the last half-century or so is that weekly church attendance has declined very considerably.
The first systematic survey, a Gallup poll, placed weekly church attendance at 60 percent in 1945. Some surveys place the figure even higher in the 1950s, approaching 70 percent. However, in Bibby’s words, weekly attendance dropped “to just over 30 percent in 1975 and to around 20 percent by 2000.”
The assumption has been that the percentage will continue to drop as Canada becomes more secularized. That is, it has been expected that church attendance in Canada will soon reach the levels of Western Europe, where it has dropped below 10 percent in most countries.
However, Bibby has argued that this is not necessarily the case. Bibby’s detailed research into the Canadian religious scene has been outlined in numerous articles and books, including Fragmented Gods (1987), Unknown Gods (1993), Restless Gods (2002) and Restless Churches (2004). Bibby’s most recent major survey, in 2005, pegged weekly church attendance at 25 percent. Moreover, attendance among teens aged 15 – 19, which had dropped to 18 percent in 1992, had increased to 22 percent in 2000.
It is probably too early to tell whether weekly attendance has really turned the corner. Andrew Grenville, formerly of Ipsos Reid and now Chief Research Officer with Angus Reid Strategies, told CC.com he remains unconvinced. While he saw some evidence of church attendance plateauing about the year 2000, a 2006 Ipsos survey showed weekly attendance had dropped further, to 17 percent.
Other measures
Further, there is considerable uncertainty as to whether weekly attendance is the best measure of Christian faith in Canada. Bibby has pointed out that if we ask if people attend church at least monthly, instead of weekly, the decline is far less drastic. Monthly attendance dropped from 41 percent in 1975 to 37 percent in 1980 and to 30 percent in 2000 but rebounded to 34 percent in 2005. In other words, in the 25 years between 1980 and 2005, monthly attendance dropped only 3 percent.
The decline is even less drastic if one looks at yearly attendance. A 2007 Ipsos study found that 67 percent of Canadians attend a religious service at least once a year. This level is supported by other research.
Thus, the question is not so much why half of Canadians have abandoned the church — as the drop from 70 percent weekly attendance to 20 percent weekly attendance seemed to suggest — but why this half of the Canadian population now attends church only sporadically.
It could be argued that the decline in attendance indicates a decline in Christian commitment. It could also be asked why the institutional church has failed to retain the loyalty of so many Canadians who claim to believe what the church believes. (These issues will be discussed more fully in later articles in this series.)
The decline in weekly attendance may also partly represent a change in Canadian culture and society. More people work on Sundays now, for instance.
“Canada is a nation of believers but not belongers,” said Grenville. It is not just churches that are losing members. Fewer Canadians now belong to Boy Scouts, labour unions, political parties or service clubs such as Kiwanis or Rotary. Robert Putnam analyzed this North American trend in his book Bowling Alone. There has been not just a privatization of religion but a fragmentation of society.
Belief is a different question
Bibby has pointed out that the percentage of Canadians who claim to be atheists is only 7 percent, virtually unchanged from 6 percent in 1975 — and even some of them attend church occasionally.
The General Social Survey discovered that those with “no religious affiliation” rose from 12 percent in 1985 to 19 percent in 2004, but most of these people still claim to believe in God.
This is in sharp contrast to the situation in Europe, where belief in the existence of God has dropped from about 80 percent to close to 50 percent over the past 30 years.
Two-thirds of Canadians still identify themselves as Christians. Ipsos studies reveal that 64 percent of Canadians believe the Bible is the Word of God, 62 percent believe in forgiveness through Christ, 45 percent pray daily, and 41 percent say they have committed their lives to Christ.
Because of this residual faith in God, compared to the situation in Europe, both Grenville and Bibby have argued that it is possible for the church to reconnect with a majority of Canadians.
Over the past 60 years, church attendance in Europe has experienced a steady and dramatic decline. Over the same period, church attendance in the United States has shown remarkable stability, remaining at about 40 percent. In Canada, church attendance has shown considerable volatility, ranging from 70 percent to 20 percent. In fact, the 70 percent in the 1950s represents the ‘high water mark’ and is perhaps the harder figure to explain — the data we have suggests that the percentage was considerably lower in every period before this.
Given this volatility, it is impossible to predict where Canadian church attendance will go in future, said Grenville. Referring to the 1950s surge, he stated: “There is no reason it can’t or won’t happen again.”
Next week: A look at various church traditions: Who is growing and who is not?
“While there is always some variation in statistics, the most obvious trend over the last half-century or so is that weekly church attendance has declined very considerably.” – This is good news indeed; it demonstrates that people, on average, are gradually becoming more intelligent. I am hopeful that we will see Christianity be treated as equal to Greek mythology peacefully.
hold it; no cause for alarm. the trend will be reversed soon. my family ( a chosen generation of God) will be relocating to canada. We are preparing to bring a spiritual revival. May the Lord grant me grace, favour and mercy in this task.
I’d wondered a lot about religion in Canada and the West in general until I attended a series of religious lectures with a very devout friend a couple of summers ago. The lecturers were erudite, civilized, even witty…. but they all had the air of a polar bear on a melting slab of ice. The air of someone about to be remaindered by history.
It suddenly struck me: Now I know what it would have been like to have listened to a priest of Apollo or Athena in 300 AD or so.
When I think back over what the lecturers said, it’s just a blur. Cliche moralism that could just as well have been taken from any major religion or from any treatise on secular ethics. Not that it was wrong, most of it. But it was so tired, so worn, so dusty.
The kids have a word for it: meh!
Ask yourself — why should there be a revival of religion? What is unique in religion that we are supposed to be missing? In particular, what is unique in Christianity? As a specialist in East Asian thought, I look at Christianity and think, “Here’s a god who was so careless he ignored a full half of humanity for ten centuries. So much for the vital Gospel message, eh?” Ancient China was as big and as civilized as Ancient Rome. And as a matter of fact, it was going through a spiritual crisis around the time of Jesus’ life. But, I guess God was just too busy. Or forgetful. Or for some reason he hates East Asian people.
Or he isn’t there at all.
I go with the last one.
People have seen much of Christianity become an attack dog over the last few decades, criticizing everything from homosexual persons to other varieties of Christianity, to non-Christian groups. They see less all the time; that is positive or appealing.A decrease in church attendance doesn’t necessarily mean an increase in atheism. It may mean that there seems to be no link between people who are religious & a god of omnibenevolence.Televangelism & its emphasis on power & prosperity, has disgusted many.Christmas, which should be a time to celebrate the birth of Christ & think of those less fortunate, has become a time to closely monitor businesses to make sure they wish their customers Merry Christmas rather than Happy Holidays, or face a boycott.I’d suspect that this claim of a ‘war on Christmas’ does more to turn people off than any poster campaign by atheists.
Dear Brothers and sisters in Christ,
This is pastor Mubiru Vianey writting on behalf of the congregation of HOLY GOSPEL FELLOWSHiP CHURCH iganga,uganda,
We would like to form a parternship mainly aimed at sharing Skills and Guidance towards developing a bigger Kingdom of Christ because we think that you people in developed countries have got access to some great powerful GOSPEL SERMONS from some of the world’s best pastors and Evangelist so we would like you to give us a chance AND help us by giving us skills and possibly preaching which will make us emerge faithfully servants of the LORD, so far this is a new church and comprises of mainly youth and the elderly so we would request that we partern with you so that you give us guidance and knowledge in running our church through giving us sermons by email and other information which can help us stay strong in faith which i will keep passing on to the congregation.
That is the main aim of writting this email we are anxiously waiting to hear from you,
We shall forward to you our Church profile,History,Mission and future plans if your in need of them,
Feel free to ask us any questions
Yours in Christ
Pastor Mubiru Vianey
You people don’t get it. The masses have become aware. There is nothing after death. I have in my will to feed my carcass to my dogs.
Hopefully once the old God fearing generation dies off, churches won’t bring in enough money to keep the heat on. Good riddance, let those priests find real jobs instead of molesting alter boys all day.
I am a man of somali nationality with four children and wife and i fled the country not only because of the civil war but because i belong to oppressed. discriminated minority who are considered an outcast people and as you ,re aware of the somali community they ,re muslim community and i decided to follow jesus my savior my bread my father and now i live in muslim country where i can,t practice my faith freely iam sometimes intimidated and threatened to be busted in unknown place so i live in fear therefore i need you to save my life and the life of my family and allow us to live in canada where i can follow my father jesus freely, this was briefe about my ongoing fear and looking forward to hear from you until then GOD bless you
ali abubaker
This is just to comment on some comments here. I personally had a dramatic conversion in which I knew without a doubt that I became Spirit filled and had gained a real, personal relationship with God through Christ.
It seems impossible to explain this happening to anyone who has never experienced it for themselves. However, it did happen, and not only to me, but to a great many others who have witnessed about it themselves. Many of which are highly educated with doctorates in both sciences and arts. So I doubt that anyone could call them poor ignorant slobs.
With this in mind, it would be well worth a non-believer’s time to check out the validity of Christ’s claims.
As far as my Christian beliefs influencing my actions outside the church, it influences everything I do, period. It influences my giving to charities, spending time in volunteering where needed, helping in the soup kitchens on beutiful sunny afternoons when I could be at the beach etc. etc.
I’d say that if you’re Christian beliefs do not influence your outside actions, then you had better question the sincerity of your beliefs.
Churches are empty because most new Canadians come from India and China, both of which are non-Christian. Plus, european canadians are now proudly secular and nonbelievers.
Sad clutching at straws. How many of those who say they believe in a “God” have even ONCE had that belief influence their concrete actions? The Canadian church is an empty, rotted shell, and because Canadians are too polite to kick the walls down, you think it’s the Rock of Ages. Oh well. Free country, you are welcome to any illusion you please.
Church wouldn’t be so bad if there weren’t so much ‘hocus pocus’ involved. Why the Catholics still insist on so much bizarre witchcraft (bread to flesh?! child born to a virgin?!?) they are killing their own stats.
adapt or collapse
I have a view that church attendance is falling perhaps because the sermons preached are weak and “people pleasing”
rather than in the Power of God’s Word and Spirit. Also Worship lacks variety and is not involving the body of believers. In His Love, Ken
The church is not an a man made building, organization or association like boy scouts, but is the spiritual body of Jesus Christ. We are all members of this body of Christ.
Since the begining of time, the apostles broke bread and shared the Gospel together. This activity is continued to this day in churches.
It is during the Holy Mass that we offer the supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ to God in atonement of the sins of the world.
Therefore participating wholeheartedly in the mass is an act of worship.
Church for me is a place of pain and loneliness. It also is a place were Gods truth is twisted and wrongly applied. Why then should I go to church?
My family attend church each week. We participate in church activities.
We are committed born again Christians.
A lot of churches are moving away from biblical principles and doctrine. There is a lot of confusion because people do not read their Bibles daily and one is not made to feel comfortable in speaking out. There can be no confusion if you continue to read the Bible.
The trend today is to be politically correct at the expense of God. Not being offensive is the excuse for watering down the Word of God. Abortion & Homosexuality are not the grave sins illustrated in the Bible.
The government plays a big part in how this is dealt with for the populace. When it is a crime to speak the Word of God most people will keep quiet. We have come to the time when right is wrong and wrong is right.
The Lord will be coming soon. There are too many events and happenings going on in the world that Jesus pointed to as signs of His coming.
Who is keeping watch for His return in this country?
“When the Son of man comes, shall he find faith on the earth?” – Luke 18:8
- Jesus
http://www.itrustjesus.com
Trust in Jesus.
Relax. God’s in charge!