Part I: A nation of believers?
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.
- Church attendance
- Other measures — monthly attendance
- Belief is a different question — comparing Europe, US & Canada
Part II: Shifting traditions
One of the problems with the census data is that it is still using categories from a century ago, which do not reflect current categories. In particular, the older categories do not reflect the current divide between evangelical and mainline Protestant churches. Over the past quarter-century, there has been a massive shift within ‘Protestantism.’
- A clearer picture
- Roman Catholic strength
- A massive evangelical shift — Mainline Protestant vs Evangelicals
Part III: Are Christians in danger of becoming a persecuted minority?
- Is it becoming harder to be a Christian in Canada?
- ‘Strict moralists’ vs. approval of abortion and homosexuality?
- Pendulum of secularism swinging back?
Part IV: The impact of immigration on the church
- A changing society – 2006 Census results
- A varied impact
- Potential for conversion — evangelism among immigrants
- Serious questions — mono-cultural churches
Part V: The growth of evangelicalism
Earlier articles in this series pointed out three main streams in the Canadian church: Roman Catholics are holding their own, in numbers but not in attendance. Mainline Protestant denominations are shrinking significantly. Evangelicals are growing.
- Not just an academic exercise – EFC & research
- A significant evangelical culture
Part VI: Those pesky moral, social issues
cc.com conducted a number of phone interviews, consulted a number of published studies, and did an email survey of a variety of church leaders from across Canada. One of the topics we covered in our survey was social/moral issues.
- Abortion and homosexuality
- Poverty, homelessness and the environment
- Approach as important as the issues — affirmation & challenge
Part VII: Strengths, weaknesses and challenges
One of the issues that emerged is whether it is even possible to talk about the Canadian church as a whole. Many of those surveyed observed that some churches are doing well and others are not, and there is no clear pattern for this. Nevertheless, those surveyed were able to make some general statements about the Canadian church. Subjects covered include:
- Stability
- Innovation
- Witness
- Prayer
- Holistic
- Numerical Decline
- Urban Weakness
- Disunity
- Leadership
- Consumerism
- A pleasant mediocrity
https://canadianchristianity.com/nationalupdates/080124state
