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"If the church in the parish doesn’t engage the local realities of that place, then the opportunity for renewal is dead in the water." - The New Parish by Sparks, Soren & Friesen
In the past few days, I've been doing some research as part of my doctoral program. I wanted to share some interesting findings in the hopes that I can relate it to how the church may interact with its community.
Asterisks found at the end of sentences are there to let you know that I'm not sharing my opinion, these are the findings I've made in my research. At the bottom of this post, you will find links to books matching the number of asterisks for the sentence if you'd like to do some research of your own. You'll also notice some links throughout the post which will direct you to books and references.
Ready? Ok. Let's dig in!
Did you know that, as of 2015, the Evangelical church was the only Canadian church to maintain their numbers?* This is largely because they are actively going out and evangelizing to people. We're talking Pentecostal, Baptist, Christian Reform, etc., denominations here. But now, those denominations are experiencing a decline in attendance that Mainline denominations have already gone through. That'd be your Anglican, Presbyterian, and United churches, among a few others.
As a result, there is an increased urgency among Evangelical denominations to "get out and preach Jesus." However, lack of ecumenism (working together), and lack of interest from our non-church going friends and neighbours (referred to as the "None's" in academic references) makes for some difficult terrain. Add to that the increased social awareness of the community and the fact that, historically, Christians have been... well, bad, at demonstrating the love of Jesus. Furthermore, the Canadian culture simply doesn't care about the church.** It may seem like an uphill battle. And... yeah, it is!
Interestingly, in Prince Edward County (PEC - my community), 54.2% of residents identified as Christian as of 2021. More than half the population! The Canadian average is 53.3%, and in Ontario, it is 52.1%.*** Are these numbers declining? Yes. Is the situation dire? I think it depends on who you talk to. Evangelicals would say it is. Mainline Protestants wouldn't be as bothered by it.
My personal opinion is this: I don't believe that the church will completely die off in Canada. It may dwindle, it may become irrelevant, but it won't become obsolete. On the other hand, who knows?
I hear you asking - but, how do we help our churches?! So, I offer these thoughts...
1. Do some actual research into your community.
PEC worked to create Vital Signs; a snapshot of what's going on right in our backyard. In PEC, I know that affordable housing and rising grocery prices are a concern. But I had no idea that foodbank usage increased by 26% in 2022 alone! And, I was completely unaware that only about 1/4 of food insecure households go to the foodbank for help.
I know that rising housing prices and short-term accommodations (STA's - Air BnB) are hurting the ability of many to live here, especially in my generation. But I had no idea that from 2020-2021 housing prices rose 79%! Furthermore, 16.4% of private dwellings in PEC are being used for STA’s or as seasonal homes, well above the provincial average of 7.4%.
So check out StatsCan, Google your community. If you really want to reach out, know what you're looking for so you can help in a practical way! People don't want a one-and-done event, they want something that's sustainable and that will really help them, without feeling like a "project."
2. Build relationships.
Stop preaching Jesus. Start showing Jesus.
The fastest way to turn someone away from Jesus and the church is to preach at them about Jesus and the church. Most people either don't care, or can't be bothered. They'll politely listen, because that's what Canadians do. Then they'll walk away and file it under "G" in their brain. Why? Because you're not investing in them, you're investing in your own agenda. And whether you agree with me or not (it's totally fine to disagree by the way), is that really how you want to be perceived?
Build some friendships outside of the church. Jesus didn't stay amongst just the disciples, he did what the religious leaders wouldn't do. He touched lepers, spoke to women and ate with tax collectors. You know, the people the leaders of the time didn't want much to do with. Be like Jesus, make friends outside the church.
Finally, look into our Christian history - all of it. Especially the bad parts, the embarrassing parts, the parts we don't want to acknowledge (but we must!). Learn from it. Approach others with the mentality of "what can I learn from you?" not, "what can I teach you?" A shift in perspective goes a long way to building bridges and repairing relationships.
3. Work together.
Denominations need to get over themselves. There, I said it. We are ALL part of God's Kingdom and His Church. How many people attend, leave or have a different theology, doesn’t matter.
The hard truth is this - the only people who care about denominations are the ones employed by them. By and large, the people in the pews don't care what the denomination is. If they don't feel like they belong, they leave. Obviously, there are some die-hard Baptists or CRC, or whichever church you attend, but generally... no one cares.** Until you do something harmful, and those stories will be shared faster than you can say Jesus.
But, if you work together to meet a practical need in the community... people will notice. Be weird. Be different. Collaborate with another church. Throw some community groups into the mix while you're at it.
4. Embrace the time we're in.
Are numbers declining? Yes! Are people tired of hearing about a loving Jesus but seeing a hypocritical church? A resounding YES! Do they care if you tell them about Jesus? Not one bit.
But they'll notice if you show him.
Resources
*Statistic from A Culture of Faith: Evangelical Congregations in Canada by Sam Reimer & Michael Wilkinson
** See Borderland Churches by Gary Nelson and Overlooked by James Tyler Robertson.
*** Statistics from StatsCan based on 2021 Census data.
Please keep in mind that any links to books are through the affiliate program on Amazon.
This doesn't mean much for you, but if you decide to purchase a book I recommended, I'll get a little kick-back. Remember, I would not recommend something I don't support.
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