Turn Around Churches In Canada
It's no secret that the Canadian Church has been on the decline for over four decades. Churches have been closing, young people are turning away from the faith, and the "Christian Canada" that once was, is now a post-Christian Canada. This past April, Angus Reid released a new study on Religion in Canada, citing that one out of five Canadians believe Religion is "hostile" to Canadian cultures. In that same poll, however, it was noted that four out of five Canadians are "open to God or spirituality." Political polarization, racial division, pandemic restrictions, world crisis and more all affect the spiritual climate of our Nation. And it doesn't seem to let up.
And this is where you find yourself leading a church today.
I'm not sure if we're in any of a different spot than the early church. Minority. Political division. Oppression. Odds stacked against them. Reading the book of Acts gives me hope for the Church in Canada.
And this is why I call churches to "Turn Around." I hope to see a movement of churches in Canada across denominations go from plateaued and declining to thriving by reaching lost people in their locale. I pray for an enormous increase in salvations across Canada with reports of life transformation by the Gospel. I long for churches that make disciples who make disciples who make disciples. This would be a massive shift from the attendance-based model that we've been using all these years (show up for your weekly dose) to a disciple-making model (we all follow Jesus together and invite more people to follow Him). I dream of seeing 80% of Canadian congregations be soul-winning, disciple-making churches. And I believe it's possible.
But there's always a but; for a church to turn around, they must do a few things.
Turn Around Requires Honesty.
You can't turn around if you don't think you need to. Many churches are blind to the fact that they are not reaching lost people in their communities. Many baptism tanks haven't been used in over five years, and salvations date back to 2013, and yet, they would say, "we're doing great as a church." You need to confront the brutal facts and ask yourself, "are people in my community engaging with the Gospel through my church regularly?" If that answer is "no" or "only if they come looking for it," I would say you've got some turning around to do. Here's the reality, when the money is good, and the people seem happy, we often think, "things are going great." But let me remind you that the church's mission was never to raise a budget, maintain a building, or host gatherings. It was to make disciples who make disciples. If this is not happening, it's time to be honest.
Turn Around Churches Focus On Souls.
The key anchor to a church turn around is souls. Not "being relevant" or "being cool" or "modernizing," it needs to be souls. You must be focused on seeing souls saved; this is the mission. The method will follow the mission, but if you're trying methods without solidifying the mission, you'll run into a world of hurt. The problem isn't that people in your community are closed to the Gospel. The problem is that your church is closed to them. When we talk more about "us" than Jesus' commands, we've gotten off track. So stop everything you're doing, and pray for souls. Pray for 30 days for God to break your heart for lost people and invite the congregation to do the same. Gather around schools and parks and walk the streets and pray for people. Pray for lost people. Specifically. And then listen to what the Holy Spirit tells you to do and respond. If a church wants to turn around, it needs to care about the things Christ cared about, souls.
Turn Around Churches Make Disciples.
When people aren't coming to Christ through the ministry of your church, you need to ask, "what is going on here?" And the brutal truth is that most churches have attendees, members, or participants. Still, few have disciples—people who are personally following Christ and discipling others to do the same. A clearly defined "discipleship pathway" is a key component for churches that want to turn around. Calling your congregation to "following Jesus" and what it looks like is going to yield greater dividends than just encouraging them to "be in church" or "come back next week." Seeing yourself as a disciple-maker who develops other disciple-makers will transform how you lead your church. You'll turn from a preacher (talking at people) to a sojourner (journeying with people), and you'll stop doing everything and start equipping the people to do the good works. The church will change from a place where people come to do ministry or receive ministry to a people who are ministers and do ministry wherever they find a place.
Turn Around Churches Think Like Missionaries.
The church in Canada has enjoyed over 100 years of being an inherent "Christian" nation. Our laws are founded on Judeo-Christian principles. Our societal norms are, for the most part, moralistically Christian. So, this lulls us into thinking Canadians have rejected Christianity, so they "get what they deserve." We keep doing what we've always been doing, and they can "like it or leave it." Now, no missionary we send to another country would ever say that. Any missionary would do two things: (1) learn the language and (2) learn the culture. And then, they would create ministers in that language and with that cultural understanding. It's simple missiological principles that the church must re-ignite to reach Canadians in this time effectively. When you think like missionaries, you don't just "do outreaches." You build bridges. You don't just say "we're open Sundays." You connect with your community and build relationship. You don't just say, "we'll speak the way we want." You speak in a language they understand. I'm always surprised when churches act like people "should" come to church. Nobody in Canada is "shoulding" anymore. You need to create a reason, a bridge, and a connection before anyone in your community thinks about being part of church. Whenever you do something in the church, preach, or start a ministry for the church, ask yourself, "what would a missionary trying to reach lost people in that culture do?" And if that missionary would not do that thing, don't do it.
My prayer for every church in Canada is that they would rise up and become a turn around church. Do you want to be a turn around church in Canada? Then join the movement by joining us at the Virtual Church Vitalization Summit from August 30 – September 1. Reserve your free spot at www.churchvitalization.ca.
Jeremiah works as an Effectiveness Coach with the ABNWT District of the PAOC. He is a passionate and creative leader who believes that the church is the hope of the world. He uses collaboration, innovation, and inspiration to challenge churches and their leadership to engage in the only mission Jesus ever sent his church on: making disciples.