The Canadian Census for 2021 was released recently, and the insights into Religion, Christianity, and the Church in Canada are insightful. Although it's not a positive picture overall, church leaders must press into this data instead of ignoring it; allow the information to challenge you to innovate, create and re-imagine ministry in Canada in these coming years.
Some great summarizing on this data has been done by Waybase, and you can check them out HERE. Here are my findings from the latest Data on Christianity in Canada from the 2021 Census.
The Christian Church Continues To Shrink. Over my lifetime (44 years), the church in Canada has lost ground decade after decade. There was a time when 75% of the Canadian population was in church on Sunday. Sadly, those days are long gone. Many well-meaning Church leaders have offered explanations as to why the church in Canada seems to be pushed to the margins: the secularization of culture, media, prayer being removed from schools etc. The census reports a 14% drop from 2011 in Canadians who identify as Christian, with an estimated 5% of the population attending church.
The Largest Demographic In Canada Are The Least Churched. Millennials (ages 25-35) make up the largest demographic in Canada. They are also the least churched down 20% from a decade ago. Many millennials have young children, and therefore many schools are being built across Canada. Our opportunity as the church to reach families with young children is as great as it was when the baby boom occurred in the 1940's.
Spirituality Is On the Rise in Canada. Canadians that identify as "spiritual" is on the rise even though there isn't a specific religious affiliation. This could be interpreted as a move away from a "formalized" religion into a personal belief in something other than oneself. Many Canadians would call themselves spiritual, but what that looks like varies from person to person. The idea of belief is there but it varies greatly from the Christian worldview.
I'm sure none of this is a surprise to you. It reminds me of the early church's reality in culture in the Book of Acts. There is a clear call for the existing church in Canada to re-imagine mission and missiological approaches to serving and reaching their community. If it could happen then, it can happen now. I look forward to the next census when we see the reversal of the trend of decreasing Christian influence in Canada.
Shaila Visser from Alpha Canada will walk us through a recent report on Canadians' response to evangelism and an in-depth look into the latest Stats Can Statistics. What do they mean to you? What do they mean for the church?
How do we help our congregation engage in conversations and church services with people void of Bible knowledge?
Join us for a FREE, one-hour webinar Thursday, January 19, at 11:00 AM (Mountain Time).
Invite your team to join you.
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.