Congregational Covenants and the Small Church
Lindsay Callahan, Researcher
The Centre for Research on Church and Faith
Check out this short 5 minute video, the second in our May weekly video series on Small Churches in Canada.
Recommend Resource
Significant Church: Understanding the Value of the Small Evangelical Church in Canada
by Rick Hiemstra and Lindsay Callaway
Most evangelical churches in Canada are small, so you would expect to find a significant number of resources geared toward the small church, and you’d think a significant portion of pastoral training curriculum would be dedicated to training for small church ministry. But our research shows most resources and training for church leadership and ministry assume large church contexts that simply do not translate to a small or a Canadian context.
This report comes out of a research partnership that sought to understand the needs of small, Canadian, evangelical churches. We set out to understand from pastors what small churches need to function and flourish in Canada. This report is an opportunity to care for small churches as they are rather than how they are not. It’s an opportunity to understand how the small church is, truly, a significant church.
Upcoming Events
Eyes to See: Engaging Faith Communities in Poverty Dialogue and Action
(A Canadian Poverty Institute Event)
Thursday, May 11- Friday, May 12, 2023
Are you a church leader interested in engaging your congregation in actions to address poverty? Join Shaun Groves and Compassion Canada in this two-day workshop to build knowledge and skill to lead conversations and initiatives about poverty in your community. Based on the book Eyes to See by Compassion Canada.
This workshop will be offered live at Ambrose University in Calgary with remote link to a satellite location at the offices of the Canadian Missionary Alliance in Mississauga, Ontario. Those outside of Calgary and the Toronto Area can join online.
Preaching on Purpose: Making Disciples through Missional Preaching
Thursday, May 18 2023 • 2pm Central Preaching is the best way to reach the hearts of your parishioners — and as a priest, you have this opportunity every Sunday. What are the best practices for crafting homilies that inspire conversion? How might a preaching team help you in honing your skills as a preacher? What steps are other priests taking now that they've never learned in the seminary? Join Fr. Chris Ryan and Fr. Simon Lobo at this upcoming online event for priests.
Creative Justice: A Conference on Disability & the Church
June 10, 2023
10:30am-4:30pm ET
How do we influence our churches and organizations to nurture adaptive communities that work for the just consideration of all in society? This season of continued disruption and change presents unique opportunities to recalibrate how we express our solidarity and concern for every person, regardless of their life situation. Creative Justice explores the beautiful and innovative ways our faith communities and ecclesial leaders can build constructive pathways of mutuality and concern reaching every part of society. This conference will facilitate a deep conversation led by church leaders and leading experts with and without disabilities on the theme.