Regional Snapshot

Representing Jesus
in Canada

By Gary Moore

For more information about the differences between the United States and Canada, check our web site at www.wcg.ca

SURREY, British Columbia—Being authentic Christians and representing Jesus Christ and his gospel to contemporary Canada is the task of WCG members and congregations here. It is a task we share with the wider body of Christ.

Christianity in Canada is at a historically low ebb, though it is showing some good life signs. In 1945 and 1950, Canada had one of the highest church attendance rates in the Western world. More than 50 percent attended a weekly worship service. Today, that number has shrunk to 20 percent. Thankfully though, that decline in numbers finally appears to have been halted. This compares to the United States, where 40 to 45 percent attended weekly 50 or 60 years ago, and virtually the same percentage does today.

Declining church attendance

A whole host of reasons are cited to explain this divergence. Part of it may be that Roman Catholics and mainline Protestants form a much larger percentage of the Christian population in Canada, with evangelical Christians very much present, but in lower numbers than in the United States.

The Roman Catholic Church and mainline Protestants have dropped significantly in attendance and in some areas are still dropping. Evangelical churches in Canada have done a much better job holding and even gaining members, and are a growing percentage of the Christian population here. Significant numbers of evangelicals are also in the Roman Catholic and mainline Protestant churches.

So Canada finds itself somewhere between the low northern and western European church attendance rates (5 percent in many countries) and the comparatively high church involvement of the U.S. population.

Canada has moved more into what has been called a postmodern society than the United States. This may partially be because of the high rates of immigration from around the world, leading to greater diversity. Partially it may be because of the deliberate government policy of multiculturism over the last generation. This policy has produced more of a salad bowl society in Canada, where each ethnic and cultural group tries to preserve its distinctives.

The United States has historically viewed itself as a melting pot, where policy has historically encouraged the shedding of distinctives by new immigrants in favor of a common American culture. This is an over-generalization, as second and third generation Canadians tend to lose their distinctives, and in the United States the tendency is growing to resist the melting pot in favor of cultural institutions such as linguistic (often Spanish speaking) schools.

Fusion of cultures

Of course, another factor that has influenced the Canadian approach is that the country was formed as a fusion of English and French cultures. This has required a constant willingness by all parties to compromise and seek tolerance of differences to preserve the nation’s unity. Canadians tend to seek more of a consensus over issues rather than one group simply trying to impose its will on the others. One can debate whether this is good or bad, and it likely depends on the nature of the problem being addressed.

Maybe a way to explain this in contemporary terms to a U.S. audience would be to say that Canada would tend to be more like the blue states in the November U.S. election, though some Canadians would identify with the red states.

The bottom line is that Christians in Canada have to approach their society carefully. The most effective way seems to be by incarnational ministry. By that I mean letting Christ express his love through his people to others in acts of service. This love in action then creates the conditions where the gospel can be shared and will be listened to with open minds.

Most Canadians simply don’t respond well to more direct, in your face, styles of evangelism. They need to see the gospel lived before the preaching becomes credible and effective.

Pray for us

Please pray for our 70 or so congregations from coast to coast. Many of the congregations are quite small, but they have members who have big hearts to serve Jesus Christ in their communities. We face our challenges, as do our brothers and sisters in the United States and around the world. The ground at times seems stony and hard, yet we remain committed to the task our Lord has given us and promises to empower us to accomplish, as we look to him.

For anyone interested in more information about the religious differences between the United States and Canada, check the article “Like Thy Neighbour?” in the July-August issue of Northern Light. Northern Light is published by WCG Canada, and the online version may be found on the national church web site at www.wcg.ca.

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