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Church for a New Generation? Large Canadian Churches Are Growing, Reaching Young Families, Drawing 1 of Every 8 Protestant ChurchgoersDALLAS, Oct. 15, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On any given weekend, an estimated 300,000 people across Canada participate in the kind of church that draws 1,000 or more in weekly attendance. That's about 1 of 8 people who went to a Protestant church. Even in cities where sizable portions of the population check "no religion" on their household surveys, these predominantly evangelical congregations are growing, reaching out, and focused on serving children and youth. These breakthrough discoveries come from a first-ever effort to conduct a national study of the country's largest-attendance churches, an initiative sponsored by a large coalition of Canadian scholars and evangelical ministries, along with the U.S.-based Leadership Network, which does similar research in its country. The 12-page, illustrated executive summary is available to download free at leadnet.org/Canada courtesy of two sponsors, D.L. Deeks Insurance Services, Inc. (deeksinsurance.ca) and Pushpay (pushpay.com). Major findings include:
Free webinar (space limited) with live Q&A on October 21, 2015 with recorded version available after that date. See leadnet.org/canada for details. To dialogue with the research team, contact any of the people involved: Warren Bird, Ph.D., Leadership Network, [email protected], 845-368-4379 (Lead Researcher); also Reginald W. Bibby, Ph.D., University of Lethbridge, [email protected], 403-329-2558; Peter Beyer, Ph.D., University of Ottawa, [email protected], 613-562-5800 (1178); Mark Chapman, Ph.D., Tyndale University College & Seminary, [email protected], 416-226-6620 ext. 2208; Rick Hiemstra, The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, [email protected], 613-233-9868 x332; Lorne Hunter, Outreach Canada Ministries, [email protected], 604-952-0050 ext. 300; Stephen McMullin, Ph.D., Acadia University, [email protected], 902-585-2210; Sam Reimer, Ph.D., Crandall University, [email protected], 506-858-8970 ext: 139; Joel Thiessen, Ph.D., Ambrose University, [email protected], 403-410-2000 ext.2979; Peter Schuurman, Ph.D. candidate, University of Waterloo, [email protected], 519-822-7177; Shaila Visser, Alpha Ministries Canada, [email protected], 604 304 2082 ext. 123; and Michael Wilkinson, Ph.D., Trinity Western University, [email protected], 604-888-7511 ext 3832. About Leadership Network: Based in Dallas, Texas, Leadership Network is a nonprofit public charity that fosters innovation movements that activate the church to greater impact through a variety of programs and resources. For more on Leadership Network, see www.leadnet.org.
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/church-for-a-new-generation-large-canadian-churches-are-growing-reaching-young-families-drawing-1-of-every-8-protestant-churchgoers-300157390.html SOURCE Leadership Network |