Canadian Anglos
I. Historical Perspective
A. Country of Origin – France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Poland, Ukraine, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Norway, Sweden, Romania, Russia, and Czech Republic.
B. Language(s) – English, French, Italian, German, Polish, Greek, Hungarian, Portuguese, Polish, Spanish, Ukrainian, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Romanian, Russian, and Czech.
C. Religious Background – Roman Catholic, United Church, Baptist, Anglican, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Mennonite, Jehovah Witness, Reformed Bodies, Salvation Army, Latter-Day Saints, other Protestant groups, Eastern Orthodox, and Jewish.
D. Southern Baptist Work –
“On October 27,1953, after four years of contacts with Southern Baptist literature and methods of religious education, the members of the Kingcrest Baptist Church of Vancouver, British Columbia, were seated at the 6th annual session of the Baptist General Convention of Oregon-Washington.”
“From 1974 to 1962, ten Southern Baptist churches had been recognized in British Columbia and Alberta. At the end of 1962, there were 19 churches and missions in two provinces with 1,021 members and $6,541 in annual Cooperative Program gifts.”
In June 1976, at the annual Southern Baptist Convention meeting, California messenger Hazen Simpson made a motion that “the Southern Baptist Convention immediately extend encouragement to Southern Baptists dwelling and working in Canada, by financial assistance plus any and all other means of support that we make available to ministry outside the United States and its territories.” The motion was referred to the Foreign Mission Board for study. At the 1977 Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Kansas City, the SBC “voted to adopt a Foreign Mission Board recommendation that the agencies of the SBC provide help to Baptist churches in Canada upon request. As a result of this vote, in 1978 the Home Mission Board of SBC began to channel support into Canada through the Northwest Baptist Convention. This process was changed with the establishment of the Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists in 1985/1986. Canada now receives support directly.
E. Subcultures – Within each of the recognized national people groups from European countries are multiple subcultural people groups. Many bring with them long histories of rivalry with others of their own national identity.
F. Past Challenges – People group rivalries, cultural differences, language issues, and religious identification are some of the past challenges. "The Canadian religious market place is more like that of Europe or England than the United States. In many locations, evangelical believers are suspect." Growth in the number of immigrant children representing two worlds also pose a challenge.
G. Past Immigration Patterns – The first Europeans were likely the Vikings from Greenland, who settled briefly in Newfoundland. Then the Basque, Breton, and English fishers came to fish cod in Nova Scotia and began to settle the Maritime region, which they called L’Acadie (Acadia). In 1534, Jacques Cartier landed in Gaspe and claimed French sovereignty over the territory, but real colonization did not begin until the 1600s. By 1663, the area was under the firm control of Paris and was called New France. War between the French and British raged for most of the 1600s. From 1744 to 1748, war again ensued with major fighting and conquest taking place in the 1750s. In 1756, France and England declared what became the Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War). In 1759, the British conquered Quebec City and, in the following year, Montreal. Peace was declared in 1763 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, through which Britain gained control of all of New France. The area was then renamed Quebec.
II. Evangelism – Canada is a nation that embraces multiculturalism officially.
- The government supports and encourages various cultures and ethnic groups.
- Ethnic groups are encouraged to share their cultural expression and values with other Canadians.
- Canada’s Christian community is primarily a collection of small congregations.
- Two-thirds of Canada’s churches have 125 or less people in attendance on a Sunday. Over half of these churches have less than 75 people in attendance. "At this time it is not completely verifiable, but large churches seem to be suspect to most Canadians. They desire large government, but they do not want large churches. The largest evangelical church is Northview Community Church in Abbotsford and that church runs 3,000 on a Sunday."
- Evangelism in Canada needs to be relational. "Win the heart (make a relationship), then the mind, soul, and body will follow." Postmodernism is very strong in Canada. Canada has a strong respect for authority. However, Canada has a strong support for multiculturalism. Because of this, the most effective way to witness to a Canadian is by giving your personal experience and relationship with Christ.
III. Church Planting – The goal for church planting for the Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists is 1,000 new churches by 2020.
- Strategy for funding new CCSB churches was updated on August 9, 2005. Rationale: The CCSB has limited financial resources for planting churches. Our goal of 1,000 churches by 2020 will require shrewd deployment of resources. For these reasons, the CCSB needs guidelines to prioritize funding.
INITIAL CONSIDERATIONS
Funding will be prioritized according to:
- Planter’s Experience: the track record of church planters, including their proven experience in previous church planting or involvement in a church planting church.
- National Strategy: preference to church plants in areas of high-density population and/or greatest numbers of unchurched, such as:
- Greater Toronto and the Golden Horseshoe
- Ottawa-Montreal corridor
- Montreal-Quebec City corridor
- Calgary-Edmonton corridor
- Victoria/Vancouver-Hope corridor
- Viability: the potential of the plant to become self-sustaining.
- Partnerships: the potential of having a supportive sponsoring church, partnering churches, a church planting team, and a network of other church planters.
- Reproduction: the capability of the church plant to start more churches.
- Mentoring: the availability of mentoring by a seasoned church planter or Christian leader near the church plant.
RENEWAL CONSIDERATIONS
- Growth component: Has the church plant shown numerical growth in:
- Attendance at worship or home groups
- A minimum of 12 adults in core
- 20 percent annual growth
- 25 adults after two years
- Baptisms
- Number of units (eg: home groups, SS classes)
- Giving component: has the congregation begun to give sacrificially to the Lord’s work? Has the church plant participated in the Cooperative Program? Is the church plant giving 10 percent? Is the church plant increasing its annual percentage given to Cooperative Program?
- Leadership component: has the church plant begun to raise or attract leaders? Has the church planter a plan to find a pastor to succeed him?
- Personality of church: is the church plant exhibiting “growing, reproducing, healthy” characteristics? Has the church a commitment to plant another church? Is the church plant a safe place for non-Christians and new believers?
Renewal does not happen automatically on a multiyear basis, but is influenced by the growth factors listed above.
IV. Family Life
- Education – Each province is responsible for its educational system. In all provinces, education is compulsory and free for at least eight years, beginning between 5 to 6 years of age and is compulsory until age 16. Primary and secondary education is free. Each province also administers its own colleges and universities. While the federal and provincial governments subsidize colleges, students must pay tuition. Many of the students choose to complete a two-year technical training program and enter the workforce; about 40 percent enter a university. While only 10 percent have college degrees, an additional 20 percent have completed at least some post-secondary training.
- Occupation – The work force in Canada is found in industry, banking, technological fields, education, fishing, mining, and lumbering. Other areas where the work force is found, is in the field of shipping, agriculture, chemical and food processing. Approximately 7 percent of the nation's people are unemployed. While certain provinces have higher unemployment.
V. Resources
Research collected by Rodney Webb, former employee of the North American Mission Board.
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