There’s not a clear way forward when it comes to church planting in Canada these days. Mike Stone was at the Church Planting Conference in Canmore this past fall. Besides being VMC’s Executive Director, Mike is also on CPC Team helping to envision and facilitate more church planting in Canada.
Mike notices that we’re in the midst of a transition. Church planting in Canada is shifting into a new era. As he says, Saul’s armour doesn’t fit David. We need new armour, new approaches. We need a different kind of church, a different kind of church planter, and a different kind of gospel collaboration.
He says it’s more about planting gospel movements rather than organizing worship gatherings. It’s more than just Sunday mornings that matter. He says it’s about deepening and broadening ownership among teams of church planters. It’s usually not about a single leader – but a small team of leaders.
There’s growing interest to see greater ethnic and gender diversity among church planters. More diaspora church planters and more female church planters.
There’s a greater openness to working together for the greater good. More collaboration at the local level for the good of the community. Mike says that Quebec has learned to do this – out of necessity – and it’s something the rest of Canada needs to take note of.
Mostly – it’s a focus on the gospel. The Good News of Jesus.
This is what really matters.
And this is what will drive and fuel a whole new generation of church planters in Canada.
Photo credits: Michael Krahn (Unsplash)