Canadian Institute for
Empirical Church Research
Better data. Better insights. Better churches.
The Divine Pulse Project (May 2024)
Starting in May 2024, we are launching a multi-stage investigation of "the pulse" of new life, decline, and greatness in Canadian congregations, from 1991 to the present day. We are opening with a 15 minute national overview survey (in the week of May 20th) and we are hoping to hear from a wide array of voices and congregations/parishes from across the country. Find out more on our Projects page.
CIECR Enhanced Data Repository
Want to deepen your understanding of churches, charities, and the communities in which they work? Our collection of databases includes 30 years of reconciled Canadian Revenue Agency charitable financial fillings paired with the University of Toronto's enriched Canadian census data. Contact us to find out more.
Canadian charities
Census categories
Financial categories
CIECR Projects
In addition to our partnership with researchers and congregations, we are busy developing projects that we feel will make a critical contribution to Canadian churches.
The Pandemic Turn: Loss and transformation in the post-pandemic church
How has the Canadian church recovered, renovated, and retrenched in response to the once-in-a century Covid crisis? This survey of churches will reflect on patterns of attendance, giving, and leadership before, during, and post-peak pandemic and consider the evidence for multiple trajectories that have emerged.
Birth Plan: Canadian church planting in a fragmented moment
There is a long and mixed history of church planting in Canada, but lack of solid data gathering and analysis have complicated our ability to read past and future trends. Dr James Watson, an experienced church planter himself, examines patterns of growth and decline, evangelism, and socio-economic influences as factors of success and failure.
The Failure Curve: An investigation of death and recovery in Canadian church
What does terminal decline look like in a Canadian church and how do some congregations escape collapse? Led by research fellow Dr Wing Wong, we comb through patterns of decline and interview reemergent church leaders and congregants about how they have successfully escaped and revitalized.
Bending the Curve: How churches move from “Good to Great”
In period of overall decline, what sets apart a church that is experiencing mild and, even better, significant growth? Led by CIECR fellow, Dr Rebeca Heringer, this mixed method survey considers Canadian churches who are positive outliers and what conditions and choices that set them apart.
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