Better data.

Better insights.

Better churches.

We are an interdisciplinary research institute based out of Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto committed to supporting those who serve and research the Canadian Church through data-informed research, tools, and insights.

Meaningful research for churches everywhere.

We initiate and support research initiatives in the sociology of religion that strengthen the Canadian church ecosystem by helping leaders, denominations, researchers, and congregations make decisions based on evidence rather than assumptions. Better data means better insights, and better insights mean better churches.

Our data

We have one of the largest datasets on the Canadian Church spanning over 30 years of public and denominational data. This includes Canadian Census and T3010 datasets with over 900 million individual points of data.

We facilitate conversation between church leaders and researchers

Often this means one-on-one chats, but we also host larger academic and denomination meetings and public-facing conferences like our annual Canadian Church Research Symposium.

We encourage practical learning

Our monthly bulletin features recent discoveries, explorable data visualizations, publications in academic and public-facing resources, and courses for scholars and practitioners.

Our approach is both academic and practitioner-focused.

Churches

31000

Denominations

300

Census data points

420000000

Individual points of data

900000

Mapping

Context is everything. Using geographic information systems (GIS), we situate churches within the communities they serve and examine the social, demographic, and religious characteristics of place.

Longitudinal Data

Churches change over years and decades, not simply from one survey to the next. Our longitudinal datasets allow us to distinguish short-term fluctuations from longer-term patterns of growth, decline, and institutional change.

Data Integration

No single dataset tells the whole story. We connect organizational, demographic, financial, denominational, survey, and geographic data to provide a more complete picture of religious change.

Benchmarking

A number means more when there is something meaningful to compare it with. We help churches, denominations, and researchers understand their data relative to appropriate peers, regions, and national trends.

Machine Learning

We employ modern machine learning techniques to identify patterns, trends, and changes in the church that may be difficult to detect through traditional analysis alone.

Research Translation

Good research should be understandable and usable. We translate complex analysis into clear insights that can inform practical decision-making for churches, denominations, researchers, and ministry organizations.

Why partner with us?

Are you a denominational leader, researcher or part of a faith-based network? Here are some of the reasons to partner with us:

Interdisciplinary strength

As a team of researchers, we have diverse strengths and abilities, and we come from a variety of academic backgrounds. Our interdisciplinary approach strengthens us and our networks.

Institutional capacity

While we are constantly growing and evolving as an institute, we are always open to new collaborations and ideas for projects. With the University of Toronto and Wycliffe College's resources at hand, we have capacity as an institution to make real and meaningful impacts.

Our partner organizations:

Learn more and get involved

The CIECR is committed to facilitating practical learning for faith-based leaders through a variety of customizable research projects, congregational surveys, data reports, and explorable data visualizations or mapping tools. Explore the toolbar on the side of this page to learn more about us!