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On December 14th and 15th, we hosted our first national symposium at Wycliffe on the University of Toronto campus. This milestone event brought together denominational leaders and researchers from across the country.
On day one, leading Canadian church investigators from ten research institutes joined a diverse group of denominational leaders to discuss the strengths and gaps in current Canadian church research. The assembly spent time imagining and framing a series of strategic partnerships and projects that would practically address some of the churches’ most pressing knowledge needs.
An additional two dozen academics, church leaders, tech experts, reporters, and members of the public joined us on day two for more than a dozen presentations. The day was anchored by a keynote from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research’s Prof. Scott Thumma. Thumma shared his discoveries and experiences as a leader of Faith Communities Today, which has produced more than twenty years of national congregational research in the United States. Attendees were challenged by a range of perspectives about what we know about Canadian churches, the multi-faceted ways we can acquire this knowledge, and how we might better disseminate our discoveries in meaningful ways to church leaders.
Along with the participants, we were greatly encouraged by the kind of work that is being done across the country, the openness to new approaches, the collegial spirit of partnership across disciplines and traditions, and the passion to see churches thrive. This is a first step in a long-term national partnership, but we are already seeing fruit in the form of several emerging studies, including planning for a first-of-its-kind national survey. Stay tuned!
