The denomination is aiming to create 100 new churches and other faith communities

By Julie McGonegal | November 29, 2022

The United Church of Canada is shrinking rapidly, but its national office is rolling out an ambitious new plan in hopes of charting a different course.

Approved by the General Council Executive on Nov. 18, the strategic operational plan promises to create 100 new communities of faith — with a special focus on migrant churches. 

“We’re going to lead with a growth perspective,” Rev. Michael Blair, the United Church’s general secretary, told Broadview. 

In addition to building migrant communities of faith — and through calibrating demographic information and community needs — the plan will target other key sectors of the population, including francophones, young adults, people with disabilities and intercultural communities. The national office also intends to work with the Indigenous Church to invest in growth animators, with an eye to launching church plants and online ministries. Strategies of experimentation and collaborative outreach with communities will be front and centre.

The strategic operational plan aims to guide the denomination’s work for the next three years. Blair said that the plan also pledges to renew existing communities of faith and to strengthen the institutional church’s invitation to the public. 

Along the way, it will be guided by other tenets, like climate change, leadership and the common good, but growth is the overarching goal.

Read more https://broadview.org/united-church-of-canada-decline/