Losing Our Religion? Digging into Canada’s Spiritual Landscape
Exploring insights from Statistics Canada’s podcast episode “Losing Our Religion? It’s Not That Simple.” Despite rising religious disaffiliation, Canadians are still engaging with spirituality in diverse and personal ways. We reflect on how ministry leaders can respond to these shifting patterns—not with fear, but with imagination, compassion, and renewed hope in the gospel. The Church may be changing, but God is still at work.
What the Data Is Telling Us About Ministry in 2025
We’re reflecting on the growing sense of fatigue, isolation, and spiritual disconnection among pastoral leaders—confirmed by research from Barna, Pew, ATS, and others. We explore how shifting congregational motivation, declining spiritual practices, and gaps in theological education are shaping today’s ministry landscape. But we also offer a word of hope rooted in the gospel: God is still at work. With prayer, honest connection, and renewed practices, there is a path toward resilience. You are not alone.
Thank You Stuart! A tribute to a career of service and insights.
We, at Ministry Forum, are paying tribute to the upcoming retirement of The Rev. Dr. Stuart Macdonald, Professor of Church and Society, with a few tidbits we expect would be right up his alley—no, not about witches—DATA about faith and religion in North America.
If You Weren’t in Ministry Tomorrow… What Would Be Left of Your Faith?
“If I wasn’t in ministry tomorrow, what would be left of my faith?”
Carey Nieuwhof (church leader, author and coach) has asked this questions many times through his platform. It names a truth that too many of us are afraid to admit: ministry can become a substitute for relationship. When that happens, our souls grow dry. Our calling becomes a job. Our prayers lose their power. Jesus never called you to produce for Him. He called you to abide in Him.
Spotlight: Greater Ontario House of Prayer
this week, we want to highlight a place—and a movement—that reminds us all of the power and necessity of prayer: the Greater Ontario House of Prayer (GOHOP).
Resources for Prayer
This week, we want to speak not just to your ministry role, but to you. Because prayer isn’t just something we do for our congregations. It’s the very place where God meets us, renews us, and roots us in the work of the gospel.
For the Work of Chaplaincy: Resources to Support You
As conversations about the role of chaplains grow—particularly in light of recent reflections on the evolving landscape of spiritual care—we want to offer something practical: a growing list of resources to sustain and inspire you.
Ministry and Mental Health: Preaching, Presence, and People
Mental health is certainly not a new topic of interest here at Ministry Forum.
We often advocate for the mental well-being of ministry leaders—encouraging rhythms of rest, retreat, and inter-mission. We've shared resources on burnout, hosted conversations about clergy wellness, and supported events that remind us: you can't pour from an empty cup.
But there’s a deeper layer to this conversation that we want to explore more intentionally:
How does mental health shape your preaching?
Your pastoral care?
Your leadership?
Are you engaging these realities from the pulpit and in your ministry practices?
Something’s Stirring: A Call for Canadian Voices in Chaplaincy
In recent years, chaplaincy and spiritual care have undergone significant changes. With fewer people identifying with traditional religion and institutions placing more limits on overtly religious expression, chaplains are being asked to adapt. At the same time, there’s growing recognition of the value chaplains bring—whether faith-based or not. This tension raises vital questions for Christian leaders: How do we offer spiritual care in pluralistic or even secular settings? What distinguishes our ministry when others are also doing this work with compassion, but without faith? These shifts invite us to reflect deeply on our calling and how we serve in today’s complex, spiritually diverse world.
5 Resources to Help You Imagine Church Differently
Whether your congregation is starting to ask questions about building use, community presence, or mission renewal, these resources offer real-world stories and practical tools from diverse ministry contexts. They can help spark conversation and inspire action as you discern your next faithful step.
Resurrecting Leisure: Our Conversation with Rev. Dr. Jeff Crittenden
Reflecting on our May We Need to Listen gathering with Rev. Dr. Jeff Crittenden, who shared insights from his book Leisure Resurrected. Drawing on early Christian practices, Jeff explored how the Church’s understanding of leisure—as sacred, communal, and generative time—can offer a meaningful framework for ministry today. The post highlights key themes from the conversation and invites readers to consider how worship, rest, and community engagement might be reimagined in their own context.
Voices That Help Us Reimagine the Church
On June 1, a diverse circle of ministry leaders, practitioners, and storytellers will gather in Hamilton and online—not to prescribe formulas, but to offer real-life glimpses of what’s possible when churches begin asking new questions and listening deeply to the needs of their neighbours.
Here are some of the voices helping to guide that conversation.
Reimagining Church, Land & Community
As many church doors close and communities shift, what does faithful stewardship look like? How might these physical spaces become sites of justice, reconciliation, and shared flourishing rather than simply assets to be managed or sold?
Where Do We Go to Be With People? Reimagining the Church as a Centre of Community
In this time of deep social fragmentation and isolation, with loneliness described as an epidemic and connection harder to find for many, the Church faces a pressing question: where do we go to be with people?
Creative Ways: Embodying the Church in the Community
Across the country, congregations are asking courageous questions about what it means to be the Church where people are - that’s what we’re discussing this week. They are moving from hoping people will come to them, to going out to meet people with curiosity, compassion, and creativity. This is not about trend-chasing or novelty—it’s about faithfulness. It’s about aligning with the Spirit’s movement in neighbourhoods, in housing projects, in addiction recovery centres, and in prayer-walked streets.
3 Conversations About Rest & Renewal in Ministry
Over the past year we’ve hosted three episodes on the Ministry Forum Podcast highlighting a different facet of how ministry leaders are finding ways to sustain their calling. These episodes aren’t just interviews—they’re invitations - to rest, to renew your sense of purpose, and to learn from the hard-earned wisdom of others who’ve been in the trenches.
Retreat and Rest 2025
In the busyness of church life, many leaders push pause only when they hit burnout. But what if rest could be proactive, healing, and formational—not just a recovery strategy, but a rhythm of resilience?
10 Books for Rest, Renewal and Taking Time Off in Ministry
For pastors and church leaders, the rhythm of constant giving can slowly erode the well of spiritual and emotional strength if not attended to with care. Rest, renewal, and intentional time away are not luxuries, but essential parts of sustaining a healthy and faithful ministry. Whether you're considering a sabbatical, planning a retreat, or simply hoping to find a slower rhythm in your everyday life, these books offer wisdom, encouragement, and practical tools. Below, we've curated a selection of thoughtful reads to inspire rest and support your journey toward spiritual health and vocational sustainability.
Creative Ways to Engage with Your Congregation For Earth Day
Here are several creative ways to invite your church into a conversation or rhythm or caring for the land around them. Included below are seasonal practices, hands-on ideas, and spiritual reflections that root environmental concern in our faith, deepen our witness, and spark meaningful action.
Podcasts For Creation Care and Discipleship
As Earth Week approaches, many of us are seeking ways to more deeply integrate creation care into our spiritual lives and ministry practices. Sometimes the best way to begin—or to stay encouraged—is simply to listen. These thought-provoking podcasts bring together voices of faith, science, justice, and creativity to help us reflect, grow, and act as stewards of God’s good creation.