Canadian Institute For Empirical Research
The Canadian Institute for Empirical Church Research (CIECR) is a national research hub based at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, dedicated to helping church leaders and researchers understand the Canadian church through rigorous, data-informed research. What makes CIECR especially valuable is its focus on Canada-specific data, drawing from decades of census, denominational, and public datasets to explore how congregations function, who attends them, how people serve and worship together, and how churches are changing over time.
For ministry leaders, CIECR is a resource that helps check assumptions and biases against real data. Whether you are sensing shifts in attendance, participation, leadership, or community engagement, CIECR’s research offers a way to ground intuition and experience in objective analysis. Their work includes original research projects, partnerships with denominations and organizations, practical tools, data visualizations, and regular bulletins that translate complex findings into accessible insights. The Institute also hosts an annual Canadian Church Research Symposium, bringing together church leaders, researchers, and denominational staff to engage directly with current research and trends shaping the Canadian church.
View Their Work and Learn More Here
Recently Published Work
“Greatness” in Canadian Congregations (Published June 2025)
This study examines church “greatness” through the lens of Jim Collins' "good to great" principles as outlined in his book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t. A total of 31 semi-structured interviews were conducted with pastoral leaders across Canada, representing various community sizes and Christian faith traditions. The primary objective of the study is to determine if and how Collins’ framework can identify principles of “greatness” that may lead to church growth. Full research report available at the download link to the right.
Shaping the Future: Denominational Organizational Cultures Shifting Towards Multiplication Movements (Published June 2025)
When considering the future, some denominational organizations are imagining how new congregations can be formed given the religious and cultural shifts taking place in Canada. By asking leaders focused on this direction what actions they have taken, it is possible to identify some of the organizational developmental steps which move towards mobilizing new church development. The intent of this report is to offer perspective from the experience of Canadian leaders to suggest important principles and practices which can offer ways forward.
New Congregations in the Canadian Kaleidoscope (Published December 2024)
"New Congregations in the Canadian Kaleidoscope" examines new congregations in the Waterloo region through an autoethnographic study of thirty distinct churches. This project is part of the broader "Birth Plan" project, which explores the dynamics of church planting across Canada, offering valuable insights into the experiences, challenges, and opportunities faced by new worship communities as they establish themselves in diverse and evolving contexts. This project was funded by a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment.
New research comes out annually - check in to see what they are currently working on.