Flourishing Congregations Institute

Interested in learning about co-vocational leaders and in ? If so, you will love our recently-released Flourishing Forward article by Rebeca Heringer and Ellen Duffield, Briercrest Christian Academy, College, and Seminary.

Thriving Co-Vocational Congregations: Six Key Areas for Consideration by Pastors, Denominational Leaders, and Congregants – Flourishing Congregations Institute In the summer of 2025, Co-Vocational Canada launched a new study to better understand the characteristics of thriving co-vocational (CoVo) congregations in Canada. The term “co-vocational/co-vocationality” is here used as an umbrella term to reflect the lived experience of a pastor who is appoin...

Sarah Han, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry at Tyndale University, poses the following question in her recently released Flourishing Forward Blog: "As followers of , are we putting enough effort into adapting to these changing times? Are we intentionally seeing our as portals to online spaces where God is sending us to actively engage in His missional work?"

How to Missional on Your Phone (Even if You’re Not a Gamer) – Flourishing Congregations Institute Are we ready to meet the next generation in the digital spaces they already call home? This post explores how followers of Christ can shift from being mere screen consumers to active creators to build online neighbourhoods that foster genuine discipleship and evangelism.

"The truth about religious transmission—the effort to pass on religious identity, belief, and behavior—is that it occurs within a complex ecosystem. This ecosystem depends on a vital synergy between the parent-child relationship and the local congregation." Arch Wong, professor of Practical Theology at Ambrose University and Associate Director of the Flourishing Congregations Institute, in our most recent Flourishing Forward blog.

The Synergy of Faith Transmission: Connecting Home and Parish – Flourishing Congregations Institute Drawing on recent Canadian research, this blog explores the vital synergy of religious transmission between parents and congregations. By shifting from rigid instruction to a model of "gracious choice" and active participation, churches can provide the necessary scaffolding for the next generation t...

Pastoral Calling Reimagined explores mid-career , multivocational , and shared between lay leaders and in the . The variety of people is calling today brings hope to a changing landscape. Dr. Gordon T. Smith ignites the conversation and brings in three voices, Rev. Karis Thy Le, Amy Caswell Bratton, and Rev. Clara King, who are active in the church, to share their experience of the Spirit’s abundant invitation.

Join us to celebrate the new book, Pastoral Calling Reimagined: Celebrating the Spirit’s Abundant Invitation, with contributor Clara King and special guests, editor Gordon T. Smith, & Joel Thiessen on May 3rd, 2026, 7 pm at the Anglican Diocese Office, 8336 34 Avenue NW, Calgary, AB.

This event is free to attend. We hope you can make it. Please let us know you are planning to attend, so we can prepare for the right amount of people.

Calgary Book Launch - Pastoral Calling Reimagined — New Leaf Network Save the Date for May 3 in Calgary, AB

Did you miss last week’s Flourishing Forward webinar with Lindsay R. Callaway, “The Varied Landscape of Women's Church Experiences,” or wish to watch it again or share with others? You can access a recording of the event here.

The Varied Landscape of Women's Church Expereinces FINAL Original Air Date: Friday, March 20, 2026, 1:00PM (MST)Webinar Description: Join Lindsay Callaway, Senior Researcher at the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada,...

When considering the , some denominational organizations are imagining how new can be formed given the religious and cultural shifts taking place in . This video, based on a report by Dr. James Watson, a research fellow at Wycliffe College, offers perspective from the experience of Canadian leaders to suggest important principles and practices which can mobilize new development.

Shaping the Future of Denominational Organizational Cultures – Flourishing Congregations Institute 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 focusing on this direction what actions they have taken, it is possible to identify some of the organizat...

Join Lindsay Callaway, Senior Researcher at The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, for an interactive 45-minute webinar – 20-minute research presentation, 10-minute Q/A, & 15-minute guided conversation with a church leader respondent (optional 15-minutes after for networking) – about a recently released study, Women in the Canadian Evangelical Church. Drawing on findings from Women in the Canadian Evangelical Church, this presentation explores how understand and participate in local life. The findings reveal complex, generational, cultural, and theological dynamics, offering a nuanced picture of women’s church experiences as multifaceted, dynamic, and in flux.

*This special 45-minute webinar features a guided conversation with a church leader respondent, following Lindsay’s presentation

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"While the local congregation sees parents at the center of disciplining the next generation, with churches and Christian schools playing supportive roles, a perceived problem is that parents or teachers are not terribly invested in their own spiritual formation (i.e., low levels of religiosity) and thus those of the children entrusted to them." Joel Thiessen, Professor of Sociology at Ambrose University, in our recently released Flourishing Forward Blog.

The Truth about Churches Discipling Children and Teens – Flourishing Congregations Institute The truth about churches discipling children and teens is they are doing so in a religious transmission ecosystem that includes and depends upon parents, schools, peers, media and social media, and other adult influences. Drawing on recent Canadian-based research, this blog explores some of the chal...

Interested in learning about how local in urban contexts interact with a environment? If so, you'll love this article by Frédéric Dejean, Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at UQAM | Université du Québec à Montréal.

A Christian Social Engagement which is like the Yeast in the Dough – Flourishing Congregations Institute Both practical theology and sociology of religion are interested in how local congregations in urban contexts are dealing with their environment. To say it bluntly, two attributes exist: on one hand, there exists a model which sees local congregations as citadels besieged by dissolving secular force...

Did you miss last week’s Flourishing Forward webinar with Sam Reimer, “Self-Spirituality in your Church: Implications for Discipleship,” or wish to watch it again or share with others? You can access a recording of the half-hour event here.

Self-Spirituality in your Church: Implications for Discipleship Original Air Date: Friday, January 30, 2026, 11:00AM (MST)Webinar Description: Join Sam Reimer, Professor of Sociology at Crandall University, for an interac...