The best is yet to come! Anyone who knows the Lord can rest on the assurance that life is mere preparation for eternity. What wonder awaits.
At the same time, clouds hang over our heads. The woes of this life are a guarantee.
But we must refuse to let that get us down.
Our annual Renewal Day invited us to live with joy – right here and now. Many came and spent time with other kindred souls at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Welland, Ontario, on Saturday, March 25, 2023, while others joined us online.
We got a powerful pep talk from Canada’s most enthusiastic evangelist. Cory McKenna – aka “The Equipping Evangelist” is Founding President of The Cross Current, a local missions ministry that equips the Church to normalize sharing the Gospel in our personal and community relationships. Cory is on fire for Christ’s Great Commission and is just what we need as we emerge from the pandemic malaise. Text: Matthew 28:16-20. Title: Our Great Commission Commitment.
Cory’s message inspires and instructs all true worshipers of Christ on the eternal importance of us “getting back to the Master’s business” together by fulfilling the two, interrelated responsibilities of “Our Great Commission Commitment.” Having served as a pastor since 2002 and an equipping evangelist since 2007, the Lord has graciously grown in Cory a love for His people and gifting necessary to equip them for the work of gospel outreach together. Cory and his wife Dawn live in London, Ontario with their two sons, Joshua and Caleb. The video below begins with Cory’s talk at the 7:45 mark.
Worship and Speaker Video
This time of encouragement was followed by Renewal Fellowship’s Annual General Meeting. The Annual Reports for the year ending December 31, 2022, and the Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting on April 30, 2021, that were considered at the Annual General Meeting may be downloaded in PDF format.
The name of the gathering — “Remaining TRUE to God’s will” — says it all. God’s will speaks TRUTH and we are striving to remain TRUE to it.
Dr. Stephen Farris
Speaker: To that end, we received encouragement from our guest speaker, the Rev. Dr. Stephen Farris, the moderator of the 140th General Assembly. His message — entitled “After the first church fight” — was inspired by the story of complaint, accusation, division, settlement and peace described in Acts 6:1-7. It all worked out in ways they could not have imagined! What might this mean for us today? The video of the entire day is available below.
Worship and Speaker Video – If you don’t have time to listen to the worship led by Gus and Jess from Grace West Hill Presbyterian Church in Toronto, Ontario, Dr. Farris’s talk begins at the 8:35 mark.
This time of encouragement was followed by Renewal Fellowship’s Annual General Meeting. The Annual Reports for the year ending December 31, 2021, and the Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting on April 25, 2020, that were considered at the Annual General Meeting may be downloaded in PDF format.
On January 29, 2022, a total of 60 people gathered via Zoom for “Called Together — a Time of Encouragement” for evangelical/orthodox/traditional believers within The Presbyterian Church in Canada who remain called to the places where we currently worship and serve — but may feel isolated and discouraged. But we are not alone. Speaker Rev. Dr. Kevin Livingston challenged those in orthodoxy to remain as a “faithful presence” as described by Gordon Smith, the President of Ambrose University in Calgary, in his book Wisdom from Babylon: Leadership for the Church in a Secular Age. Dr. Livingston’s address can be seen on YouTube below, and a condensed version of his presentation follows that.
Faithful Presence in the PCC – by Rev. Dr. Kevin Livingston
It was almost five years ago now that I spoke at a gathering like this at Vaughan Presbyterian Church entitled “Unity in the Presbyterian Church in Canada Today.” Since then, we’ve been through some painful presbytery meetings and contentious general assemblies; we’ve seen a change in our doctrines of marriage and ministry that is deeply troubling to many of us; and on top of that we’ve all been wrestling with the COVID pandemic, and the accompanying isolation and exhaustion as we’ve tried to figure out what it means to do ministry when the rug is pulled out from under us. Looking back over my presentation now, I realize how much has changed! But in other ways, it hasn’t.
Conflicts within congregations and disagreements between different communities of faith are a central feature found right in the New Testament. Indeed, Karl Barth once remarked that “There are no letters in the New Testament apart from the problems of the church.” And of course, problems among God’s people didn’t stop with the apostles. The history of the church for 2,000 years has fluctuated between growth and retrenchment, advance and decline, seasons of spiritual stagnation and spiritual renewal … .
For example, in Canada we’re seeing a great decline in church attendance and a hollowing out of Christian faith and values; but in the most unlikely places today, places like Iran and Nepal and China and regions of West Africa, the Christian faith is growing. It is heartening to know that globally, Christianity is growing faster than the world population rate, and Pentecostal and Evangelical groups are growing even faster, according to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. I think it’s helpful to remember this, to keep our own problems in perspective.
But as encouraging as the global picture may be, we are surely facing the greatest crisis within the PCC since 1925. The presenting issue, of course, is the final approval of the remits that have revised our church’s historic position on God’s intent for marriage and for ordained leadership within the church. But the real divisions we face are far deeper. We have widely divergent understandings of the authority of the Bible, and incompatible approaches of how to read and interpret Scripture for the life of the church in ways that are faithful to Scripture itself, and profound disagreement about the nature and function of our doctrinal standards.
Our presbyteries and our national church offices seem too exhausted or preoccupied with other matters to address the existential threat we face to our very existence, as we continue to hemorrhage members and close churches. The only thing that seems to hold us together is our presbyterian form of church government, but certainly not a common theology or a shared evangelistic mission. These are challenging days.
There is so much that could be said, but in the time I have today, I’d like to suggest a way forward for us who describe ourselves as evangelical or traditional or orthodox within the PCC, framing the options that lay before us, and then making a case for remaining within the Presbyterian Church in Canada as we work and pray for spiritual, theological and organizational renewal in the church we love.
In his book, “Wisdom from Babylon: Leadership for the Church in a Secular Age”, Gordon Smith, the President of Ambrose University in Calgary … asks the question: What does it mean to provide leadership for the church in an increasingly secular context?
Smith lays out a compelling case that we live in an increasingly secular culture, “a secular age,” as McGill philosopher Charles Taylor has put it. By “secular,” he doesn’t just mean the principle of separation of the state from religious institutions so that there is no discrimination against anybody in the name of religion. We have moved beyond that, towards what he calls Secularism as an ideology, a “totalizing” worldview that excludes faith-based ideas from the public square. In other words, religious opinions can be private and personal, but they are illegitimate in public discourse.
Smith argues that when religion is privatized and secularism reigns supreme in the public square, Christians have largely engaged the culture in three typical ways.
Some Christians have adopted a “go along to get along” approach, seeking compromise and coexistence with the dominant culture around us. This has the advantage of not appearing weird or backwards or judgmental to our neighbours, but the “go along to get along” strategy comes with a cost. We can easily become just a pale imitation of other helping organizations in the community, and we lose our capacity to be God’s alternative community, God’s church … . It’s hard to announce a prophetic word in those areas where our culture has departed from the teaching of Scripture … . I would argue that “mainline” liberal Protestant churches have largely taken this stance. And that appears to be the choice the PCC has made too.
Other Christians have taken the opposite approach, what Smith calls the “culture wars” response. They seek political victory and try to restore the values of old Christendom on everyone else. The assumption here is that society was once Christian and that this needs to be restored, so that Christian values and beliefs are privileged over everyone else. “Make Canada great again,” some might say. But in the process of trying to impose Christian values through courts and legislatures, we become adversarial and political in our approach, trying to impose our beliefs and values on others using the weapons of this world … .
Between these two extremes there is a third approach, what Smith calls “the monastic response.” This is a call to retreat, to withdraw, to disengage from the larger culture in order to sustain the next generation of believers. The goal here is to preserve God’s community from a fallen and disintegrating culture by building a protective wall between the Christian church and the surrounding world … . I must admit that I’m tempted by this option, because here at least the theological lines are drawn clearly, but when we disengage from the world, we lose our capacity to be a source of salt and light and renewal to the larger culture, which stands desperately in need of God’s saving grace.
What I find intriguing is that these three responses to culture that Smith talks about in his book … all of these mirror the various responses that evangelical Presbyterians are wrestling with in light of last year’s General Assembly … .
Will we try to fight again and strive for victory in our presbyteries and the General Assembly, “culture wars” style? The life and energy of the church has been weakened because of our “perpetual state of war” with one other. Our collective energies go into winning, but Christ’s larger mission inevitably suffers. And frankly, I don’t think there’s much fight left in us to take this option anymore. Or will some of us succumb to the pressure to “go along and get along,” abandoning the clear teaching of Scripture and the doctrinal heritage of our church in order to be assimilated by the values of the world, and thus lose our souls in the process? I pray not, because to do so would be to “deny the sovereign Lord who bought us” (2 Peter 2:1) … . And I know that some of us are pondering the Monastic option, of withdrawing by leaving the PCC altogether. We could go down the road of ecclesiastical divorce. And there is a certain attractiveness to this option. Breaking out of an unhealthy, dysfunctional relationship can be worth the pain … . But I am loathe to further fragment the body of Christ, because the unity of the church is just as important as its purity … .
We feel torn … . But let me speak about a fourth way of engaging our culture that Gordon Smith talks about, … the response of “faithful presence.”
Faithful presence is a commitment to discern new ways to provide a faithful witness to the gospel of Christ within our changed social context. Despite the changes in the world and in the PCC, God remains actively present among us, and has called us together to serve as God’s witnesses where he has placed us. This is long, patient, laborious process, “a long obedience in the same direction,” to borrow from Eugene Peterson. In a world that’s in desperate need of truth, goodness, and beauty, we are called to strengthen the church by richly communicating the true, good, and beautiful gospel of Christ. We must simultaneously accept and love people in our culture and in the larger PCC but not agree with them in those areas where they’ve departed from biblical truth.
Can we do this within The PCC? Can we retain our core convictions but simultaneously work and pray patiently for a renewed church, with worship leaders who instill a deep passion for God; with Bible teachers who provide sustained, systematic teaching of the apostolic faith; with evangelists who creatively, enthusiastically communicate the good news of Jesus; and with spiritual directors and prayer warriors who embrace intentional spiritual practices and cultivate in all of us a deeper life with Christ?
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul urges the believers to “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4.3) … .
This means, friends, that we should continue to exhort, encourage and try to convince our brothers and sisters of the truth of the historic Christian perspective on marriage and ministry, but do so in critical solidarity with them — even in what we perceive to be their grave errors — because they are still a part of the body of Christ to which I belong. And I have no right to abandon them over this matter.
Let me close by highlighting the example of my beloved mentor and friend David Bosch, the world-renowned South African missiologist, scholar and church leader. Bosch was a member of the Dutch Reformed Church … the influential Afrikaner church body that gave theological justification to the multifaceted racism that the apartheid system created … . And yet Bosch remained a loyal member of the DRC despite its gross theological error and despite the persecution he suffered … . He did so out of a prophetic faithfulness to the gospel of reconciliation and a deep love for his own people. Here’s how Bosch put it: “Believe me, it would be very easy for me to do as [others have done], and just resign and walk away from this … . But I am sorry, I think that would be self-indulgent … . I am not ready to give the Dutch Reformed church over to the devil.”
For Bosch, the central issue was prophetic solidarity, identifying with the guilt of one’s people in order to speak to them in a credible way. He put it like this:
“The true prophet identifies himself with the sin and guilt of the church. He knows that he himself is no better. That is, by the way, the difference between the critic and the prophet: the critic criticizes from the outside, the prophet confesses from within. The critic accuses, the prophet weeps. Criticism is easy, but also cheap; prophecy is costly, because it flows from solidarity.”
Speaking personally, I feel called to follow Bosch’s example and stay within the PCC to declare God’s Word to His people no matter what. I would like to counsel us to retain the long view of history and the spiritual gift of godly patience as we pray and work for theological renewal in the PCC.
Rev. Dr. Dale Woods: “Six Stages of Faith” – experiences of faith throughout life. Kristy Short of Alpha Canada: “Engaging evangelism in a COVID World”. Rev. Dr. Christine O’Reilly: “Salt and Light” – church court strategies post-Remits. Rev. Doug Cameron and Rev. Cathi Cameron: “Grieving to live” – engaging loss to regain vitality. Rev. Dr. Esther Acolatse: “Recovering the joy – rekindling the hope”. Shane Davis and Jon Dykeman: “Youth/young adult ministry – how to engage and encourage.” Cory McKenna of The Cross Current: “How do we walk as followers of Christ in an increasingly secular world?”
On November 13, 2021, approximately 100 people participated in our day of encouragement and renewal. This in itself was encouraging! It was a day of worship, prayer, teaching, and discussion organized in partnership with Vaughan Community Church (VCC), an Eastern Han-Ca congregation.
Main Session Video
Introduction by Rev. Andy Cornell – begins 38 seconds in Worship led by Ken Michell – begins 9:42 minutes in Greetings from Rev. Dr. Dan Scott, Moderator of the PCC – begins 34:24 minutes in Keynote speaker, Rev. Dr. Dale Woods, Presbyter of Vision and Mission for the Presbytery of Westminster and former principal of Presbyterian College Montreal. His presentation, “Six Stages of Faith,” was an exploration of personal levels or experiences of faith throughout life, augmented by video clips, music, and small-group discussion. The following video begins with Dr. Woods’ address, 42:37 minutes in. Six breakout workshops – The six videos are presented on their own following the Main Session Video below.
Workshops
We were similarly blessed with six gifted workshop leaders. Kristy Short of Alpha Canada: “Engaging evangelism in a COVID World, which has been turned upside down.”
Rev. Dr. Christine O’Reilly: “Salt and Light – church court strategies post-Remits “B” and “C” – pragmatic ways to uphold the Scriptures and the Book of Forms.”
Rev. Doug Cameron and Rev. Cathi Cameron: “Grieving to live – many of us need to engage the loss in order to regain vitality to minister.”
Rev. Dr. Esther Acolatse, Professor of Pastoral Theology and Intercultural Studies, Knox College, Toronto, Ontario: “Recovering the joy – many of us are feeling beaten down, so how do we rekindle the hope?”
Youth pastors Shane Davis from Lakeshore St. Andrew’s, Windsor, Ontario, and Jon Dykeman from St. Andrew’s, Moncton, New Brunswick – “Youth/young adult ministry – how to engage and encourage.”
Cory McKenna of The Cross Current: “Whither our culture – how do we walk as followers of Christ in an increasingly secular world?”
Joo Hyun Chung, of Vaughan Community Church, and Rev. Jin-sook Khang, Associate Pastor at VCC, were busy behind the scenes.
Rev. John Park, a member of the RF board, was our tech host
Here’s some participant feedback:
“The conference was excellent. I enjoyed it all and was blessed.”
“The presentations were excellent, needed and on target.”
“Opening worship a good start to the day. Dale: really inspired by this and look forward to reviewing his slides. Was assigned to Christine O’Reilly’s workshop and found her insights very helpful.”
“Thanks so much to you, the organizing team, and Vaughan Community Church for a wonderful day of encouragement yesterday. It was good to gather together with other PCC folk on the more traditional side of the denomination, to know that we are not alone in the struggle within our denomination.”
“The enthusiasm of Kristy Short was contagious!
“Whither our Culture workshop was a very good presentation in that it helped open our eyes to the challenges of sharing the gospel in our culture today.”
“It was wonderful. The entire event was excellent in every way. I feel encouraged and strengthened. Thank you!”
“This was a great day. Yes do this again.”
“All portions of the opening worship were inspiring. It was good to have the moderator deliver remarks and the laying of hands and prayer for him were most appropriate.”
“Really liked the leader for the worship – excellent song choices – really felt drawn into meaningful worship – thank you so much! Should we do something like this again? Definitely – the coast to coast attendance is very good.”
What can the faithful do when the church is spiritually adrift? When the authority of Scripture is being challenged over sexuality and ordination — what better opportunity to remind ourselves to be anchored in Christ and look for a safe harbour.
For inspiration, we turned to our new friends at Cruxifusion, a network of ministers who are centred on Christ. They’re self-described as an “evangelical, traditional, orthodox, conservative” witnesses. They arose from the roots of the former United Church Renewal Fellowship, Community of Concern, National Alliance of Covenanting Congregations, and Church Alive. Those four groups formed at various times and each had a slightly different focus, whether spiritual, political, or theological. When the United Church decided to ordain those in LGB communities in 1988, many members of those renewal groups departed the denomination. Those who remained in the UC wrestled with their purpose. In time, they struggled with membership and energy. Despite the theological drift in the UCC, young orthodox ministers were still entering the denomination. With seed money and spiritual support from the old renewal groups, Cruxifusion was born in 2010. They’ve been a safe harbour for like kinds and a witness for Christ.
Renewal’s Board gathered by Zoom with some members of the Cruxifusion Board of Directors and supporters last September to hear their stories. Among them was Rev. Dr. Greg Brawn. We invited him to share his hope and witness at our annual Renewal Day on April 17, 2021, by Zoom for a day of worship, prayer, group discussion, and inspiration.
Rev. Dr. Greg Brawn
Theme Speaker
Rev. Dr. Greg Brawn, is a voice for orthodoxy within The United Church of Canada, a minister with a passion for Christ, and pastor of a vibrant Christ-centred congregation, Byron United Church in London, Ontario, since 2007. He was ordained in 1998 and has ministered in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. In 2019, Greg completed his Doctor of Ministry in Preaching degree from McCormick Theological Seminary. He is passionate about working with others to build communities of holy joy, faith, and love. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Cruxifusion. Greg brought words of hope and encouragement to those who are discerning their place in The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
Here are some notable quotes.
“I’ve been invited to talk to you about what it’s like to be an evangelical in a liberal denomination. … Twenty years ago I thought there was no hope, no future for our denomination; in fact, I thought it wouldn’t exist, or it would break up. That hasn’t happened.
“I’m not going to give you a solution. I can’t do that. … It’s a complex situation.
“There is a godly future for you and the PCC.”
“The United Church turned liberal in the 1950s and continued until about 10 years ago. That was the climax. The pendulum had come to swing back to Christology and Trinitarianism and to some extent, biblical authority. … Keep the faith. The Lord will bring you through this.”
“Avoid the temptation to ‘burn it all down’, wash your hands, walk away, and shake the dust off.”
“A strategy here is not to focus on the denomination. … We don’t use the United Church hymn book, we don’t buy the UCC Sunday School resources or Bible study curriculum.” At the same time, “do participate in your courts, but not as a disrupter. Pay presbytery assessments and do the paper work. … Be the local church of Jesus Christ.”
“Even within our congregation there are people who take the Bible literally and there are people who are quite liberal. … When we invite new members, we give them space.”
“Your calling — our calling — is to proclaim the Gospel to every creature in word and in deed and show how attractive a life lived in union with Jesus Christ is.”
“My future and salvation are not dependent on the United Church of Canada and your future and your salvation are not dependent on the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Amen!”
A new day comes when we rediscover the authority of Scripture. The Executive Director’s year-end/New Year’s message is freely available for download on YouTube. It is best used before Feb. 1, 2021.
More than 100 people joined us for the theme “20/20 Vision: Vigilant and Vital” on Saturday, April 25th, 2020, on Zoom. The addresses are available below both in video and in PDFs. Rev. Jonathan Hong spoke about the current theological division in the denomination: “Where are we now? How did we get here? Where to from here?” followed by a panel discussion with Rev. Christine O’Reilly, Rev. Douglas Rollwage, and Rev. Frances Savill and questions from some of the attendees. The event was moderated by the Renewal Fellowship Executive Director, Rev. Andy Cornell. The Annual General Meeting was convened by Renewal Board Chair, Rev. Ian Shaw.
Rev. Jonathan Hong is English-language lead pastor at Toronto Korean Presbyterian Church, Toronto, Ontario.
Rev. Doug Rollwage is minister of Zion Presbyterian Church in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and a past moderator of General Assembly.
Rev. Christine O’Reilly is minister of Knox Presbyterian Church in Thedford, Ontario.
Rev. Frances Savill is minister of Calvin Presbyterian Church in North Bay, Ontario.
Opening Worship
The Theme Speech
The text of Jonathan Hong’s theme speech, entitled “Everyone Did as They Saw Fit”, may also be downloaded in PDF format.
The Panel Discussion
The text of the remarks by the three panelists may also be downloaded in PDF format.
The Annual General Meeting
The Annual Reports and Balance Sheet and Reviewer’s Report for the year ending December 31, 2019, that were considered at the Annual General Meeting may be downloaded in PDF format.
At the 2018 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, held in Waterloo, Ontario, Rev. Germaine Lovelace, a member of Renewal Fellowship’s Board of Directors, delivered a powerful message to the church, based on Mark 6:6-13, at the opening worship on Wednesday, June 6, the final day of General Assembly 2018. In a time such as this, we are called to go into the world with a message of hope. “What God is calling us as Presbyterians is to take nothing with us. Go in faith and God is with you. Go in faith knowing that the God of grace will go with you. Jesus loves you just the way you are. He comes so that we may have life and have it abundantly.”
Here is a transcription of his opening words.
Scripture: Mark 6: 6b-13
Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people. And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick — no food, no traveler’s bag, no money. He allowed them to wear sandals but not to take a change of clothes. “Wherever you go,” he said, “stay in the same house until you leave town. But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.” So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil.
Message: What is God’s word for us at this time in our ministry in the life of our church? What has God called us to do, as his people and his servants, at such a time as this?
For the first time in Mark’s gospel, Jesus enters a synagogue in his hometown, Nazareth. Prior to this, Jesus was a superstar. Everything he touched turned to gold. Everywhere he went, he had crowds following him. In every town that he went, he touched people’s lives; people were held spellbound. What kind of man is this?
Then he went to his hometown and he lost his reputation. In Nazareth, they began to ask all sorts of questions. Isn’t this Mary and Joseph’s little boy? They laughed at him. They mocked him, Jesus in his own hometown — the place where he grew up, the place where he lived and spent much of his time.
He now was being put to scorn. Jesus in Nazareth, the place where probably he should have been revered, where people should have been gladly welcoming him and sitting at his feet.
But, they showed him no respect. My sisters and brothers, in Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, he lost his reputation.
This is a resemblance to the church today. The church in this age, the church in today’s society in Canada, has pretty much lost its reputation.
There are many who are laughing at the church, who when they hear that you go to church, they think of you as a nerd. There are many who hear that you are a Christian, and they look at you in scorn. They think there is something highly incredible about us when they learn that we are Christian.
But look what Jesus did. The rejection he faced at Nazareth made him uncomfortable. Jesus could have spent some time and said: I’m going back to the drawing board; he could have quit he could have put it aside and said I’m not into this saving of lives. But no, my sisters and brothers, he got up and straight from there, he went and started to fulfill the task that God had called him to do.
Jesus knew what was at stake. Do we know what is at stake, in the world to which we are called to witness? Jesus knew what was at stake. There are people who are dying in sin, there are people out there in the world. There are many who are lost. Many are dying to hear a message of hope.
When the Israelites were exiled to Babylon, they found themselves spiritually and morally challenged in a land in rebellion against God and His truth. Similarly, Christians in this uncertain period of a post-truth Canada feel increasingly isolated from culture and their community. Hence the name of the event: Thriving in Babylon. The purpose was to explore the opportunities evangelical Canadian Christians have in our present-day context and how we can thrive within it.
More than 100 Presbyterians and friends from coast to coast filled a sanctuary at Vaughan Community Church, Thornhill, Ontario, on Friday and Saturday, April 20-21, 2018, for Thriving in Babylon, two days of encouragement and challenge for the Christ-centred, Bible-believing church. It was a celebration of the evangelical church in Canada, with speakers, discussion, sharing, and fellowship, open to people from all churches and denominations.
The theme on Friday, April 20, was Christian Living in a Secular World Note: PowerPoint slides of the presentations, several accompanied by audio recordings to be listened to in conjunction with the slides, may be found within the text below.
Bruce Clemenger – President, Evangelical Fellowship of Canada – Freedom and Faith in Canada – the challenges of freedom of religion in the Canadian context and the benefits of networking as evangelicals. PowerPoint slides
Rev. Dr. Warwick Cooper – Peoples’s Church – Evangelicals and the LGBTQ Relationship – insights into the improving relationships between evangelicals and the LGBTQ community. PowerPoint slides – Resource List
Lee Beach, McMaster Divinity College professor and author of The Church in Exile: Living in Hope After Christendom, set the scene, directing us toward hope.
Gary Stagg, Open Doors Canada executive director, spoke about what we can learn about the experience of Christian oppression in other parts of the world. PowerPoint slides with presentation notes
Carmen Laberge, radio host, author, and president of the Presbyterian Laymen (PCUSA) spoke on how we can bring God back into the conversation within the mainline church.
Dr. William Webb – Christian professor and author of Christian Ethics and Canada Today – insight into the ethical challenges facing Christians in Canada today. PowerPoint slides
Rev. Wes Chang – Chair, Toronto Chinese Evangelical Ministerial Fellowship – The Experience of New Canadians in Babylon – the largest segment of growth in the Canadian Church in a secular Canada. PowerPoint slides
The theme on Saturday, April 21, was Good News for These Times. The audio recordings are best listened to with headphones or good speakers.
John G. Stackhouse Jr.
John G. Stackhouse Jr. of Crandall University, is noted for his studies of church and culture and spoke on the future of evangelicalism in general. His most recent book “Why you’re here: ethics for the real world” was released in December.
On the way we operate as churches: “Our Christianity, my friends, is thin. It’s not false. It’s not even necessarily badly orientated. But boy, it is emaciated. This is the kind of Christianity we put out against the tropical storm that is building in our culture.”
On the steps required to counter this storm: “We need thick churches… anthropologically, sociologically and theologically.
On the four ways to thicken up: “Substantial, broad and adequate teaching… and adequate adult education. Worship needs to be more than happy and moody… . Worship should correct us and not just bless us… . Fellowship needs to be a real sharing of life… . Finally, investment: imagination and attention and money and time on task — enough to make the necessary difference.”
/media/Thriving%20in%20Babylon%20-%20John%20Stackhouse.mp3
John Stackhouse – Q & A
/media/Thriving%20in%20Babylon%20-%20John%20Stackhouse%20-%20questions.mp3
David Haskell
David Haskell of Wilfrid Laurier University, is lead author of the groundbreaking study, Theology Matters: Comparing the Traits of Growing and Declining Mainline Protestant Church Attendees and Clergy, which found conservative theology is a driver for growth, and liberal theology leads to church decline.
On theology and growth: “Conservative theological positioning of clergy and attendees is a significant predictor of church growth… . We also found that contemporary worship was also a significant predictor of growth… . When we asked them why they did innovative contemporary worship and youth programs, they said, ‘Because we want them to know Jesus.’ It all tied back to conservative theology.”
On commitment to a cause: “Human beings are never more passionate or motivated than when they believe an issue is a matter of life and death. . . . Conservatives lead the charge.”
On pastors as part of the solution: “It’s no longer a high-status job. . . . And with relatively low pay, you’re not going to get the best candidate.
Peter Bush, moderator of The Presbyterian Church in Canada, spoke on the possible future directions of the denomination.
On being reminded of past glory: “If we want to thrive in this context, we have got to get rid of nostalgia. . . Because it will not allow us to celebrate what God’s doing in this place right now; and God is at work.”
On Jeremiah 29: “This is a promise to my grandchildren and my greatgrandchildren . . . The question is ‘How do we live now . . . So that [they] will have faith and will want to go back home?’ ”
On idolatry: “The church is called to be different from a culture which worships at the altar of consumerism.”
On dealing with issues that threaten to divide the PCC: “How we have this conversation, the way we address each other in this conversation, is in fact more important than the answer.”
At the same time, clouds hang over our heads. The woes of this life are a guarantee. 
Cory’s message inspires and instructs all true worshipers of Christ on the eternal importance of us “getting back to the Master’s business” together by fulfilling the two, interrelated responsibilities of “Our Great Commission Commitment.” Having served as a pastor since 2002 and an equipping evangelist since 2007, the Lord has graciously grown in Cory a love for His people and gifting necessary to equip them for the work of gospel outreach together. Cory and his wife Dawn live in London, Ontario with their two sons, Joshua and Caleb. The video below begins with Cory’s talk at the 7:45 mark.
Dr. Stephen Farris
On November 13, 2021, approximately 100 people participated in our day of encouragement and renewal. This in itself was encouraging! It was a day of worship, prayer, teaching, and discussion organized in partnership with Vaughan Community Church (VCC), an Eastern Han-Ca congregation.
Rev. Dr. Greg Brawn
When the Israelites were exiled to Babylon, they found themselves spiritually and morally challenged in a land in rebellion against God and His truth. Similarly, Christians in this uncertain period of a post-truth Canada feel increasingly isolated from culture and their community. Hence the name of the event: Thriving in Babylon. The purpose was to explore the opportunities evangelical Canadian Christians have in our present-day context and how we can thrive within it.
