In most cases, Canadians play catch-up with American leaders on social issues, but here’s two issues where Canadians can offer some leading insights.
1. Some Advice on Same Sex Marriage For US Church Leaders From a Canadian
Carey Nieuwhof is a pastor in Barrie, Ontario. His recent blog post on same-sex marriage has been shared over 100,000 times and counting.
Canadian pastors are ten years ahead of our US colleagues in dealing with legalized same-sex marriage. Nieuwhof says, “If you believe sex is a gift given by God to be experienced between a man and a woman within marriage, why would you expect people who don’t follow Christ to embrace that? Why do Christians expect non-Christians to act like Christians?
The purpose of this post is not to take a position or define matters theologically (for there is so much debate around that). Rather, the purpose of this post is to think through how to respond as a church when the law of the land changes as fundamentally as it’s changing on same-sex marriage and many other issues.
Here are 5 perspectives I hope are helpful as church leaders of various positions on the subject think and pray through a way forward.”
2. Canadian Youth Leaving the Church
Eric Ortlund is a professor of Old Testament at Briercrest Seminary in Saskatchewan. He has ministered in Britain and the southern US. 
He says, “Canada is a much more secular society than America. In fact, a friend who has spent time as a missionary in Kenya tells me that, in their opinion, Canada is a darker place spiritually than Kenya. But it doesn’t feel the same as Britain.
But . . . that may be changing. The statistics for youth leaving the church are scary–see here–it’s an open secret that 60%-80% of kids regularly involved in church won’t be attending once they set out on their own). And Canadian Christian institutions are feeling it.”
James Penner has written a book entitled, “Hemorrhaging Faith” detailing the decline in church attendance by Christians over 18.
- Only one in three Canadian young adults who attended church weekly as a child still do so today.
- Of the young adults who no longer attend church, half have also stopped identifying themselves with the Christian tradition in which they were raised.
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Pastor Bob, in 1998 my Mom of 91 yrs. Was in hospital dying after another heart attack. I was sitting with her her pastor came in. He always recognized my mom as a prayer warrior.
He said to her that they will miss her prayers for the church. He told her prayers were bringing young people in and he thanked her. They had many events going on in the church for the young people.
When he said that she looked at him and very quietly said, ” pastor you are trying to bring them in when you own are going out the back door.”
He was very taken back but he listened and changed some things.
Today I see this with the young generation
We must pray for our grandchildren and children. I never forget that and I see it in my own family. The music and particularly the “gaming” as they call it. God help us to be diligent in prayer.