Resource Library – UReach Toronto

Kingdom Without Borders

By Miriam Adeney — Keywords: Christian ministry, culture, ethnic diversity, cultural diversity, multicultural — Chapter 1 Only

16 October

Common Actions: Participatory Action Research as a Practice for Promoting Social Action among and between New Canadian Church Planters and Denominational Leaders

By Mark Chapman and James Watson — Abstract: The Greater Toronto Area remains the major immigrant destination centre in Canada. New Canadians are welcomed but not necessarily well integrated into the lives of churches. Our experience and research has shown that this lack of integration can extend to new Canadians who start churches yet are not integrated with denominations or church planting organizations. The New Canadian Church Planter project is an ongoing participatory action research project that brings together new Canadian church planters and denominational leaders as equals. It engages these groups in conversation to identify issues of concern, facilitate shared learning, and promote positive social action. This paper uses data from that project to explore the effectiveness of participatory action research in facilitating those objectives. The project was effective at breaking down isolation, encouraging limited collaboration, developing localized resource sharing, and in disseminating learning but not at developing positive social action external to the meetings themselves. — Keywords: participatory action research, Canada, immigration, new Canadians, church planters, nccp, denominations, collaboration, social action —

15 September

Large Canadian Churches Draw an Estimated 300,000 Worshippers Each Week: Findings from a National Study

By Warren Bird in collaboration with a Canadian research team — Description: For Canadians who attended a Protestant church last weekend, an estimated one in eight attended a church that draws 1,000 or more in weekly attendance. These predominantly evangelical congregations are growing, reaching out, and focused on serving children and youth. Terms like megachurch, church growth, multiple services, and congregations with lots of young families bring to mind countries like the United States (think Joel Osteen and Lakewood, or Rick Warren and Saddleback), Nigeria (with sanctuaries that seat over 50,000), Korea (home to the world’s largest-attendance church) and other parts of the world – but Canada too? Isn’t church attendance on the decline across the 10 provinces and 3 territories? This article discusses the findings of a research project that found that Canadian “megachurches” are increasingly popular amongst Canadians, with 1 in 8 Protestants attending these congregations weekly. This report discusses how large churches appear to be an attractive and likely enduring option for Canadians seeking an experience of engaged and growing congregational life. Leaders of these churches report that they are evangelistically effective, are reaching a diverse ethnic population, and are expanding to multisite venues—all with high-quality ministry

18 October

Faith & Settlement Research Project

Faith & Settlement Partnerships: Resource Packet — Description: This Packet has been compiled as part of the Faith and Settlement Partnerships: Setting Immigrants and Canada up for Success project which is a research partnership that explores partnerships between faith-based and government-funded settlement organizations. This two-year project was led by the Centre for Community Based Research (CCBR) and funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Click here for more information. — Keywords: research, ccbr, sshrc, settlement, immigrants, Canada — External Links: Faith & Settlement Partnerships — Workshops Guide Faith & Settlement Partnerships — TIM Centre —

10 July

Beginning the Discussion

By Ruth Cassidy and James Grunaua — Abstract: God calls the church to deep levels of engagement with refugees and new immigrants that ultimately reveals God’s heart of compassion for vulnerable people, his desire for believers to live in right relationship with the “other,” his design for creation that includes unity with diversity, and his self-giving love that invites broken humanity into its embrace. — Keywords: new Canadian, refugee, sojourner, diaspora, displaced, church development, education, training —

9 July

Unequal Relations

By Augie Fleras: A Critical Introduction to Race, Ethnic, and Aboriginal Dynamics in Canada — Description: Unequal Relations: A Critical Introduction to Race, Ethnic, and Aboriginal Dynamics in Canada is the market-leading, single-voice text for Race and Ethnicity courses in Canada, and it includes comprehensive coverage of racism, multiculturalism and diversity. This mature edition has been updated to remain current, and to include new sub-topics important to the discipline, including explicit discussion of the importance of immigration to Canada and its role in national building; older waves of immigration; and shifting attitudes of normalized immigrant groups. — Keywords: immigrants, immigration, refugees, multiculturalism, Canada, newcomers, settlement, research, racism — External Links: https://www.amazon.ca/Unequal-Relations-Introduction-Aboriginal-Dynamics/dp/0132310600

4 July

Community Connection / Connexion Communautaire

— Description: A directory of over 20,000 community, social, health and government services Toronto’s #1 online resource for human service professionals. — Keywords: immigrant services, 211, new Canadians, immigrant, refugees — External Links: https://www.211toronto.ca

4 July

Integration — Net

— Description: Resources for Immigrant-Serving Organizations to Understand and Fight Racism in Canada.” This inventory is prepared in collaboration with John Samuel and Associates, Citizens for Public Justice, and the Canadian Ethnocultural Council, with funding from the Welcoming Communities Initiative of Citizenship and Immigration Canada — Keywords: church, racism, social justice — External Links: http://www.integration-net.ca

4 July

Ontario Immigration

— Description: The official Government of Ontario website where you can find many resources to assist new Canadians in adjusting to life in Canada. — Keywords: immigrant services, settlement — External Links: http://ontarioimmigration.ca

4 July

Outreach Canada

— Description: Outreach Canada is an evangelical-oriented mission organization, focused on strengthening churches and communities across Canada. With a mandate to come alongside local church leaders, mission agencies, denominations, and churches, Outreach Canada actively assists them to be more effectual in their ministries, and more intentional in the provision of services to their respective congregations and communities. — Keywords: Christian ministry, missions — External Links: http://outreach.ca

4 July