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Questions about Global Missions?

Summary

As a wealthy, high-tech, industrial society and the second largest country in the world, Canada boasts a market-oriented economic structure and an affluent standard of living. Canada’s diverse terrain – mountains, forests and wilderness, prairie grasslands, and arctic tundra – provide copious natural resources of water and minerals, contributing to the nation’s current wealth and pointing to an even stronger economic future. Canadians can best be described as a montage of indigenous people, the First Nations and the Inuit, and immigrant citizens primarily from Europe, but also from China, South Asia, and the Middle East. Canada gained her independence from Great Britain 1867 and now claims a strong parliamentary democracy.

For the most part, Canada enjoys a peaceful political environment. The greatest conflict and threat to national unity, however, is the division between the Francophone Quebec and the other Anglophone provinces. The calls for Quebec’s secession from Canada have diminished of late, but they are never far from re-emerging. Much of Canada’s economic success stems from a 1994 free trade agreement (NAFTA) with the United States and Mexico. The country’s petroleum reserves rank third behind those of Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

The Canadian constitution guarantees the freedom of religion, but secularization and pluralization have affected the relationship between society and religion, causing a lengthy, continuous decline of Christianity. A hundred years ago, evangelicals represented 25% of the population, but today they are less than 8%. Catholicism is the principal religious influence in the country and is increasing due to an influx of Catholic immigrants. As the Church struggles to remain relevant, moral, and dynamic in Canadian society, there has been a poignant drop in the influence of the Gospel. Mobilization is needed to bring together the diverse Christian population to reach a secular Canada that fears terms like “born-again” and “evangelical.” Canada’s indigenous peoples need spiritual growth and healing from years of abuse. Christian missionary vision must be focused on immigrants who live in sizable unevangelized communities. May the people of Canada feel a deep need of the Savior despite the perceived safety their wealth and political freedom provide.

quick facts

continent:
North America
religion:
Christian 63%, Agnostic 23%, Muslim 4%, Atheist 3%, Chinese folk-religions 2%, Buddhist 2%, Sikh 1%, Hindu 1%, Jewish 1%
capital city:
Ottawa
language:
English, French, Chinese, Italian, Standard German
government:
Federal parliamentary democracy
GDP per capita:
$45,900
literacy rate:
100%
population:
37,943,231
major groups of people:
40% Anglo-Canadian; 23% French-Canadian; 3% British; 3% Han Chinese; 2% Italian
POPULATION IN UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS:
7.3%

prayer points

01

Mission workers serving in difficult contexts both in Canada and globally

02

Our largely secular society to hear and understand the good news

03

Our Canada field workers serving in different communities across Canada

04

SIM to serve the local Canadian church well

05

Wisdom for the SIM Canada office staff to help facilitate and prepare people for overseas or local ministry

06

The mobilizing and personnel teams as they work to mentor and process inquirers and increase the numbers who serve. SIM Canada receives an inquiry every day but only 30 to 40 are processed for mission service each year

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