Denomination targets ambitious church-planting goal
MOUNT ROYAL, QC—One decade ago, the Quebec district of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) launched an ambitious long-range plan—to plant 75 new churches within 25 years.
To date, the denomination—which had less than 20 churches across the province in 1995—has seen 14 new congregations planted in Quebec, bringing the total number up to 30. Fifteen of those are francophone, 13 are ethnic and two are English (although one of the ethnic churches also has an English congregation). Nine of the churches are in the greater Montreal area and the remainder is in outlying and rural areas.
Yvan Fournier, regional director for Quebec—officially known as the St-Lawrence district—credits an aggressive church-planting plan and a strong focus on collaboration among local churches in each region of the district.
"While the district office lends some support and direction, the local churches in each area are responsible for working together to sustain and build the health of existing congregations, as well as for the strategic planning towards the launching of new congregations," says Fournier.
"The churches in each region are more knowledgeable about the needs in immediate surrounding areas and can make better decisions about where new local churches are needed.
"They can also be much more practically involved in the ongoing direction and support for those new neighbouring congregations once they are started," he adds.
Challenges arise
But there are challenges as well, including a chronic shortage of trained leaders. Two of the C&MA's three English congregations in Quebec are currently without senior leadership. Other congregations find themselves sharing pastors.
Until recently, Michel Houle pastored two congregations—a church plant attempt in the city of Ste-Julie just south of Montreal as well as a more established congregation in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, a western suburb of Montreal.
ChristianWeek reached Houle as he was in the final stages of moving his family from Ste-Julie where the church plant has recently been closed.
"There was a very small group that worked very hard at this attempt for some time," Houle explains, "but in the end, we never reached the critical mass."
In Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Houle will concentrate his full attention on a French congregation of 40 to 50 people who share a building with Fairview Alliance, an English congregation.
Houle is not alone. "In two of our regions we have two pastors looking after four churches," says Fournier. "Many of our smaller rural congregations rely heavily on lay people who are very committed but have varying amounts of training and skill.
"Overcoming this shortage will be the biggest challenge in seeing our strategic plan fulfilled," he says. "We estimate that 75 new church plants will require finding—and in some cases training—150 to 200 career pastoral staff and 600 to 800 lay leaders."
Fournier himself has been actively involved in the pulpit at a small English congregation in Noyan, a town near the U.S. border, as well as in several other congregations where there is no full-time resident pastor.
Encouraging times
However, as critical as the staff shortage is, he also says it has heightened the level of local cooperation.
"Not only have the local churches in each region accepted an aggressive long-term strategy that relies heavily on their involvement and commitment to see it fulfilled," he says, "but in very practical ways they have already stepped up to the bat."
Some help with financial support while others share pastors or other key leaders. Others offer buildings or other physical resources as a church attempts to reach another ethnic group in the same neighbourhood.
"They are actively caring for and reaching out to their sister churches and working and thinking with a heart for the work of the Kingdom in their own areas," says Fournier.
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