New study helps churches receive immigrants
If the Church's mandate includes the "strangers" and "aliens" among us, then the changing cultural landscape in Canada offers plenty of opportunity for Christian churches to live out their mission. That's the driving motivation behind a research project recently launched in several centres across the country.
The nine-month study, called "Welcoming Churches: Responding to the Immigrant Reality in Canada," is being conducted by the Centre for Community Based Research in collaboration with World Vision and the Tyndale Intercultural Ministries Centre.
The goal of the study, according to the letter that accompanies the survey for church leaders, is "to explore how and to what extent Canadian church congregations are welcoming and including immigrants in their church life" as well as to "identify ways to better involve immigrants within Canadian churches."
Rich Janzen, who is leading the project for the Centre for Community Based Research, says that understanding the successes and challenges experienced by churches faced with the immigrant reality will lead to recommendations and tools to help move towards a response.
"We are living in a diverse society," he says. "This exercise is intended to increase the conversation about the church's calling in today's Canada. It will bring together engaged, serious people, interested in finding and sharing practical solutions."
Tim Nielsen, church planter/pastor at City Church in Winnipeg agrees that the Church cannot skirt the immigrant question. "The Bible is clear," he says. "We are called to care for the poor and the alien."
City Church identifies itself as "intentionally intercultural," which according to Nielsen, means valuing and empowering different cultural groups. The congregation of some 240 people worships together in several languages, and the teaching is shared with co-pastor Indiana Cungcin, from Burma.
The church also offers a wide range of social services to immigrants through "City connections," a separate facility owned and operated by the church. These include a homework club, host family program, English as Another Language courses, furniture distribution and a youth drop-in centre.
Neilsen says although most people arrive in Canada with high hopes, newcomers also face many challenges. They might be disillusioned about their expectation of Canada being a Christian nation, says Neilsen. There are language and employment issues. Some may have trouble adjusting to family roles and realities in their new country. It is often up to the children to interpret the language and culture to their parents.
Neilsen believes the host family program—established Canadian families "adopting" immigrant families—is a practical way to demonstrate God's love in the midst of these very real needs.
The research study will survey a wide range of congregations, from intentionally intercultural groups such as City Church, to churches where the majority of attendees are still "established Canadians."
Information will be gathered and shared in several ways, including a questionnaire for church leaders, key informant interviews and focus groups. Community forums will be held in five key cities: Montreal, Toronto, Hamilton, Winnipeg and Vancouver in August and September 2010. Results will be published at the end of October.
Church leaders interested in completing the online national survey can do so here.
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