As Canadian churches adapt to the pandemic and its effects, TWU's Michael Wilkinson observed several trends. Here is an excerpt from his interview with the The Squamish Chief news:
Even for researchers, it is difficult to say for certain how churches across Canada are doing, or how they will ultimately fare due to the pandemic, given that they are still in the middle of the storm, according to Michael Wilkinson, a professor of sociology at Trinity Western University.
He said, generally speaking, what a look at churches and temples and the like shows is that many were thinking at the start of the pandemic that it was something they could ride out for a month or so.
“We will just quickly go on to Facebook live or we will get our phone and watch the pastor talk or the priest talk. But it was really, really basic,” he said, summarizing what he heard from religious leaders early on in the pandemic.
Over the summer, some churches were adapting and offering more polished online productions.
Wilkinson, who is also the director of the Religion in Canada Institute and co-ordinator of the Canadian Pentecostal Research Network, said that many churches in Canada have about 50 in their congregation.
And it is well known that church participation has declined in recent generations.
A 2019 Research Co. poll found only 3% of British Columbians say they attend services at least once a week.
On the whole, congregations are small, and older.
“It isn’t that people aren’t going to church, they still are, just not as often,” he said. “There are still over 30,000 congregations in Canada and still, even with the decline, there are still just as many participating .... most of them tend to be older people.”
Wilkinson fears some churches may not survive the pandemic, financially.
“But having said that, most congregations still are primarily funded by a small group of people who are part of that congregation,” he said, noting that the passing of the plate in person is not as fundamental as it was decades ago. There are electronic means to give, for example, that were in place for some churches before the pandemic.
“About 20% of people in a congregation... are the main financial givers.”
Those people are still giving, for the most part.
On the flip side, he said he is hearing of some who are connecting with churches they would never have been exposed to due to the access they can make online during this time.
“When it is online, you don’t have to watch something locally. You can watch it from wherever it is coming from in the world.”
He said his hunch is, though, that the pandemic isn’t going to send lots more people to religion.
“B.C. rates of no religion are multi-generational,” he said. “There are lots of families that have no connections.... so I am not that bullish on the idea that they are all going to return, somehow.”
Read the full article in The Squamish Chief
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has five campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, Ottawa, and Bellingham, WA. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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