(Continued from Part IV) A Future for Christian Higher Education, Part V Collaborating Across the Christian Higher Education Sector There is often a spoken or assumed expectation by those outside the sector that Christian higher education institutions ought to find deeper ways to collaborate. The sentiment is affirmed by those within the sector44 and in practice institutions are generally generous about things like sharing policy, referring students to rival institutions that better suit the student's academic aims, and offering friendship, moral support, and prayer across the aisles. For deeper collaboration, however, it needs to be [...]

(Continued from Part III) A Future for Christian Higher Education, Part IV Practically speaking, how can Christian higher education overcome its lower enrolments and decreased financial supports and continue to fulfil its leadership pipeline mandate in Canada?   Solutions: Christian higher education must adapt, collaborate, and secure new support. There are many possible solutions to the Christian higher education crisis, but all of them need to own up to the commonplace perception of "how little my [Christian higher] education had actually prepared me for the day-in, day-out responsibilities of leading a church."32 For Daniel O. Aleshire, [...]

(Continued from Part II) A Future for Christian Higher Education, Part III Problem #3: Christian higher education is facing a crisis in Canada. Leaders in Canadian Christian higher education collectively express difficulty in recruiting students, often citing Christian parents as a primary obstacle. Increasingly, Canadian Christian parents want their children to go directly into a career track at public institutions, not to waste time and money developing faith. Recruitment is further hampered by a growing trend among churches to hire clergy who have little or no Christian education, or for churches just to do their [...]

(Continued from Part I) A Future for Christian Higher Education, Part II Problem #2: We have a Christian leadership crisis in Canada. Currently, most Canadian Christian leaders are in their late 50s, with 41% in senior positions aged 60 or older14 and two-thirds of senior pastors serving as their church's only leader.15 Statistics Canada predicts that 25% of all Canadians will be seniors by 2031 with Millennials holding 50% of Canadian jobs in 2020 and 75% by 2028.16 For the church, however, there has been a sharp decline in the numbers of young adults pursuing vocational Christian leadership.17 [...]

A Future for Christian Higher Education, Part I Problem #1: The Church is experiencing a crisis in Canada. Canada is experiencing rapid changes in its social, spiritual, and moral climate that increasingly conflict with traditional Christian beliefs and values. In slightly over a year, Canada passed Bill C-7, expanding euthanasia law1, Bill C-4, criminalizing conversion therapy without clearly defining what "conversion therapy" means,2 and increased spending on abortion in response to the US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.3 Canada's 2018 Supreme Court decision to rule against Trinity Western University's appeal to have a law school [...]

I've spent a considerable amount of time this past fall visiting with pastors and ministry leaders throughout our constituencies. My friends, there's trouble. When Barna released stats earlier this year that 30% of clergy are likely to leave ministry before this pandemic is over, I confess, I was skeptical. I thought it was an alarmist overstatement. "Maybe in America," I said. "Not here." After engaging with ministry leaders in my limited circles in the past few weeks, I not only became a believer in those stats but I began to say that I fear they might be about 10% low. [...]

Two years ago, who'd have imagined we'd be in our situation today? It's been a tough road, an uphill battle. As ministers, we've taken some hits. We've seen casualties as congregations have divided and as colleagues have stepped out of ministry. We're weary and we're increasingly wary of every supposed signal that this season might be ending. I get it. I'm tired and I'd be lying to say this season hasn't taken its toll on me. But despite my weariness, I'm optimistic about the future of the church. And I'm convinced more than ever that YOU matter. Why am I so [...]