Are Gen Zers returning to church? Yes, some are, but religion scholars say it's too soon to call it trend

 

Are younger people returning to church? That’s what’s being reported about Gen Zers — people born between 1997 and 2012 — in places in Canada, the U.S. and the United Kingdom. That’s what’s being reported by some church leaders in the United Kingdom, Canada and in the U.S. 

Those who are writing about it say it’s happening because Gen Zers feel “lonely, isolated, anxious and fearful about the future. The promises of secularism for progress and freedoms simply have not delivered for them,” as one minister put it. 

Added to that is the unsettled and uncertain political situation in the U.S. and around the world, along with the employment challenges caused by tariffs and artificial intelligence for many in that generation. 

Those who study religion acknowledge something is happening, but say it is too early to call it a trend, with one saying there’s no data suggesting sizable conversion rates occurring among Gen Z in Canada or elsewhere. “We are not talking about a revival,” he says, suggesting church leaders need to be careful when talking about it. 

Read more about this in my Free Press column.

Photo above from On Mission.

 

A sampling of Winnipeg faith coverage over the past few weeks

I mostly post my Winnipeg Free Press columns on this blog. But I also regularly write news stories about faith in Winnipeg. (Four to eight stories a month.) So I thought I’d share a few of those from the past month so people can see how the Free Press is covering this aspect of life in Winnipeg. All my stories can be found here.

‘Sign of our welcome’: mural transforms plain-looking Prairie Spirit United Church entrance into inviting space (Photo above)

‘It’s our mission’: Inner-city church driven to help refugees 

Local faith groups express optimism after Canada’s formal recognition of Palestine 

‘Refreshing and uplifting’: Winnipeg Jews, Christians meet to promote dialogue

Plaque unveiled to honour Western Canada’s chief rabbi 

Winnipeg Catholics can pay tribute to ‘saint in sneakers’ 

Mennonite church treaty people tour provides a chance to pause, ponder 

Church branches out to beautify riverbank with help of non-profit 

 

‘You are not alone’: retired social worker takes time to listen during cross-Canada tour

In a polarized and divided world, where many may feel lonely and isolated, Paul Jenkinson has a message: “You are not alone. I will listen.” 

That’s what it says on a sign the 71-year-old retired social worker plunks down in public spaces from Nova Scotia to Manitoba as he makes his way across the country to B.C. 

“My goal is to simply listen,” said Jenkinson, a divorced father of two and grandfather of six who is on a cross-country journey that started in in May and is set to conclude in November. 

And people sit down with him—about 600 so far. After each person shares, Jenkinson asks if he can respond and tell them about his life. 

“I’m not offering counsel, just a conversation,” he said. “I just want to be there for people. I want to remind them they aren’t alone.” 

Read my story about Jenkinson’s tour in the Free Press.

If you want to understand what is happening in America, you need to know about the Seven Mountains Mandate

If you want to understand many things happening in the world today, you need to check out the religion angle. This is especially true in the U.S. 

An example of this is the Seven Mountains Mandate, a belief promoted by a conservative evangelical form of Christianity. Proponents of the Mandate believe that Christians need to dominate seven key spheres, or mountains, of society: government, religion, family, education, media, culture and the economy (business).

The idea of the Mandate has been around since the 1970s. But it has been popularized more recently by leaders in what is called the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), a loosely connected movement of evangelical non-denominational and Pentecostal churches in the U.S. 

The premise behind the Mandate is that those seven key pillars of American society have been taken over by demonic powers. In order to make America great again, Christians need to reclaim control of these “mountains.” One way for that to happen is by placing Christians in influential positions in government and other places so they can get rid of the demons.

Read my story about the Mandate in the Free Press.

New executive director of Canadian Council of Imams exploring what it means to be a Canadian Muslim

What does it mean to be a Canadian Muslim? That is the question being asked by Imam Sikander Hashmi, the new executive director of the Canadian Council of Imams. 

In his new role, Hashmi—who was born in Montreal to parents from Pakistan—wants to help build a Canadian Muslim identity, something he thinks could take a generation or two. 

“It’s a work in progress,” he said, adding “being born in Canada helps. I understand the culture better than someone from another country. I know how Canadians think, I understand the subtle things about being Canadian. That is an advantage for me.” 

Read my story about Hashmi in Canadian Affairs.

New moderator of United Church of Canada wants denomination to think small

 

“We May Not Be Big, But We’re Small.” 

That was the motto of The Vinyl Cafe, a fictional record store owned by Dave, a character featured in the stories of the late Canadian author and CBC radio host Stuart McLean. 

It could also be the new motto for the United Church of Canada, according to its newly-elected moderator Kimberly Heath. 

“Our identity as United Church people is to think of ourselves as big,” said Heath, who was elected on Aug. 9 at the denomination’s 45th General Council. 

For a long time, Heath says, United Church members took pride in being the largest Protestant denomination in Canada; in being a “church that matters.” 

But that was the past, she said. “That idea of ourselves as big is not helping us today.”

Read my interview with Heath in Canadian Affairs.

Mixing aid and evangelism; not a good idea

Should giving out aid and evangelism be mixed? 

That question was prompted by an e-mail I received about a group of rural Christian youth who went to downtown Winnipeg to hand out food and water to homeless people and evangelize them. (“Four people were saved,” they said.) 

I have my own opinions. (No, they should not be mixed.) But I decided to ask some people who have experience with homelessness in the city: Julianne Aitken, executive director at Siloam Mission, and Tobi Jolly, who directs community wellness for that organization. 

Read their responses in my Free Press column. 

P.S. Ignore the headline on the column in the newspaper. I don’t write them. The answer is not complicated for me at all.