vision

The Necessity of Adaptability

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Our world is constantly changing around us, from unpredictable weather systems to the reactions of people to one’s own emotions responding to our circumstances. A simple drive to the grocery store shows how we adapt constantly. We change lanes to avoid someone turning at a light, slow for slow-moving traffic in front of us, and end up taking a different route than planned because construction is blocking our preferred street. As leaders, we need to adapt to our circumstances all the time.

Assessment Skills

To adapt effectively, we need to recognize when a situation requires change. Adapting begins with recognizing that the current situation is not right or best. We need to learn to evaluate and assess so we recognize when a problem shows up.

In Exodus 18, Jethro comes to visit his son-in-law, Moses. He observes Moses meeting with the people to solve disputes and act as a judge.

Problem Solving

Once we recognize there is a problem, we need to clarify the problem and some possible solutions.

Jethro recognizes that this situation is wearing Moses out. He suggests a solution: Equip other godly men to serve as judges. Don’t carry it all yourself and expand your leadership.

Listening

When trying to solve a problem, too many leaders try to do it all themselves. Even when others try to suggest possible solutions, they often are ignored because the leader didn’t think of it himself. Adaptability invites the input of others and listening to their advice. Moses knew that the people needed someone to bring their disputes to. He was doing his job. But when he listened to the good advice of his father-in-law, he recognized there was another way to do things.

Exodus 18:24 says, “Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.” When Moses considered Jethro’s advice, he quickly saw its value and implemented it.

Teamwork

As you try to solve a problem, consider who may help you with the solution.

Moses listened to the advice he was given and handed off the work to a number of other leaders. Not only did it make his life a little easier, it also spread the load to others and gave others an opportunity to step up and lead with him.

Bravery

Adaptable leaders are brave enough to risk a new way of doing things as they look for a possible solution. It may be that the first attempt, or a few, aren’t the right ones, but adaptable leaders try enough options to find the right solution.

Ask God to help you be an adaptable leader who recognizes problems quickly and can discern solutions effectively.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

The Benefits of a Charismatic Confident Leader

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A charismatic, confident, skilled leader can be a great asset to a church. In the last post, we talked about the dangers of a confident and charismatic leader who doesn’t know how to equip and lead others. This post points out how a charismatic leader can be a great help.

A highly skilled, charismatic leader attracts people.

The truth is, a charismatic leader will naturally attract more followers than someone who is skilled and competent but quiet. People can see the charismatic leader and get caught up in the enthusiasm and passion this type of leader brings. That means recruiting volunteers and team members may be easier than for other leaders.

A highly skilled leader with a charismatic personality can use that to make inroads into new places.

A leader like this can often gain access to new places because of their confident, exciting nature. They are not afraid to make new friends or to reach out to potential partners, and when they do, they often bring so much excitement and passion that others are quick to want to work with this leader.

A highly skilled and confident leader can instill confidence in his followers and organization.

When the average volunteer in a church sees this type of person in action, they may become more confident in themselves and may be willing to try new things or use skills they are just learning because they can see how this leader does it. If he allows people to get close to him, he can lead by example, and his excitement and enthusiasm will rub off on others.

A highly skilled leader who learns how to equip others can multiply his efforts.

Unfortunately, often a charismatic leader, no matter how skilled, tends to leave others behind. Rather than equipping others, he attempts to do it all himself. After all, “if you want it done right, do it yourself”, or even “even if you want it done quickly, do it yourself”. What happens is that others around him, even if they are watching him, are not taught how to do what the leader does. Yet if the leader chooses to, he can equip others in the skills he is so proficient at, so that he doesn’t have to do it all himself and finds others who begin to learn and improve in the skills he is sharing with them.

A highly skilled leader who trains others can set a course that benefits the organization or church even when he is gone.

One of the dangers I have noticed with highly skilled, charismatic leaders is that when they leave the organization, everything falls apart because they did it all themselves. Everything fell on them. But the same leader can leave an equipped army of volunteers and other leaders if they are willing to slow down and deliberately train others to do what needs doing. If you are a charismatic and highly skilled leader, recognize that God gave you those gifts, not just to do the work of the church, but to help others become trained and equipped to do the work of the church. Use your personality and abilities to leave an ongoing legacy when you are gone.

Charismatic, confident, highly skilled leaders can make a great difference in the church if they will deliberately equip and train others to lead and volunteer alongside them.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

The Dangers of a Charismatic Confident Leader

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A charismatic, confident, highly skilled leader can be a great asset or a great danger to a church. In the moment, it can be exhilarating to be part of an organization that is run by such a leader, but over time, problems can begin to surface.

A highly skilled leader can tend to forget the importance of equipping others.

Leaders love to do the work they do. They enjoy the various aspects of moving an organization towards the vision and goals that have been defined – often by themselves. In their desire to do a good job, they easily forget about training others to learn how to do what they do. And it feels like a waste of time to slow down and train others when you can just do it yourself. A leader usually has more they want to do than they have time for, so doing things they don’t want to do, like equipping others, falls onto the “not so important” list.

A highly skilled leader may portray a way of doing things that others think they can never imitate.

When a charismatic leader connects with people and leads them well, those without those gifts can tend to think they can never match up to that leader and how they lead. The leader may even portray their leadership as the one and only ideal way to do things. This means that anyone who does not have the same skills or even the same personality may come to the conclusion that they can never learn to do the same thing. Those watching may even give up on pursuing leadership at all because they cannot do it the way that this leader does it.

A highly skilled leader can make it all about themselves.

The temptation of a confident leader is to make it all about themselves. They may not mean to at first, but if people start following them and giving them accolades, the leader may begin to think they are really quite something. They may begin taking the spotlight on themselves, and being okay with that, rather than pointing them to God. When people come to church to hear the preacher and not to meet God, there is a problem. That leader needs to find a way to always keep pointing to Jesus and always give God the glory for any abilities he has.

A highly skilled leader can make others dependent on him.

A great leader recognizes that people can not depend on them but constantly and consistently works at building a team. No one should be dependent on one person. No one should depend on one counsellor or one pastor. If this happens, that person may be completely lost if that pastor moves on to a new church. A leader must develop a team and build up the larger body of Christ so that people will see they can depend on the larger church family and not just on the pastor. The pastor also needs to equip people to depend on God and not on individuals around them. Point them to Jesus. Give people skills that help them to depend on God.

If a leader functions like a boat in the water, leaving a wake behind it, leaders need to ask themselves what kind of wake they are leaving behind them. A highly skilled leader needs to recognize their responsibility to equip others to join in with the work that they are doing. Leaders need to learn how to develop a ministry that is not dependent on them and will succeed even if they are no longer around.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Look to the Bread of Life to Satisfy Your Hunger

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Every leader longs for others to recognize the value they bring to an organization or a task and to be appreciated for their contributions. A leader brings value because of their training and the skills they have developed. A leader brings their experience and creativity to solve problems and develop effective plans for the future. A Christian leader brings a heart that is sensitive to God’s leading and works out of the spiritual gifts God has blessed them with.

Leaders want to do a good job, so they generally put in many hours of work, often more than what they are compensated for. They are too invested in the project to stop until success is in sight. Some struggle to find a balance between their work and the rest of their lives.

Source: Andrey_Popov / Shutterstock

Everyone, leaders included, has a tendency to see themselves as their job or their position. I am a pastor. I am a music director. I am a plumber. I am a teacher. I am a designer. It is common for us to find our identity in what we do or the role we fill. Our hunger for significance and purpose in life can easily cause us to be swallowed up by our role.

But what happens if our role no longer fulfills us, or we aren’t recognized for our contributions, or the job doesn’t end up being as fulfilling as we had hoped?

In John 6 we have the story of Jesus feeding 5000 men (possibly up to 20,000 with women and children included) with one boy’s lunch. It is a miraculous expansion of one lunch that fed thousands. There were even enough leftovers for each disciple to pick up a basket full. The next day the crowd comes to Jesus looking for more miracles.

Jesus uses the illustration of the multiplying of bread to introduce himself as the bread of life. He tells the crowd around him that he can give them bread to eat so they will never be hungry again. Jesus is not talking about physical bread but saying that their hunger inside will never be fully satisfied with any food or experience or pursuit of fulfillment apart from belief in Him.

Jesus talks about how the Father draws people to himself, how the Spirit gives life, and that by believing in him, in Jesus, people can find true fulfillment.

Leaders need to recognize that their fulfillment cannot be found in their work. Yes, enjoy your work, do it well, and celebrate how your leadership is contributing to the success of your organization or church, but recognize that your fulfillment in life must come from a close friendship with Jesus and dependence on Him for joy in life.

Remember that the people you lead may turn on you. Circumstances may impact your leadership in ways that are beyond your control. Projects that you planned and love may fail. If you find your fulfillment in your work, you are setting yourself up for personal failure, but if you find your fulfillment in Jesus and a relationship with him, you will never be let down.

Look to the bread of life for true satisfaction and to fill the hunger inside for peace and joy in life. Then lead out of that heart that is at peace with God, and as a result, at peace with your leadership, whether it succeeds or fails.

Look to Jesus for fulfillment in life and lead out of the peace of knowing you are right with him.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Discipleship Is Practical

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Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.
Matthew 28: 19, 20

Discipleship is one of the key responsibilities Jesus gave to the church. As the verse above says, Jesus commanded his followers to make disciples of others by teaching them everything that Jesus had commanded. Most discipleship is purely focused on teaching people spiritual truths: how to read and study the Bible, how to pray, how to hear God, and so on. These are incredibly important for every believer.

But I want to suggest that we need to recognize that discipleship is also very practical. Discipleship needs to include the practical aspects of serving and leading in a church. It might be as simple as helping volunteers plan how to set up for the next church potluck or teaching others how to run the sound board or set up the PowerPoint slides for Sunday’s service. It may include teaching musicians how to pick music, how to set up each of the instruments in the band, and how to do well at leading in music as well as leading in worship. Discipleship may include teaching a new chairman of the Elders board how to plan for and run a meeting. Even things like showing a new cleaning crew how to clean the church well is an aspect of discipleship. Don’t think you need to do all of these things as the pastor, but help those who know how to do these things to teach others.

I recently heard a volunteer complain that he was the only one who put away the chairs and tables after the potluck. Others saw him stacking chairs and hauling them away, but hardly anyone else stopped their conversation with friends to help clean up.

I understand and feel the frustration of a volunteer like that who sees a need and makes sure it is met. What needs to happen is practical discipleship. The volunteer who sees the need and knows what to do needs to learn how to recruit others to help, while respecting conversations that are happening. Sometimes it seems that doing things yourself is easier because you know what to do and where things go. It takes time to explain and show others how to do something, but unless you equip others, you will always be doing it by yourself, and what started out as a fun way to serve becomes a frustrating experience.

Here are some practical ways that the volunteer in the above story could disciple others. A first step may be to determine everything that needs to be done in this task, and the steps to make it happen. Sometimes these need to be in order and other times they do not, depending on the situation. A detailed sheet can be posted or handed out to new volunteers so they know exactly what is needed and how they can participate. For example, if a meal is planned, an appropriate number of volunteers can be recruited and shown the detailed to-do list. They can be clearly told what time to arrive so they will be ready for the event. The “discipler” who is used to setting up and taking down tables and chairs can still be there the first time or two to ensure that it is done right and that each new “disciple” knows how to do it.

Even if no recruits had been arranged beforehand, the experienced volunteer could have recruited a few people to help. Often, if people are asked and clearly told what is needed, they will respond. Unfortunately, those who know what to do often assume others do to, but that is not the case. People often need to be led, even in the simple case of putting away tables and chairs.

So practical discipleship includes recruiting people, preferably ahead of time, for a specific task. It involves having a clear understanding of what is needed, defined in a clearly written and posted list. And it involves the experienced one being available to guide the disciples until they know how to do it on their own.

Yes, discipleship must have a spiritual aspect and focus on growing as followers of Jesus, but practical discipleship is also highly important.

May God guide you as you disciple others in practical ways.

And please comment with suggestions of what has worked for you to do practical discipleship.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Life-Enhancing Goals!

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“Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest.”

Proverbs 20: 4

“You ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’”

James 4:15

The one who has no goals in life will have nothing to live for. We all need purpose, and part of that purpose is to accomplish things, whether for oneself, for others, or for the betterment of the world around us. I don’t really like New Year’s Resolutions as they are often unrealistic dreams with no clear steps to accomplish them, but I do like the idea of asking God to guide us in setting meaningful goals that will help us live with purpose.

The one who has no goals will be like the lazy farmer who doesn’t plow and seed and harvest because he has no drive to make it happen. Instead, we ought to ask God what His will is for our lives. In James 1:5 we are told, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.” Let’s ask God for wisdom in how to set meaningful goals for our next year.

Spiritual Growth Goals: Set some goals that will help you to grow spiritually.

  • These may include reading the Bible and prayer, when you will do it, how often, and how much of the Bible you want to read. Many people follow a plan that guides them through the whole Bible in one year.
  • These goals may include reading books on spiritual growth – maybe even books that challenge your thinking and stretch your understanding of God and how He works today.
  • Maybe you can find a course or seminar that teaches you to grow spiritually.
  • Or determine to practice some new spiritual disciplines.

Ministry or Serving Goals: Set some goals about how you will serve others or serve in the church.

  • Maybe you need to try serving in a new area of ministry in the church.
  • Maybe you can find a place to serve in your community. It may be serving the poor or underprivileged. It may mean serving on a community board or committee.
  • Maybe there is some training that you need to take to become better equipped to serve somewhere. Look for a course that will help you develop new skills.

Health Goals: Set some goals that will help you be at your best health.

  • Decide what you will do for exercise, how often, where, and so on.
  • You might want to adjust your menu so you eat healthier meals.

Personal Growth: Set some goals to grow personally.

  • This could be through setting a goal for the type of books you will read or how much time you will spend reading each month.
  • Look for experiences to enter into – like a retreat or a mission trip, and make it a goal to arrange your budget and schedule to attend.
  • Maybe you will regularly set aside time to learn and practice a new skill – like knife making or cake baking.
  • Maybe you want to study a new language.
  • Imagine what you want your life to be like in ten years and build a plan to achieve that by setting short-term goals along the way

May God guide you as you ask Him for wisdom to become the person He longs for you to be. Ask Him to guide you to the right goals and how to achieve them.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Train Yourself to Be Godly #3: Spiritual Practices of Scripture Memorization, Meditation, and Studying

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*Training yourself to be godly includes memorizing, meditating on, and studying scripture.

Last week I introduced Scripture Reading as a spiritual practice to train ourselves to become more godly and become friends of Jesus. Many people read the Bible, at least to some extent. This may be reading a few verses a day or reading through the Bible in a year. While there is great value in reading scripture, there is great benefit in going beyond reading alone.

So, yes, have a plan for reading the Bible regularly, but also think of going beyond just reading to memorizing, meditating on, and studying scripture. Reading can help us get the big picture of scripture and help us understand what God has written and what Jesus has said. I would like to encourage you to find a way of intentionally internalizing what you read.

Scripture Memorization

Psalm 119:11 says,

“I have hidden your word in my heart

that I might not sin against you.”

Memorization is to hide God’s word in your heart. By spending the time in scripture it becomes embedded in your memory.

At a recent worship service, the pastor started quoting Psalm 23. As he did, he coached the congregation to quote it with him. It was impressive to have many in the congregation reciting Psalm 23 from memory. The congregation had hidden Psalm 23 in their hearts.

I want to encourage you to begin memorizing. You don’t have to start with long scripture passages, but start by memorizing a verse a week. You could start with Psalm 23 or a passage from Paul’s letters like Philippians 2:1-11 which describes the humility of Jesus in coming to earth.

Scripture Meditation

Meditation is to think on a verse over a longer period of time. If you are memorizing a verse and mulling it over in your mind, you are also meditating on it as you continue to let it speak to you.

Psalm 119:15 reads: I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.

To practice meditation is to spend time thinking and praying and talking to God about one thing, one verse or one statement about God.

Meditation slows us down as we focus on one idea for a period of time. It may be one verse or one phrase that describes God or a theological or doctrinal statement that we can think over as allow God to speak to us over time.

Scripture Study

Maybe you have read the Bible a lot, but you realize you haven’t really stopped to study it – to take time to understand certain passages of scripture or a certain book. You can use different online helps (Biblehub.com) or commentaries to dig a little deeper.

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 we read:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

If we long to be more godly and want to train ourselves to be so, studying moves beyond reading, memorizing, and meditating, to dig into what words and phrases and verses mean.

I encourage you to move beyond devotional booklets like the Daily Bread, and others. While they have good stories and good scriptural thoughts, learn to study the Bible for yourself. Take time to “chew” on the word of God, not just taking in what others have “chewed” in their study. Study it for yourself without just relying on the work others have done. There is value in us processing the study instead of just receiving someone else’s answers from their study.

Train yourself to be godly by spending intentional time in scripture, getting to know God, getting to know Jesus, and allowing scripture to equip you and train you to be the woman or man of God He longs for you to be.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Spiritual Training Series #2: The Spiritual Practice of Reading Scripture

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*Training yourself to be godly will include reading scripture.

Anne of Green Gables described the type of friend she longed to meet: “A bosom friend. A kindred spirit. I’ve dreamt of meeting her all my life.” We all desire a good friend, a bosom friend who understands us, wants to spend time with us, and shares our interests.

But did you know that you can become a friend of Jesus? Or that Jesus wants to call you his friend?

In John 15:14,15, Jesus says, “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.”

Jesus calls YOU a friend if you do what he commands.

This is not just for the disciples – Jesus is inviting you and me – as his present-day disciples, to become his friends!

Verse 15 declares there is a change of status for Jesus’ disciples – there are no longer slaves (or servants) but friends!

But there needs to be obedience on the part of the friends.

And for the friends to be obedient to those commands – they need to know what those commands are!

Yes, Jesus is Lord, but he invites us into friendship. Jesus invites us into friendship, not as ones who must do everything Jesus said – or God said – but as ones who know the heart of Jesus and want to do the things that honor and show respect to our Lord – and friend!

You are my friends if… If what? If you do what I command.

How do we know what Jesus (or the Father) has commanded? We need to read the Bible.

If you want to be a friend of Jesus you need to spend time in Scripture getting to know Jesus, reading it like a letter from a friend rather than a textbook.

This is about getting to know the heart of God, the heart of Jesus. It’s about getting to know him and love him and desire to please him so that it is not obedience out of obligation, but because of a desire to please the one you love!

If you want to train yourself to be godly, to become a friend of Jesus and be more like him, you will want to include a regimen of Scripture reading (memorization, meditation, study, etc.), which will help you to get to know Jesus better.

First, get your own Bible, and then make a plan for reading the Bible. There are various Bible Reading Plans available, including some that take you through the entire Bible in a year. Just search the internet and you can download or order from a variety of plans, but make sure you have a plan so you can train yourself to be godly!

Read the Bible regularly so you can learn what Jesus has commanded, can do what he has taught, and be his friend, and become more godly in the process.

We are to train ourselves to be godly. It begins with reading the Bible regularly.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Persevering Through Leadership Challenges

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Leadership is not for the faint of heart. Leaders can expect to face challenges from those they lead. Church leaders are not exempt from this reality.

I recently met with a church board who were facing these kinds of challenges. Some of the congregation were complaining that the board wasn’t leading well, others said they would never submit to the board’s leadership, and others said they didn’t even know who the leaders on their board were. Leaders can expect to face condemnation from every angle, facing criticism for being both too controlling and at the same time not leading strongly enough.

The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Timothy 3:1: “Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.” It is a good thing to desire to be a leader, but Paul immediately follows up that statement with a list of qualifications a godly leader should measure up to. Not just anyone can be a leader.

Once you are a leader, you are entrusted with the care of those you are called to lead. It doesn’t matter how you came to your position; you have to believe that you are there because God wanted you there. Whatever system your church uses to select leaders, the assumption is that the church trusts God to guide that process. That means you are not just there because some people in the church wanted you there; you are there because God wanted you there. This is important as you face challenges from those you are called to lead. If you believe God put you in that position, then you can persevere with His strength, no matter the challenges.

How can you face these challenges and continue to lead?

Believe you are called to your leadership position by God.

When you are called by God, you can trust Him to help you persevere through tough leadership challenges because He will empower and equip you to do so.

Pray and read scripture.

As a church leader, you need to be in tune with God and to hear from Him as you navigate the hard seasons. Take time to talk to God about your challenges. Ask God to help you understand those who criticize you. Listen for God’s direction, either directly to you in prayer or through scripture.

Read the Bible with the desire to find answers to your challenges. This could be through examples of good leadership in scripture. It may be that you are encouraged by Paul’s letters to churches and leaders. Read so you can be encouraged by the Word of God.

Learn and grow in leadership.

I have found that reading leadership books, attending seminars or conferences, and listening to podcasts has encouraged me and helped to equip me to tackle various challenges I have faced as a leader in the church. We can learn from the stories of others. We can gain knowledge, skills, and encouragement from others who have faced similar situations.

Leadership can be exciting when everyone is working well together, but it can be difficult when people you are called to lead do not trust you and question every step. I hope you can find encouragement in your calling, find direction in God’s Word, and hear from God in prayer. Continue to persevere as you face challenges.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Is Your Church Declining or Growing?

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You may have heard some of the discouraging statements about church closures recently. A study by the National Trust of Canada “predicted that one-third of Canada’s 27,000 faith buildings, most of which are Christian, would likely close permanently in the next 10 years.”[i] The narrative around church closures includes conversations about the decline of religious affiliation in Canada. A January 8, 2022 Global News Report stated: “Religiosity in Canada is at an all-time low, with recently released data from Statistics Canada showing only 68 per cent of Canadians 15 or older now report having a religious affiliation. It’s the lowest it’s been since they first started tracking this statistic in 1985.[ii] The Canadian Institute for Empirical Church Research, in a 2024 article, stated an opposing view, saying “overall the Canadian Christian Church had only 2% fewer net congregations in 2019 (23,675) than they did in 2009 (24,138).”[iii] While pointing out that there are only a few fewer churches, the article acknowledged that religious affiliation is indeed down.

I understand that churches do sometimes close. The church I started in as a youth pastor no longer exists. At the same time, I am very encouraged as I think of the churches I have served as a transitional pastor over the last 5 years.

I have served seven churches, of which three were growing even during their transition, and all the rest were stable. Not one of the churches was in continual decline.

So what might this mean for us as pastors and church leaders?

There may be times when a church should close. Some of our rural communities are declining as people move away for school and jobs, which may mean a church closes for lack of people. Some churches may need to close because they have lost their mission and are no longer serving as a church, but a Christian club for a few dedicated members.

So what does this mean for church leaders?

We need to remind ourselves that we are serving God’s church. It is His church. While we can definitely do our part, we need to ask God to step in and bring revival where necessary and grow the church. We need to remind the church of our mission to make disciples who make other disciples. We need to give people hope and joy in their relationship with Jesus. We need to look for ways to bring spiritual renewal and transformation into our congregations, beginning with us.

We cannot lead people where we aren’t going first. Are you hungry for God? Are you digging into His Word, hungry for more of Him? Are you reading books on spiritual renewal? Are you praying and inviting others to pray with you? Are you loving your neighbours and those in the community around the church building?

Pastors, God wants us to use our gifting and calling to draw people ever closer to Jesus. I am convinced that when people fall in love with Jesus again, they will come alive. They will experience Him at work in their lives. As we ask for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit, He will fill us and empower us for holy living and bold sharing of the gospel.

Quit preaching “self-help” sermons. Preach Jesus from the Gospels. Preach about the filling of the Holy Spirit. Introduce spiritual disciplines and invite your church to practice them. Show your members the full life that can be theirs.

God is still at work. He is still drawing new people to Himself. New believers are asking to be baptized. Some of your members are hungry and searching for more of Jesus. Encourage those who are already searching and ask God to open the hearts of others.

Are churches closing? Yes, some are, but yours does not need to be one of them. Be proactive. Do not assume the decline of your church is inevitable. God is still at work, renewing believers and reviving churches. May yours be one of those.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

[i] New report suggests opening churches to the masses as attendance dwindles

By The Canadian Press

Published: June 22, 2025 at 7:43AM EDT https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/new-report-suggests-opening-churches-to-the-masses-as-attendance-dwindles/

[ii] [1] ‘Gone by 2040’: Why some religions are declining in Canada faster than ever

By Ashleigh Stewart  Global News

Posted January 8, 2022 5:00 am

 Updated January 17, 2022 3:21 pm https://globalnews.ca/news/8471086/religion-decline-canada/

[iii] Hope For the Future: The 2021 Canadian Census

Rev. Dr. Lee Beachhttps://flourishingcongregations.org/hope-for-the-future-the-2021-canadian-census/