iCanuck

New and Evolving Forms of Church in Canada

Doing church upstairs while a porno is being shot downstairs.

Combining social justice, community and the arts in the third poorest neighbourhood in Canada.

Connecting with others through urban farming while adding sustainability to your community.

Creating space for people who normally would not be allowed to have space in church.

What is God doing on the fringes of Canadian culture?

Flying under the radar of pop-Christianity, experimental churches are quietly establishing genuine Kingdom outposts in settings both feared and forgotten. ‘One Size Fits All?’ uncovers the obscure story of these Canadian missional communities and its leaders.

In the words of the producer, “these communities are not emergent, but contextual, incarnational, missional.”

You can watch some clips and interviews here.

In the clips, you will hear about one of these communities in which a crack addict chooses to sleep on the couch rather than with his girlfriend because he believes Jesus would want him to abstain until he’s married.

You will also hear one of the leaders of another community said, “I don’t necessarily care about getting people saved I just want them to begin caring about the things that Jesus cared about.”

One Size Fits All? tells twenty-five stories about God’s work in the fringes of Christian pop culture in Canada.  You can order it from the webpage here.  Go ahead and support new expressions of church and order a copy.  (No, I do not get any commission or affiliate percentage.  Just trying to spread the word )

In an interview one of the producers, Joe Manafo, says . . .

“If the church is not about the event or tremendous service or fantastic kids’ program, if it’s about doing life together -  and that’s the good times and the bad times, this is a long and arduous  and dirty process but it’s beautiful as well – what’s better than having people sit across from you at the kitchen table or holding other people’s kids, what’s better than doing life together whether they are followers of Jesus or they’re not?”

Awesome! Well said Joe.  I strongly believe that the church is definitely NOT about services or programs.  It’s about the people, isn’t it?  Doing life together.

What about you?  I’d love to hear your comments, and here are two questions to get you thinking . . .

Do you think that church programs are obstacles to spiritual growth and community, or do you find it impossible to think of church without the programs?

One person said, “It’s like asking your grandmother to put on a mini-skirt because you are asking her to adopt a style that is not hers.”  Can you relate? Is your community attractive to only one style of person?

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