Across Canada, rural communities are re-imagining lonely church buildings into vibrant community hubs.

It’s more than a massive loss for religious groups. With more than 5,000 churches expected to close in Canada in the coming decade, it’s a huge loss of infrastructure for the community-at-large.

Located in the centres of their communities, churches frequently provide a home for daycares, seniors programming and educational workshops, as well as for community groups and the performing arts. Most have spaces for both large and small gatherings, many have kitchens, and often there is outdoor space too, allowing people to gather together in all sorts of meaningful ways.

Members of the McDougall United Church and the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) Edmonton Chapter will gather together on Friday, April 15, before their Good Friday service and Friday Prayers, respectively, to exchange goodwill and fellowship in recognition of their new partnership. With support from Trinity Centres Foundation (TCF), the two groups are collaborating to restore and redevelop one of Edmonton’s oldest churches, McDougall United Church, into an inclusive community hub.

On Thursday, March 24 The congregation at Knox Presbyterian Church in Stratford announced a partnership with Urbanistyc, a BMI Group company, that will preserve one of Stratford’s most historic churches. The agreement signed by both the church and developer will allow for continued use of the church by the congregation and future development of the full church site.

Bolder, faster, together poses the question: How can we all take responsibility for the past, navigate a turbulent present and co-operate to protect future generations? Follow along as this series, co-ordinated by the Transition Innovation Group at Community Foundations of Canada, explores the deep societal transformation already underway and accelerating in Canada and around the world.

Our Executive Director, Graham Singh was featured on the 41st episode of the Impact Investing Podcast hosted by David O’Leary!

Graham talks about the crisis facing churches across the country, and our approach to using impact investing as a vehicle for transforming idle church properties into thriving community hubs.

Many churches have inherited valuable real estate from previous generations. Our facilities have served admirably, hosting wedding and funerals, baptism, worship services, and music concerts. They have also served the community through Scouts, AA, day care, fundraising dinners, and so much more. Unfortunately, these buildings often become millstones around the neck of congregations as energy is diverted from mission into roof repairs, work parties for painting, with declining, precious funds sent off for ever-increasing utility bills. As churches struggle with these new realities, accelerated in many cases by COVID-19, they invariably turn to the possibility of sale. In my context alone, we are expected to lose 30% of our church buildings over the next five years.