C&MA Canada – New and Innovative Ways to Grow the Kingdom

The Christian and Missionary Alliance of Canada is developing new and innovative ways to cultivate a passion for mission, start new churches and engage unreached people groups in the birthplace of founder A.B. Simpson.

The deeper life and holiness movement launched by A.B. Simpson in New York City moved north to Toronto, Canada, and then primarily west. It was officially recognized as a formal family of churches in the early 1980s. Today, there are approximately 440 churches and many emerging new ventures. Their vision is to continue expanding, with growth focused on a deeper life and mission.

The Alliance in Canada aims to be a Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered, mission-oriented movement. Their Vision Prayer is, “Oh God, with all our hearts, we long for You. Come, transform us to be Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered, mission-focused people, multiplying disciples everywhere.” Culture, Nurture, and Venture are three key strategic drivers:

• Culture focuses on assuming and maintaining a posture of passionately living in continuous spiritual renewal, with one purpose: to see Jesus everywhere.
• Nurture focuses on stimulating and engaging new and innovating ways of identifying, developing, resourcing and mobilizing a new generation of workers living a deeper life in mission for the movement.
• Venture keeps the focus on the rescue mission of bringing least-reached people groups access to Jesus.

There is a need to grow the kingdom in the Atlantic and Quebec provinces. Ironically, there is no C&MA presence in Prince Edward Island, where Simpson lived as a boy. Quebec, meanwhile, is the least reached area in North America.

There are various initiatives:

• New Ventures is growing through bold and courageous experimentation to launch initiatives that have the potential to become churches as the Spirit of God brings wind to the sails of these start-up partnerships.
• Envision Canada is a very recent and very exciting leader-development track that lines up with the deeper life and mission heartbeat and is growing at a significant pace. Many young people will be developed through Envision mission trips, internships and apprenticeships.
• The Jaffray Project is providing a means to help C&MA people go deeper in Jesus and further in mission.
• Least-reached people group initiatives are being launched with resource kits going to all interested local churches on how they can bring access to Jesus. Many churches are considering how they can reach the scattered diasporas arriving in Canada in record numbers. This includes ministries to international students and Muslim peoples, as well as a very dynamic refugee program.
• Holy Spirit encounters and Soul Care conferences are helping their constituency rediscover or, for the first time, encounter the manifest presence of Jesus through the powerful presence and enabling of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer Points and Challenges:

1. Pastors who come from backgrounds where they didn’t receive training in the deeper life and mission are receiving training to help them engage in the mandate of the C&MA with passion, energy and generosity. Critical to the licensing process of official workers are new systems and development efforts with leadership candidates for pastoral and international worker service.
2. Training and educational programs need to be strengthened where practical skills can be both learned and practiced for bringing lost people access to Jesus.
3. Discipleship needs a fresh and newly energized thrust across our churches.
4. There is a need to generate new dollars from new revenue streams to fund the future dreams of the C&MA in Canada.