Canada
Date Entered: 1992
Major Ministries: Church Planting
Country Profile
Religion: Canada's population is 45% Catholic, 32% Protestant, with the remainder made up of various religions. The number of evangelicals in Canada has remained constant from 1900 to the present; however, as a result of population increase, the relative percentage of evangelicals has plummeted from 25.1% in 1900 to 7.6% today. Canada now has fewer evangelicals than some Asian countries.
Canada is the second-largest country in the Western Hemisphere, and the second largest country in the world. It stretches 5,186 km (3,223 mi.) from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and 4,634 km (2,879 mi.) from near the North Pole to Middle Island in Lake Erie, just north of Sandusky, Ohio. Divided into ten provinces and two territories, Canada maintains a strong federal government.
Canada is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. It is also a federal state, with the official head being Queen Elizabeth, who is also Queen of England and many other Commonwealth countries. She is represented in Canada by a resident governor general. In practice the nation is governed by the Prime Minister, leader of the Majority Party in the House of Commons.
Most Canadians live within a thin southern fringe which is about 376 km (234 mi.) wide and borders the United States. Because of its extreme cold, the remote north has few inhabitants. Canada has 25 cities with populations of 100,000 or more; 76% of the people live in these urban centers. Two-thirds of the country speak English, and the remaining one-third speaks French.
Fragmented by history, geography, and economic factors, the country is as diverse as it is large, with continuing problems of regional disparity. There are at least 42 distinct ethnic groups. Despite this, Canada has survived as a nation by recognizing and tolerating differences.
Although there are two dominant language and religious groups, Canada is truly multi-cultural. It has opened its doors to most immigrants, resulting in large ethnic groups such as Asians, Spanish, and Portuguese in major urban centers.
Missionaries are needed in all ten provinces to plant churches among the French- and English-speaking people, as well as among Chinese, Hispanics, and other growing ethnic groups.
Canadian churches have had a longstanding relationship with ABWE. Some of ABWE’s finest missionaries, even from the early days of the organization, have been Canadians. ABWE Canada, with an office in London, Ontario services Canadian churches.