[ une traduction française de ce communiqué est en cours de réalisation ]
Canadian Christian women care deeply about their faith and living it out. But anecdotes and academic discussions dominate our understanding of how most women participate in the church.
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) and 13 other ministries are partnering to conduct research into how Canadian evangelical women understand their roles in the local church and what factors influence their participation.
The Women in the Canadian Evangelical Church study invites Canadian Christian women 18 years and older to take an online survey that will shed light on how women engage in the ministry of the local church and what factors influence their involvement (or lack thereof).
The survey begins May 1, 2025 and is open for participation until June 30, 2025.
“Our research so far shows us that a majority of Canadian Christian women find meaningful ways to engage in their churches, but societal changes have altered the way many women think about their engagement in the life of the local church,” says Lindsay Callaway, a senior researcher at the EFC.
“This result doesn’t surprise us, but now we need to hear from more women about if and how they are participating in the Church. From there, we can begin to understand better how the Church can reach and support women.”
From the research, church and ministry leaders will be able to better understand the needs of women and be more effective in integrating women into church life in meaningful ways.
There are benefits for women also.
“Women who have already participated have shared that they found it a clarifying experience to simply take a little bit of time to think about how they are living out their faith as a member of the body of Christ,” says Callaway.
Participants will also receive the research report when it is completed.
The full list of EFC affiliates who are partners in this project can be found at TheEFC.ca/women-in-church.
The survey is available in both official languages:
Research is valuable when the sample accurately portrays its population. The more participation we have, the more relevant and representative the results will be for ministries to benefit from the findings.