We were recently privileged to have Joel Thiessen come and speak at Westheights. With his wealth of research and data, his clear and concise delivery of information was surprising, super-manageable and understandable, and compelling.
Joel Thiessen is a sociologist of religion who specializes in religion in Canada. He obtained his MA and PhD at the University of Waterloo before heading to Calgary where he serves as Professor of Sociology at Ambrose University, and is passionate about learning and excellence, from the classroom instructing students, to the research field gathering data, to consulting settings bridging sociological knowledge with ‘real world’ concerns.
We learned about the roughly 25% of our neighbours who would check the “none” box when being asked about their religious affiliation:
The perception is that religious groups do not create the space for the kind of values they hold dear to their heart.- Dr. Joel Thiessen
WHY DECREASED INVOLVEMENT IN CHURCH?
- Reject exclusivity
- Life transition
- Teenage choice
- Too busy
- Scandals/hypocrisy
- Intellectual disagreement
- Interpersonal tension
- Social ties
HEARING FROM RELIGIOUS NONES
- Open-minded and free
- Supernatural: theists, deists, agnostics, and atheists
- Meaning, purpose, and the afterlife
- Morality is common sense
- Aversion to imposed beliefs
ATTITUDES TOWARDS SOCIAL GROUPS AMONG NONES
On a scale of 1-10, where 1 is cooler feelings and 10 is warmer feelings:
- Evangelicals
- Religious person
- Muslims
- Sikhs
- Spiritual person
- Atheists
ATTITUDES TOWARDS SOCIAL GROUPS WEEKLY ATTENDERS
On a scale of 1-10, where 1 is cooler feelings and 10 is warmer feelings:
- Atheists
- Muslims
- Sikhs
- Evangelicals
- Spiritual person
- Religious person
If we are having this conversation about why people are leaving the church, I would say, sociologically, a poor starting point is having negative feelings about the group of people who are least like you. – Dr. Joel Thiessen
DESIRE GREATER INVOLVEMENT?
In a survey of people who previously attended church, when asked “to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following: I want to become more involved with a religious group in the future.”
DESIRE GREATER INVOLVEMENT?
Account for these first …
- Community
- Marriage or children
- Less exclusive
- Change style/format
- Live the faith
- Location
- Less busy
RETURNEES
- Marriage, children, death
- Personal invitation
- Personal crises
- Experienced community with people there
- Close bonds with parents who are supportive and patient while child is in “exile”
- BUT … most returnees do not stick around long-term
NOW WHAT?
- Being missionaries in Canada
- Personal relationships outside of Christianity
- Look outward in your ministry
- Prioritize faith development in the home
Parents who model and instruct and engage in dialogue with their children about faith within their home have the greatest chance of their children continuing to be actively involved in that religion in their adult years.-Dr. Joel Thiessen
Together we learned to listen well, to build friendships with no strings attached, to prioritize faith development at home, to look outward in our ministry and get involved in our neighbourhoods, and see ourselves as missionaries in Canada.
Thanks to Dr. Joel Thiessen for teaching us and challenging us!
For more information, go to https://www.flourishingcongregations.org/
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