Toronto (Ont)--Church history

Timothy C Strickland

The researcher hypothesized that Toronto area church leaders who participated in a short-term revitalization training cohort would be equipped to begin leading revitalization in their churches. Using quantitative and qualitative research methods to study the impact of the revitalization training on the participants, the researcher concluded that the hypothesis was correct. The theological chapter studies church revitalization leaders as strategic, missionary leaders. The literature review chapter studies the following church revitalization themes: the type of leader needed, church leadership structure, outward missionary focus, leading change, and minstry areas to change.

James Wai-yin Pang

Global aging is one of the main concerns in the twenty-first century. This is also an on-going issue occurring in Canada. The purpose of this study is to describe how two Chinese congregations and a mission organization evangelize older people in the city of Toronto. The researcher utilized a mixed methods approach to collect ethnographic data of Christian efforts evangelizing older people by the three groups of Christians. The study explores several ways of recruiting Christians to evangelize older people and confirms the need of mission training and mission strategy to evangelize older people in the context of the twenty-first century.

Duke Vipperman

Between 1990-2005 in urban Toronto, several church plants failed, leaving planters and church people disillusioned, judicatories hesitant and the people of the city under-reached for the gospel. This study found 113 churches had been planted. Surprisingly, only ten (9%) closed, another five had fewer than twenty in average attendance, yielding a failure rate (13%) far lower than expected (65-75%). Churches targeting ethnic/linguistic groups were most numerous and likely to succeed. Biblical and theological foundations are explored, especially a Christian understanding of failure and success. Lessons are drawn from four church planters whose churches closed or failed to thrive.

Joseph Chi-Keung Wong

The purpose of this thesis is first to analyze the immigration influx from Mainland China in order to sound the urgent wake up call to the Cantonese-speaking Chinese Churches in Toronto. Secondly, this paper will formulate strategies to help those churches that are willing to respond to this vision to set up their mandarin ministry. The writer will use the Bible as the foundation and actual interviews with experienced churches in finding mistakes and pitfalls to avoid. This is in the hopes that churches can develop Mandarin ministries according to God's will in the future so as to expand God's kingdom.