FocusOnTheFamily

Here to Hear: the top issues facing Canadian churches

Written by Randy MacDonald

One of the goals God gave me when I joined Focus on the Family Canada as the director of church and community relations was to make every effort to link this whole country together – a huge task! That’s why, on January 20th, Focus on the Family Canada kicked off the Here to Hear cross-Canada tour to meet with pastors and church leaders across our country. Our goal was to come into the lives of ministry leaders and listen to them share what is happening among the families in their specific region of the country.

The tour has recently ended and, over its three-month span, we visited 31 locations across every province from Newfoundland to British Columbia to the Northwest Territories.  One of the main purposes for gathering together was to bless and encourage these church leaders as they pursue their calling to serve the local church. At many of the events, you could see tears welling up in the eyes of weary men and women who have been in the trenches of ministry for years. They felt blessed that we would take time to visit them, support them and listen to them share about both their positive moments and their tough struggles in ministry.

The second purpose for our meetings was to have the participants fill out a survey that would help guide our ongoing conversations and initiatives. Our hope was to determine how we could direct our energy into issues where churches need us most.

At the completion of the tour, we gathered all the information that we received. Below are just a few highlights from these data surveys. For a more in-depth look at our report, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .


What are the top three marriage issues in your church and community?

1. Commitment/cohabitation
2. Divorce/broken relationships
3. Time

What are the top three parenting issues in your church and community?

1. Spirituality
2. Being too busy
3. Basics of parenting

Which of the top three topics/resources would be most beneficial to you?

1. Online parenting information
2. Marriage seminars
3. Parenting seminars

What advice would you give Focus on the Family Canada?

1. Overall, you are doing a great job; be encouraged!
2. Be more Canadian
3. Stay away from politics

Now that the tour is over, I personally want to thank all those who took time out of their busy schedules to come and meet with us. We felt truly blessed with the openness and heartwarming conversations. We also want to thank the host churches that collaborated with us to provide a place for us to meet for a few hours. Each location did a great job of serving all those who attended.

Life doesn’t simply go on from this. We will use the information we gathered to help us as we continue to answer our calling to support church leaders across this country. If you would like us to come back, please feel free to contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . I would also be willing to come to a gathering of pastors from your denomination to talk more about what we have learned and how we can help.

We believe that healthy families and homes lead to healthy churches and communities, so we will do everything we can to come alongside you as you minster to the bride of Christ!