Our Vision: To see a healthy local church within reach of every Canadian.

Church Planting

Because the need is so great! 

The love of God compels us to take the gospel to as many people as we can in our lifetime! We believe that mature disciples of Christ are best formed in healthy local churches AND planting new churches has proven to be the most effective way of reaching new neighborhoods, new people groups, and new generations with the gospel.  Additionally, the majority of churches in Canada today are either plateaued or declining, and over 300 close their doors for the last time every year.  We believe that a “healthy local church within reach of every Canadian” is a goal worth giving our time, energy, prayer, and financial support toward!

Northview does not place any restrictions on where we will consider planting new churches in Canada, but rather are prayerfully dependent upon the Spirit of God to call out planters, and to burden them with a specific location and/or people group.  We are looking to the LORD to direct us to the people groups and locations where we can effectively join Him in His work of calling people to Himself.  (See our global missions page to see how we are engaged in planting churches outside of Canada.)

By Any Means! 

We train church planters through our church planters residency and send them out to plant new churches directly affiliated with Northview, as well as partnering with other like-minded churches as they send planters.  We provide financial, leadership, and administrative support to help new churches start well. Finally, we are flexible when it comes to the model of church and we don’t think there is a one-size fits all or cookie-cutter approach to planting, however, we believe that “churches-planting-churches” has proven to be the most effective method of establishing healthy congregations.  

Are you interested in planting a church or in partnering with Northview? Email: mburch@northview.org

Are you interested in supporting this church planting vision? Consider giving and continuing to lift up our church planting partnerships through prayer.

Planting & Partnership Stories

While Northview has supported church planting efforts for over 40 years, a strategic decision was made in 2018 to significantly increase the time, energy, and financial commitment we are making toward seeing healthy churches planted and replanted across Canada.  Each partnership we enter into is unique, and we’ve been able to assist several new plants/replants. Read about some of these partnerships by clicking on the pictures below to see the story of each church told by the church planter.

Training Church Planters

One of the primary ways that NCC seeks to accomplish our national church planting vision is through training church planters in-house. Although we have several programs for leadership development at Northview, our one-year Church Planting Residency focuses specifically on training church planters. For healthy churches to be planted, we need godly and equipped leaders to take up the call. What better place than to learn on the job in a sending-church context! Want the details?

Northview Institute

Why Plant Churches

One of the best articles on the rationale for church planting was written by Dr. Tim Keller of Redeemer Church in New York City.  You can read that article here. But beyond Keller’s well-reasoned rationale, there are some specific realities here in Canada that press us even further into the need for a vigorous church planting movement.

Many Canadians don’t realize that there was a time when Canadian church attendance was actually higher than the USA, but in the 20th century Canada followed the rapid religious decline of our European brothers & sisters.  Today, the fastest growing religious demographic in Canada is the “no religious affiliation” group, simply called the “nones.”  The further west you go in Canada, the higher the percentage of “nones;” in BC 38% of our population claims no religious affiliation, and in the Metro Vancouver area that number climbs to 44%. While 7-8% of Canadians claim to be evangelical Christians, only 3-4% are actively engaged in a local church!  The mission field is vast and the gospel need is great!

Over the past decade, we have seen an average of 300-400 churches close their doors every year across our great nation.  Many of these buildings are sold, demolished, and the presence of the church in that neighborhood is lost forever.  Recapturing these properties to be used for the glory of God in coming generations is a great need, but raising up the leaders who will serve in these contexts is an even greater challenge.  If we are not planting at least 300-400 churches each year, we are effectively losing ground.

On one hand, church affiliation is declining; on the other hand Canada’s overall population continues to grow.  Canada’s birth rate hovers slightly higher than most western nations, and immigration brings hundreds-of-thousands of new Canadians to our shores every year.  New Canadians, and new generations are most effectively reached by new churches.  While we continue to pray for the revitalization of older churches, we need 100’s of new churches in every province to keep up with population growth.

While nearly every town and city in Canada could use more healthy churches there are several areas of great need.  Quebec and Newfoundland are less than 1% evangelical; making these areas the least evangelized regions in all the Americas!   Additionally, while many of Canada’s “First Peoples” identify with the Christian faith, many more have had painful experiences with the church in the past.  There is a huge need for reconciliation and healing in these relationships.  Additionally, as immigration brings thousands to our nation each year, we must learn new ways of living “on mission” right here at home!   These are areas of great concern and of great prayer….Lord, give us wisdom and discernment as to how to best engage those around us with the love of Christ!

Partner Agencies

To accomplish the goal of having a "“healthy local church within reach of every Canadian,” we need others help.
Northview is privileged to join together with these agencies to work towards this vision together.

Questions? Contact us at multiplication@northview.org