Things We Tell Ourselves
Chers francophones,
Le programme suivant est seulement offert en anglais, et c’est pourquoi la description n’est pas traduite en français. Un programme similaire, exclusivement en français, sera ouvert au courant de l’année 2026.
Merci de votre compréhension.
The United Church has spent 100 years establishing patterns and ways of doing ministry. Many of us are still doing what the church was doing a generation or two earlier. We want to try new things but don’t know where to start. We’ve created a narrative that doesn’t always match reality. It’s time to talk about it and unpack the things we’ve been telling ourselves.
Working towards the future oriented vision of the United Church of Canada:
Inspired, resilient, and diverse contextual communities of disciples seek to continue the story of Jesus by embodying Christ’s presence in the world. The church is present and deeply connected coast-to-coast-to-coast in rural and urban settings, and in ecumenical and global relationships. Guided by hope-filled, adaptive and effective ministry leaders, the denomination is increasingly multigenerational, multiracial, and intercultural. –Towards 2035 Vision Statement
This ten-week series of learning sessions and workshops will give participants the chance to see new opportunities, engage with new ideas, meet other lay church leaders reimagining the church of the future and start building it now.
Instructors each bring their own expertise and ability to facilitate conversation. Some sessions will have panels for questions and engagement, others will offer small group discussion and planning time. Materials will be available before and after each session to allow participants to go deeper into the subject matter if they wish.
Participation in all sessions is not mandatory, but for each session in which a registrant is actively involved, an entry into a draw for a special gift will be made. Three winners will be drawn from the entries. Prizes drawn will be
- Vinyl floor labyrinth for use in your church or home
- $200 gift certificate to the United Church Bookstore (UCRD)
- A copy of Celebrate God’s Presence book of worship services
A certificate of completion will be provided to all participants who participate in all sessions (present in Zoom or in online discussion chat for each session).
While this program is organized by the Nakonha:ka, East Central Ontario and Eastern Ontario Outaouais Regional Councils, it is open to United Church members and adherents from other parts of Canada.
To register, please visit the following link: Things We Tell Ourselves
MARCH 11, 2026
It doesn’t matter if our church disappears
We sometimes want to give up, we’re discouraged. Would anyone notice if we just closed our doors, sold our churches, gave the money to charity and called it a day? What difference can a church make in people’s lives in an increasingly secular world? Come and explore how the church can be relevant to the world, finding ministry in new ways that remind us what we’re about.
LEAD: Richard Bott
MARCH 18, 2026
Sunday shopping and sports have emptied out our churches / It’s all about Sunday morning, at 10:30am, with a choir, a minister and an order of service
Maybe what we offer on a Sunday morning isn’t as engaging as other things… but if the only way we will be successful in our ministry is if there is absolutely nothing else to do, maybe we need to rethink how we make it the most interesting thing someone can do. How do we ensure that we are working to meet their needs rather than just trying to meet our own. Come and explore how to make church activities more relevant, useful and appealing to people.
LEAD: Mitchell Anderson
MARCH 25, 2026
Young people don’t care about church
Most young people have stopped coming to church, but maybe it’s about what we’re offering. There are increasing signs of interest from a generation who was not raised in church. Come and explore how young people are finding faith these days.
LEAD: Dana Ducette
APRIL 8, 2026
Newcomers to Canada aren’t interested in our church (it’s too boring, it’s too liberal, it’s too “white”)
We are a significantly more WASP-ish church than most of the world around us. Our communities can carry some significant prejudices that we may not realize, yet growing churches are finding ways to be intercultural and welcoming. Come and explore how we might reach out and connect with and welcome newcomers.
LEAD: Emo Yango, Desire Tiriwepi
APRIL 15, 2026
The United Church doesn’t believe in God anymore
While there are many people who make this claim, the truth is that the United Church has a deep, rich and diverse theological grounding. Some have given up theological expression because they are afraid it will scare people away. But is this actually the case? Come and explore the United Church’s theological roots and its modern-day expressions as an antidote to the public image Christianity carries in the news and in popular culture.
LEAD: Jennifer Janzen-Ball
APRIL 22, 2026
We should aim to be a megachurch
Is the megachurch the thriving church model that would best serve our moment in history? Come and explore the megachurch phenomenon, its patterns, strengths, and weaknesses.
LEAD: Frank Emanuel
APRIL 29, 2026
Our ministry IS our building / Our building is killing us
We spend a lot of time on buildings. Many of us have older buildings, struggle with repairs, dealing with rentals and tenants. Many congregations spend more time in their meetings talking about their buildings than about their ministry. Come and explore how ministry can find new life that is not building-focused or being a landlord.
LEAD: Jordan Cantwell
MAY 6, 2026
Church meetings are boring and unproductive.
Do you dread attending church meetings, whether it’s a gathering of the Outreach Committee, Youth Group Leaders, or Church Council? Come and explore how meetings can become a powerful way we live out our faith, turning your community’s decision-making into an effective and faith-filled part of your ministry.
LEAD: Tori Mullin
MAY 13, 2026
We can’t afford a full-time minister, so there is no future for us / Spiritual care is the minister’s job / We don’t have enough volunteers
As there seems to be a decreasing number of ministers, what do we do? While all congregations are lay-led in some way, many find the idea of being without ministry personnel to be challenging. Even if we could be lay-led, how do we ensure that we’re fostering the volunteers we need for this? Come and explore options for ministry that is not entirely reliant on the traditional model of a full-time minister for a congregation.
LEAD: Andrew Richardson, Janet Gear
MAY 20, 2026
The United Church is at the end of its financial and people resources. We don’t have enough.
While it often feels this way, and too often we act out of this claim, is it true? Is scarcity our story? The Communities of Faith which make up the United Church actually have an abundance of resources available to them. The fear of asking people to give, or to get involved, along with a culture of privacy, hinders our ministry and our future. Come and explore the spiritual practice of stewardship and generosity as an antidote to greed and scarcity.
LEAD: Dave Jagger