A good news story of churches co-operating
Yes, churches can co-operate! The Anglican, Presbyterian and United Churches of Canada recently announced that as of 2026, the three denominations will be sharing national office and archive space in a soon-to-be-redeveloped site in downtown Toronto.
I’ve heard rumours of this for quite a while and it’s great to see that it will actually happen. The decision models good stewardship of buildings, people and energy. Better still, it offers hope that the denominations can work together in other ways.
Resources for church people
Last year, I presented a webinar with Stuart Macdonald, professor of church history at Knox College, and co-author of Leaving Christianity: Changing Allegiances in Canada since 1945. Watch our webinar here: Falling Faster: Generosity and the Future of the Church. I received positive feedback about this webinar, even though it addresses a tough topic. Changes—like co-operating with other denominations—are part of the way forward.
The follow-up book to Leaving Christianity might be None of the above: nonreligious identity in the US and Canada by Joel Thiessen and Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme. “Nones” are on the rise, especially among younger people.
My own book, Growing a Generous Church: A Year in the Life of Peach Blossom Church is the story of how a fictional congregation learns to talk about the spiritual discipline of giving. I tell congregations “Jesus talks about money; we can too!” Talking about money gets easier once we begin. And we can talk about other hard topics too, like the future of the church. Sad to say, but denial doesn’t help.
If you want to hear the introduction to my book, here is the audio clip of me reading it. It’s only a couple of minutes long. (Go me for figuring out how to add this!)
Kudos and co-operation
Kudos to the Anglican, Presbyterian and United Church staffers who persevered in working together. I hope their co-operation inspires other denominations, and congregations, to imagine how they might work together as followers of Jesus.