Area: 9,970,610 sq km
The world’s second-largest country. Wide diversity of mountains, prairie grasslands and forests, but much is sparsely populated wilderness and arctic tundra.
Population: 33,889,747 Annual Growth: 0.96%
Official language: English; French Languages: 169 All languages
Largest Religion: Christian
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Quebec is a unique region that has experienced in one or two generations the secularization and modernization that took France centuries to accomplish. While mostly French in language and culture, it is increasingly multicultural, with an Anglophone minority and growing immigrant communities. Pray for:
a) Political currents that swirl around the issue of separation from Canada. Although such sentiment has waned of late, it is never far from becoming prominent. Pray that Quebec might make a valuable contribution to the redemptive history of Canada.
b) The Catholic Church dominates Quebecois identity and culture (more than 80% self-identify as Catholic), but not attendance. Quebecs church attendance rate is Canadas lowest. There is a demonstrably low commitment to community activities; in particular, church and faith are highly personal and privatized.
c) Evangelicals in Quebec. Protestants are decidedly low in number and evangelical churches regarded as nearly cults. While Protestants are very mixed among French, English and immigrant cultures, there are also a significant number of practicing Catholics with evangelical beliefs. Pray for unity, fellowship and even collaboration.
d) Church planting needs to occur in much greater measure. To bring Quebec up to par with the rest of Canada in the numbers of evangelical congregations, 3,000 more churches must be planted.
e) Ministry vision to Quebec and beyond. Christian Direction/Urbanus partners with all denominations in the vision to have a spiritual impact on the whole Francophone world, starting in Quebec. French-Canadian evangelicals usually feel more affinity with other Francophone evangelicals globally than with Anglophone Canadian evangelicals.
Canadian indigenous peoples are largely Christian in name, but nominalism is a challenge for them as for the majority population. However, Pentecostal/charismatic churches are proportionately stronger among indigenous peoples than in any other demographic group in Canada. There are 600 reserves in Canada for First Nations peoples, all quite small in population.
a) The shameful treatment of indigenous peoples in the past by those of European descent must be overcome. Both the government and the Church, dominated by European-background Canadians, were guilty of political, religious, cultural and even sexual abuses. These past sins make for a history of abuse that is impossible to move past without repentance and forgiveness. Pray for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission initiated in June 2010.
b) Pray for the growth of strong, well-led churches that reflect First Nations culture and can reproduce others of the same quality. Especially pray for the development of indigenous leadership. There are many encouraging signs of growth and renewal in the native evangelical community, where a contextualized Church is only just beginning to flourish.
c) Pray for missions that seek to evangelize and plant churches, often in the inhospitable northern parts of the country. Denominational (Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, PAOC), mission-based (Interact, NAIM) and interagency (Inter-Mission Cooperative Outreach) ministries are dedicated to this. Indigenous missions movements to evangelize their own are also developing.
d) Bible translation or revision is still needed. There are 27 native languages with no Scripture, although many of these languages are declining rapidly or are all but extinct. Six languages have had the NT completed in the last 10 years and another six works are in progress. Pray for translators with Canadian Bible Society and SIL. Also, an increasing number of Christian radio and TV programmes are aimed at First Nations peoples.
e) The hundreds of thousands of First Nations people living outside reservations are neglected and spiritually needy, especially in cities such as Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Regina, where poverty and substance abuse continue to afflict them. Some outstanding ministries toward these peoples exist, but evangelicals generally have been slow to take up this challenge that sits right on their doorstep.
For an additional 8 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Canada.