Centre for Research on Church and Faith
The EFC conducts ministry research for EFC affiliates and in partnership with them, to help frontline ministry workers make informed decisions and to help those outside our movement understand us. This work is centralized under the CRCF in Ottawa.
What's Happening
CRCF staff, under the direction of Lindsay Callaway, facilitate partnerships and conduct multi-year projects of research and analysis on their behalf for the good of the partners and the broader Canadian church community. The EFC also supports an ongoing Canadian Evangelical Bibliography Project. TheEFC.ca/CEBP
Browse practical research reports and past research partnerships at TheEFC.ca/Research. Browse the Church and Faith Trends Journal at TheEFC.ca/CFTJ. Browse our ministry research podcast at TheEFC.ca/FaithTrends.
Some key projects in 2026 included:
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National Study on Women in the Canadian Evangelical Churches. The EFC and 13 EFC affiliates studied how women understand their roles in their local church and factors that influence participation. Report released in March (French in July). TheEFC.ca/Women-in-Church 
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#influencing_faith_study on social media and evangelical youth. The EFC, 10 EFC affiliates and Alpha Canada studied two questions: (1) How does social media affect the faith formation of youth participating in evangelical youth ministries?(2) How do evangelical youth ministry workers use social media in their ministries? The report comes out this month. TheEFC.ca/InfluencingFaith 
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Identifying Evangelicals: The CRCF has cohosted a multi-stage consultation with Wycliffe College’s Canadian Institute for Empirical Church Research on revising a set of questions for identifying evangelicals on polls. Quantitative testing on new polling questions is ongoing.
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Speaking: CRCF staff spoke at dozens of events, often drawing on past research projects (e.g., Parenting Faith, Renegotiating Faith) as well as on the state for the church and the authentic self. TheEFC.ca/Speakers
Research Projects
“How do we help evangelical parents form the faith of (or disciple) their children in the home?”
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This report explores how parents understand faith formation and what they are doing to pass on their faith to their children at home. It draws on findings from interviews with parents and family ministry experts and a survey with over 1,000 evangelical parents in Canada.
Hiemstra, Rick. “Competition for Character Education: What Emerging Adulthood Means for Christian Higher Education in Canada.” Faith Today Publications, December 21, 2018.
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Hiemstra, Rick, Lorianne Dueck, and Matthew Blackaby. “Renegotiating Faith: The Delay in Young Adult Identity Formation and What It Means for the Church in Canada.” Faith Today Publications, July 2018.
Hiemstra, Rick. “Canadian Evangelicals and Long-Term, Career Mission: Calling, Sending and Training: CEMES Series, Part 2.” The Canadian Missions Research Forum and The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, 2017.
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———. “Canadian Evangelicals and Mission Priorities: CEMES Series, Part 3.” The Canadian Missions Research Forum and The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, 2017.
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———. “Canadian Evangelicals and Missions Promotion in the Local Church, CEMES Series, Part 4.” The Canadian Missions Research Forum and The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, 2017.
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———. “Canadian Evangelicals and Short-Term Missions: CEMES Series, Part 1.” The Canadian Missions Research Forum and The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, 2017.
Hiemstra, Rick. “Bible Translation Choice in Canada, 2013.” The Canadian Bible Forum and The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, 2014.
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———. “Confidence, Conversation and Community: Bible Engagement in Canada, 2013.” The Canadian Bible Forum and The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, 2014.
Penner, James, Rachael Harder, Erika Anderson, Bruno Désorcy, and Rick Hiemstra. “Hemorrhaging Faith: Why & When Canadian Young Adults Are Leaving, Staying & Returning to the Church.” Toronto, ON: The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada Youth & Young Adult Ministry Roundtable, September 7, 2012.
RESOURCes
CRCF staff research Canadian cultural trends and the Church’s activities, to help us understand and serve better as the Church. Our research is always done in collaborative partnerships.
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