For immediate release from The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada
How do Canadian women understand their roles and participate in the local church? In 2023, the EFC Centre for Research on Church and Faith (CRCF) was one of 14 EFC affiliate organizations and denominations that partnered to help answer this question.
The landmark new report, National Study on Women in Canadian Evangelical Churches (WCEC), draws from several data sources. A pool of ministry experts nominated by the research partners provided professional, pastoral, and academic insight into the experiences of women in local churches. The study also draws on 49 interviews with evangelical women from various backgrounds, traditions, and life stages, and a national survey with 2,075 valid responses.
“This study represents one of the most comprehensive efforts to date to map the current landscape of women’s engagement within Canadian evangelical churches,” says Lindsay Callaway, lead researcher. “By listening to women's voices, we gain a clearer picture of the vital contributions women make to the health and longevity of our churches.”
Teaching, doctrine and community emerged as key influencers of women’s church participation. Solid teaching, doctrine and community drew women toward engagement, while poor teaching, relational and theological misalignment, or limited opportunities nudged them away.
The report reveals that while women differ in their understandings of women’s roles in the church, they share a deep reverence and esteem for the Bible. However, women often described coming to their understandings of women’s roles not through sustained engagement with biblical texts but by a complex mix of theology, church structure, leadership culture, personal calling, life stage, and personal preference.
The well-known theological labels “complementarian” and “egalitarian” are unreliable predictors of women’s lived experiences in churches. Some women described feeling deeply valued in churches with offices reserved for qualified men, while others faced obstacles in churches with egalitarian policies but constrained pathways.
The research provides insight into current patterns of participation and emerging trends, offering churches a clearer understanding of how women’s engagement is changing across generations and what this may signal for the future. The study also helps identify obstacles to and opportunities for women’s involvement.
“My fervent wish is that this report sparks conversation among church leaders about the women in their pews, and between women themselves,” says Ruth McGillivray, WCEC Research Partnership Chair.
The research invites churches to look beyond labels and examine how their cultures, structures, and informal norms help or hinder ministry to women and with women, for the good of the whole church.
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The full list of EFC affiliate organizations that partnered in this project along with the report are available at www.TheEFC.ca/WomeninChurch.
For comments or interviews please contact mediarelations@theefc.ca.