10 Things That Are Killing the Church in Canada

Nino Marques de Sá
3 hours ago
3 min read

1. Weak Pulpits

The church never rises above its pulpit. When weak men preach weak sermons, the inevitable result is weak Christians. The power of preaching is not found in eloquence or technique, but in the Spirit of God working through the faithful proclamation of the Word. Where the pulpit is shallow, the church will be hollow.

2. Weak Families

Churches are not primarily made up of isolated individuals, but of households. When families are weak, churches are weak. We need strong and godly men who lead, protect, and sacrificially love their families. We need women who gladly submit to and respect their husbands, embracing God’s good design rather than resisting it. And we need children who are obedient and honour their parents. A church that neglects the family undermines its own future.

3. The Psychologization and Medicalization of sin

We live in an age where sin is rebranded as illness and sanctification is reduced to therapy. Responsibility is replaced with diagnosis, repentance with treatment. This robs the church of moral clarity and halts true growth in holiness. The gospel does not merely manage symptoms—it kills sin and raises the dead.

4. The Absorption of Worldly Ideologies

Rather than shaping the world, the church has increasingly been shaped by it. Feminism, red-pill ideology, gentle parenting theories, wokeness, scientism—often baptized, rarely challenged. Scripture is no longer treated as sufficient for life and godliness, but as one voice among many. A church that borrows its worldview from the world will inevitably serve the world.

5. The Idolization of Comfort

Convenience has become the supreme virtue. People choose where to live, whether to have children, which church to attend, and how to structure their lives based not on faithfulness but on ease. Comfort-driven Christians will never build anything lasting. The cross does not produce comfortable people.

6. The Absence of Godly Ambition

Christians have lost their hunger to see this nation bow before Jesus Christ. Evangelism is timid, public witness is avoided, and many have settled into resignation, quietly hoping Jesus returns soon so the problem goes away. We need the spirit of John Knox again—men and women who pray, “Give us Canada, or we die.”

7. Theology So Nuanced it Becomes Meaningless

Modern intellectualism, disguised as humility, has produced Christians who are afraid to affirm anything clearly. Every truth requires endless qualifications. Conviction is labelled arrogance. As a result, believers lack boldness, integrity, and moral clarity. A church that cannot say what is true or false, good or evil, has nothing to offer the world.

8. Churches Run Like Businesses

Business language, metrics, and models dominate church life. Pastors become employees, servants become staff, and members become consumers. Love is reduced to a slogan, hospitality to a program, and evangelism to a technique. Calling is replaced with careerism. Many churches are run by hirelings—and it’s no surprise the work feels empty and exhausting. The church is not a corporation; it is a living body led by Christ.

9. A Gospel That is Assumed but Rarely Preached

In many churches, the gospel is treated as an entry requirement rather than the heartbeat of the Christian life. People cannot explain why Christ had to die, what they were saved from, or what they were saved into. The gospel becomes a familiar word with little real weight. When the cross fades, Christianity collapses into moralism or activism.

10. Cowardice and the Fear of Man

Most Christians have never spoken openly about their faith with family, friends, or coworkers. Fear of rejection, ridicule, or discomfort silences them. Too many pastors avoid offence at all costs, challenging no one and disturbing nothing. Such Christians are salt that has lost its saltiness—lamps hidden under baskets—present, but utterly fruitless.