Who We Are

When The Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) started in Canada, it began by sending people around the world as missionaries. Now, the world has come to Canada through global migration. Canada is a mission field that needs new expressions of church, and New Ventures is a response to this need.

New Ventures is a resource within the C&MA that supports the development of leaders and new expressions of the church in Canada. We create the pathways and environment in which these new leaders and churches can develop. Our desire is to see new leaders in new places, leading new churches across Canada to reach new people with the Gospel of Jesus.

How do we support new leaders and new churches?

We meet with potential leaders to discern whether New Ventures is the right fit as a supportive environment in which they can grow and/or multiply.

We ask questions, particularly around these three elements:

Vision: The who, where, why, and what you feel God is calling you to

Leadership: The competency, character, and chemistry of yourself as a leader

Partnerships: The churches, organizations, and individuals who are currently supportive of you as leader and the vision

If there is clarity and alignment in these elements, writing a New Ventures Agreement that outlines a trajectory for healthy growth and development is put in place.

What is important to recognize is that in all of our practices, we firmly believe that one size does not fit all. In some cases, we might discern that a yearlong Apprenticeship will be a better fit for a leader who needs some time to figure things out.

In other cases, over the course of an Agreement, a New Venture may decide that they fit better with a different organizational status (e.g. a ministry of an existing church), their season of ministry has concluded, or they see a better fit within another denomination.

In every case, we value openhandedness and trust in God’s movement by His Spirit to build His church within Canada.