Our vision is to reach 1% of Edmonton.
I know it doesn’t seem like a B.H.A.G. (big hairy audacious goal) or a W.I.G. (wildly important goal), but it’s the specific vision that God has given our church.
And reaching this vision in Edmonton—through Beulah Alliance Church—is the very thing that God broke my heart over as Christina and I were discerning our calling to move back to Edmonton. You can read about our story in these two posts:
- The Most Important Question When Discerning Your Next Steps
- The Difference Between an Opportunity and a Calling
But why Edmonton?
I used to think that Edmonton was the “Bible Belt” in Canada—if there was even such a thing—because of the number of churches and megachurches here. But when we were candidating to come back to Edmonton, God showed us otherwise. On the one hand, he showed us the spiritual dynamics that have changed (and are changing) in this city—making it a mission field. On the other hand, based on the recent Vital Signs report, it’s clear that the rapid growth and change in our city is going to necessitate an increase in healthy, multiplying, missional churches. Here are a few statistics:
- Edmonton grew by close to 200,000 people in the last 10 years, making the city’s population 972,223
- 53% of the city is a millennial, Gen Z, or younger—making the median age 35.7
- 4 in 10 of Edmontonians are a visible minority—this is more than a 100% increase in the last decade
So reaching 1% of any city that’s growing and changing is actually quite a dynamic vision statement.
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