VANCOUVER OVERVIEW
Vancouver surprises you.
It’s a vertical city; a large garden of high rises at the foot of the mountains and the edge of the Salish Sea.
Surf and sail in the morning; snow ski in the afternoon; end the day with a five-star meal—all in
Canada’s largest seaport and North America’s most diversity-dense city.
It’s younger than you’d imagine (125 years old), growing into every available space (mostly in high rises)
and garnering a reputation for global magnetism. Some 200 language groups are represented among its
residents.
Discovered by the Squamish (First Nations), explored by the Spanish, established by the English and
heavily settled by the Chinese following the Gold Rush years, it’s as much West Coast North America as
it is Far East and Western European. With its winning hockey team, it’s also thoroughly Canadian.
Vancouver is the third largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a population of 3 million, according to
the Canadian census. It’s a city of several cities—Richmond, Steveston, New Westminster, Burnaby,
Surrey and Pitt Meadows to name a few. Dozens of communities bustle along the transit line (Skytrain
and Seabus), each with its own personality and spiritual typography. To reach the people who live in
Vancouver, it will take churches that reflect the ethnic makeup and culture of the communities in
which they are planted.
As a part of Send North America: Vancouver, partner churches can commit to the difficult but eternally
important work of reaching Vancouver for Christ.
“Vancouver is a testimony to the power of partnership and a persevering sense of purpose among our
partner churches,” says Ray Woodard, city coordinator for Send North America: Vancouver. “I’ve been
here 23 years and I’ve seen what can happen when churches take the call to this city seriously.”
Churches that want to partner with a church planter through Send North America: Vancouver can start
the process by visiting namb.net and clicking “Send Me.”
FAST FACTS
Population in Vancouver
3 million people live in
the metro Vancover area.
CNBC Church-Population Ratio
There is one Canadian National Baptist
Convention church for every 39,252
metro Vancouver residents.
Ethnic Diversity
(58 percent Anglo, 38 percent
Asian, 1 percent Hispanic)
Statistics are for the Send North America: Vancouver focus area. Compiled by the NAMB Center for Missional Research.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, SBC Annual Church Profile, 2010 U.S. Religion Census: Religious Congregation & Membership Study
Statistics are for the Send North America: Washington, D.C. focus area. Compiled by the NAMB Center for Missional Research.