The Meeting House


The Meeting House is an Anabaptist church located in the Greater Toronto Area suburb of Oakville, Ontario. It consists of nineteen regional sites meeting mostly in cinemas, each of which has a lead pastor with a team of elders and part-time staff. With a consistent average weekly attendance of 5,007, it is ranked by the Hartford Institute of Religion as fourth among large churches (sometimes called megachurches) in Canada. The Meeting House is part of a denomination called the Be in Christ. The senior pastor is Darrell Winger, and two teaching pastors Bruxy Cavey and Danielle Strickland.[1][2][3]

The Meeting House
LocationOakville, Ontario
CountryCanada
DenominationBe in Christ
ChurchmanshipAnabaptism
Weekly attendance5,007
Websitethemeetinghouse.com
History
Founded1985 (1985)
Founder(s)Craig and Laura Sider
Clergy
Senior pastor(s)Darrell Winger
Pastor(s)Bruxy Cavey, Danielle Strickland

History

In 1985, Craig and Laura Sider moved to the west end Toronto suburb of Oakville, Ontario to start Upper Oaks Community Church. They were supported by the Brethren in Christ Canada.[4][5]

In 1996, Craig and Laura accepted a leadership position with the Brethren in Christ in Pennsylvania. Bruxy Cavey became the teaching pastor, and the church met at Iroquois Ridge High School. Shortly afterward, the church changed its name to "The Meeting House".[4]

The Meeting House has grown and has attracted the attention of other Christian churches and the mainstream media.[6][7]

In 2018, the attendance was about 5,007 people each Sunday morning.[8]

Leadership

The Church is led by a group of elders, and senior lead pastor Darrell Winger.

Bruxy Cavey was the primary teaching pastor,[9] but is currently on leave of absence in response to sexual misconduct allegations.[10] He is the author of the books The End of Religion and (re)union: The Good News of Jesus for Seekers, Saints, and Sinners.

Danielle Strickland joined The Meeting House staff in 2019 as an additional teaching pastor.[11] She is the author of eight books including Better Together, The Ultimate Exodus[12] and The Liberating Truth. Along with her role at The Meeting House, she continues to advocate for anti-trafficking, Church culture, and other causes.

Sexual misconduct allegations

In December 2021, Bruxy Cavey was accused of sexual misconduct and subsequently placed on leave of absence from his role as Teaching Pastor. An external investigation is currently ongoing.[13]

Teachings

The Meeting House teaching aligns with Anabaptist teachings. They emphasize a lifestyle of compassion, peace, simplicity, and the priority of community. The Meeting House has a particular emphasis on the irreligious nature of the teachings of Jesus. Their core beliefs are outlined in the articles of faith and doctrine of their denomination.

Teaching (sermons) produced on the church's main Oakville campus is either simulcast or sent out on a one-week delay to nineteen satellite Ontario satellite locations, most of which meet in cinemas. These sermons often take the form of series, which focus on specific books, people, or themes from the Bible.

The Meeting House also produces the "After Party" podcast.[14] This is a live broadcast at 12:00pm EST each Sunday, and features a changing lineup of Pastors, spiritual leaders and scholars who discuss the sermon from earlier in the day. This often involves content which was cut from the sermon, as well as congregation submitted questions.

Since March 2020 The Meeting House has been meeting entirely virtually, with both Home Church, and Sunday gatherings done using virtual tools.[15]

References
  1. "The Meeting House - contact us". www.themeetinghouse.com. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  2. "The Meeting House - contact us". www.themeetinghouse.com. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  3. "The Meeting House - contact us". www.themeetinghouse.com. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  4. "our history". The Meeting House. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  5. "Name Change Announcement: Be in Christ Church of Canada". Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  6. Bowen, John (February 2010). "What Anglicans can learn from The Meeting House". Niagara Anglican Online. Anglican Diocese of Niagara. Archived from the original on October 13, 2011.
  7. Brownell, Claire (December 20, 2014). "The sermon on the monitor: The new wave of evangelists who've turned preaching into a multimedia endeavour". Financial Post. National Post. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  8. "Megachurches of Canada Listing". Hirr.hartsem.edu. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  9. "Staff and Careers". The Meeting House. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  10. "Canadian Megachurch Pastor Bruxy Cavey Accused of Sexual Misconduct". The Roys Report. December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  11. "The FT Interview with Danielle Strickland". Faith Today. Faith Today. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  12. Strickland, Danielle (August 18, 2017). The Ultimate Exodus: Finding Freedom from What Enslaves You. ISBN 9780857218612.
  13. "Canadian Megachurch Pastor Bruxy Cavey Accused of Sexual Misconduct". The Roys Report. December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  14. "The After Party". The Meeting House.
  15. "The Meeting House". The Meeting House.

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