While more than 4,000 churches close every year in North America, others are finding reasons for great hope and a bright future. Why?

In the award-winning film "When God left the building", director Thom Schultz sets out on a journey to uncover why churches—once the heart and soul of their communities—are now shrinking in both size and influence. What he discovers gives us unprecedented insight and serves as a powerful wake-up call.

"When God left the building" challenges the viewer to see new possibilities and glaring problems we often overlook or ignore. We'll go behind the curtain at a congregation that’s seen attendance plunge from 900 members to 40. We'll witness innovative new forms of church that are thriving, from a pub outreach in Pennsylvania to a Texas ministry that gathers in 300 neighbourhoods every week.

The film encourages us to think more deeply about who we are, and why we’re here. It asks what we’re doing right, what we’re not and, if we disappeared tomorrow, would anyone notice.  We'll follow the documentary with a time of open and honest conversation that we hope will help us at Fairview as we faithfully drive our vision forward now and for the coming years.