Welcome to the Renaissance.
To redeem, to rebuild, to restore.
The Britannica Dictionary defines the renaissance as “a period marked by a revival of Classical learning and wisdom.” In the same way, we believe that a new renaissance is happening today — that we are being marked by a revival of beauty, truth, and goodness.
the vision.
To transform and renew the arts by bringing the light, truth, and beauty of Jesus Christ to artists and art communities across Canada.
the mission.
At its core, Renaissance Canada is an artist outreach initiative. We exist to support, inspire, and walk alongside artists as they discover Jesus, equipping them to shine light into the culture through their craft and impact Canada’s arts with the message of hope. Through discipleship, artistic support, and meaningful connections, we empower artists to not only flourish, but be restorers of culture and inspire hope. Our mission is to cultivate a movement where the arts reflect the goodness of God, creating a place where creativity, faith, and truth intersect, bringing life to those who encounter it.
bridging the gap.
How exactly will Renaissance Canada reach the artist community?
The Artists
There is a mental health and affordability crisis among Canadian artists.
The mental health crisis is at an all-time high within the artist demographic in Canada. In Canada today, artists stand at the intersection of brilliance and burden. National studies show that 39% of artists are dissatisfied with their mental health, nearly double the rate of the general population (20%). Financial strain intensifies this reality: about 70% of artists report significant financial stress, and 66% earn under $40,000 from their creative work. In the music industry specifically, the crisis is even sharper, with 86% reporting personal mental-health challenges and over 40% having experienced suicidal thoughts. At a time when creatives should feel supported to flourish, many are instead navigating isolation, instability, and emotional exhaustion. We believe this isn’t just a cultural issue, it’s a pastoral and missional one. Renaissance Canada exists to walk alongside artists with care, community, and the hope of the gospel, helping them encounter restoration in the very place they create.
Artists are among the marginalized community in Canada. With these statistics, we must respond. We cannot afford to continue losing artists to mental health, to a loss of passion or purpose, or a lack of support, encouragement, or care.
As we are reminded by scripture, Humanity is created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Humanity is also God’s greatest creation; masterpiece; the magnum opus. As God, the Creator and Master Artist, has endowed us with this likeness, we hold an inherent responsibility to create. We have a task to partner with the Creator in liberating creation from its bondage to death and decay, bringing it into the freedom and glory that we, as children of God, experience (Romans 8:18-23). While we are all called to that, artists have a unique ability to outwork this call through their creative calling; through their artistic abilities. Through the fundamental act of creating, we step into this commission, joining in God’s restorative work through our craft.
The Arts
There is a culture crisis affecting how the arts are represented and understood, which is a deeper issue concerning a theological understanding of beauty.
The arts are not only sacred, but biblical. Throughout Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, we witness the sanctity of creating, crafting, and making. In Exodus 31, we encounter Bezalel and Oholiab, who are specifically called to engage in ‘all kinds of crafts.’ Bezalel is filled with the Spirit of God, receiving wisdom, understanding, and knowledge to fulfill the task before him. Remarkably, this is the first recorded instance of the Holy Spirit coming upon a person in Scripture, and it is for an artistic purpose. This underscores that God not only values the arts, but sees them as an integral part of building His kingdom here on earth.
Canada is facing a quiet cultural crisis. While the arts contribute $65 billion to our economy and shape the stories we tell about ourselves, the people creating that culture are increasingly overwhelmed, under-resourced, and slipping through the cracks. Two-thirds of artists earn under $40,000 a year, and over 70% report significant financial stress, leaving many unable to sustain their craft or remain rooted in their communities. At the same time, 39% of artists are dissatisfied with their mental health, nearly twice the national rate, and in sectors like music, the crisis is even more severe, with over 80% reporting serious mental-health challenges. When those shaping our cultural imagination are struggling at this scale, the ripple effects touch churches, families, and communities across the country. We believe this isn’t just an economic crisis, it’s a cultural and spiritual one. Renaissance Canada exists to stand in the gap, supporting the artists who influence the heart and health of our nation.
However, as we are reminded in Romans 8:18-23, all of earth is subjected to bondage and decay as a result of sin. The once-beautiful thing that God had always intended the arts to be, has been distorted as a result of human destruction and carelessness. The arts are also broken, resulting in a culture crisis. The arts are not what they ought to be: a source of beauty, truth, and goodness. As we’ve seen from scripture, this is how God had always intended the art of making and creating to be: for all skilled people to join in the task of making the broken into beautiful. To reveal God’s glory through art, through story, through beauty. This is so that we may be able to bring healing, justice, and transformation to a world in need, through the language of beauty.
The Church
There is a theological gap in understanding the intersection of faith and the arts.
Historically, artists were commissioned by the Church to portray the gospel message of Jesus Christ through various kinds of artistic work: music, opera, painting, sculpture, architecture, poetry, stained glass design… Artists were once incredibly important to society, playing an integral part towards human flourishing: often contributing beautiful works that caught the attention of royal families, nobility, and the clergy. Many artists and their works have a significant mark and legacy throughout history.
Across Canada, there is a widening theological gap in how the Church understands the role of creativity, artistry, and imagination in the life of faith. While Scripture is filled with artistic language, prophetic imagery, poetry, craftsmanship, and Spirit-inspired creativity, many Christians have never been taught how faith and the arts meaningfully intersect. As a result, artists often feel spiritually displaced and leaders feel unequipped to disciple them. Few churches have a theology of beauty, culture-making, or creative vocation, and even fewer offer pathways for artists to integrate their craft with their calling. This disconnect not only leaves creatives without guidance— it deprives the Church of voices that help us see, feel, and imagine the kingdom of God more clearly. At Renaissance Canada, we are working to bridge this gap by helping the Church recover a biblical imagination for the arts and by equipping artists to understand their work as worship, witness, and participation in God’s redemptive story.
The Arts and artists have the power to shape culture, tell stories, and inspire change for a better future. The Church must respond in creating spaces for artists to not only come to Jesus, but to create spaces for artists to once again create works that would call the attention of the world back towards the Creator of all that is beautiful.
Get involved!
The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few. We’re always looking for people to help out and support our mission in different ways; whether that be financially, physically, or prayerfully, we want you to be part of our team! Click any one of the buttons below to get involved. Become a grower of goodness.