Governance structure of the United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada uses a three-level model of governance, consisting of communities of faith; regional councils; and the General Council.
Current three-level structure of the United Church
Communities of faith
There are currently just over 2,000 communities of faith, which are the basic unit of the United Church, consisting of one or more congregations under the spiritual leadership of a minister or ministry team.[1] The community of faith is responsible for their day-to-day operations, including raising all of the money needed for staff, building maintenance and operation, worship, committee work and projects. This is generally done by taking up a collection from the congregation, but fundraising from the wider community is also allowed, as long as it does not involve games of chance such as raffles, lotteries, or bingo. The community of faith is also responsible for searching out and hiring church staff, including ministers, musicians and lay staff; maintenance and upkeep of their property and buildings; deciding when they worship, and how often; policies on candidacy for baptism and marriage (including, but not limited to whether the congregation will allow same-sex marriages to be performed in their building); Christian development and education within the congregation (Sunday School, youth and adult confirmation classes, Bible study, etc.); outreach projects to the community and wider world; and other day-to-day functions. Policy decisions at this level are usually made by a congregational Board or Council, which can take one of the several forms listed in The Manual. Budgets and finances, election of Board members and changes to ministry must be approved at a meeting of the full congregation.
Regional councils
Communities of faith are gathered up into 16 regional councils, which are responsible for care and oversight of the communities of faith within it. Regional councils deal with various administrative tasks within the church, including the training and education of candidates for ministry, overall church mission strategy, and electing commissioners to attend the triannual general councils.
General Council
Every three years approximately 360 commissioners who have been elected by regional councils meet as a General Council to
- set denominational policy and doctrine;
- debate and discuss proposals and other work which appropriately comes before the highest council of the church;
- and elect a Moderator,
The General Council Office consists of the Moderator, the General Secretary and other support staff to the General Council, as well as members of the four permanent committees of the General Council, seven major working units and various other committees and task groups. The General Council Office is under the complete direction of the larger General Council and has a mandate to carry out the work which is given to them by the General Council.[2]
Present governance structure
| Name of Region | Description | Approximate Number of Communities of Faith in Region |
|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | The majority of British Columbia Banff, Alberta Yukon |
174 |
| Region 2 | Northeastern British Columbia,including Fort Nelson, Fort St. John and surrounding areas. Northern Alberta, above and including Highway 13 The Northwest Territories |
95 |
| Region 3 | Southern Alberta, excluding Banff | 91 |
| Region 4 | Saskatchewan | 172 |
| Region 5 | Manitoba All of Northwestern Ontario within the Central Time Zone |
144 |
| Region 6 | All of Northwestern Ontario within the Eastern Time Zone Northeastern Ontario Manitoulin Island Abitibi-Témiscamingue Region, Quebec Algoma District |
78 |
| Region 7 | Southwestern Ontario | 141 |
| Region 8 | Bruce Peninsula Huron County Perth County Kitchener-Waterloo Angus, Borden, Owen Sound and surrounding area |
138 |
| Region 9 | Hamilton Regional Municipality of Halton, including Oakville Niagara Region Norval, Georgetown, Acton |
143 |
| Region 10 | The Greater Toronto Area, excluding Durham Region Muskoka Region Other communities north of Toronto, including Barrie and Orillia |
160 |
| Region 11 | Southeastern Ontario, excluding Arnprior, Brockville, Pembroke, Renfrew and surrounding areas, Durham Region |
146 |
| Region 12 | Ottawa, Ontario and the Ottawa Valley The city of Montreal, Laval, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and surrounding areas, Southeastern Ontario-Quebec border region including Brockville, Smiths Falls, Prescott and Hawkesbury |
133 |
| Region 13 | All of Quebec, excluding the Montreal, Laval and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu areas Abitibi-Témiscamingue Region and the Gaspé Peninsula Nunavut |
76 |
| Region 14 | Gaspé Peninsula New Brunswick Prince Edward Island |
116 |
| Region 15 | Nova Scotia Bermuda |
139 |
| Region 16 | Newfoundland and Labrador | 88 |
Administrative structure of General Council
| General Council | Archives Committee | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Audit Committee | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General Secretary | Moderator | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Judicial Committee | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manual Committee | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Permanent Committee on Programs for Mission and Ministry | Permanent Committee on Ministry & Employment Policies and Services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Aboriginal Ministries Circle | Executive of the General Council | Theology and Inter-Church Inter-Faith Committee | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Permanent Committee on Governance & Agenda | Permanent Committee on Finance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transfer Committee | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sub-Executive of the General Council | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Committees and Task Groups | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General Council Office Staff Working Units[3] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Church in Mission | Aboriginal Ministries Circle | Finance | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Philanthropy | Ministry & Employment | Communications | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Office of the Moderator & General Secretary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Previous model of governance (1925-2018)
From 1925–2018, the church used a four-court model of governance, consisting of pastoral charges; presbyteries; conferences and the General Council.
- Pastoral charges referred to individual congregations.
- These were gathered into 88 regional presbyteries, 2 districts and one synod that covered all parts of Canada and Bermuda. The number of pastoral charges and presbysteries varied over time; in 2017, there were approximately 3000 pastoral charges gathered into 91 presbyteries.
- Presbyteries were gathered into thirteen Conferences, which were regional. The exception to the regional model was the All Native Circle Conference, representing congregations that identified with Aboriginal groups across Canada.
Conferences and Presbyteries in 2017, before change to three-level model
| Name of Conference | Regions Covered | Names of Presbyteries | Regions Covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Native Circle Conference[4] | First Nations congregations across much of Canada including: British Columbia Alberta Saskatchewan Manitoba Ontario Quebec | All Tribes Presbytery | First Nations in Alberta |
| Great Lakes Waterways Presbytery | First Nations in Ontario and Quebec | ||
| Keewatin Presbytery | First Nations in Northern Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario | ||
| Plains Presbytery | First Nations in the Prairies | ||
| British Columbia Conference[5] | British Columbia | Cariboo Presbytery | Central and Interior British Columbia |
| Comox-Nanaimo Presbytery | Northern Vancouver Island | ||
| Fraser Presbytery | Southwestern BC mainland | ||
| Kamloops-Okanagan Presbytery | South-Central BC and the Okanogan Valley | ||
| Kootenay Presbytery | Southeastern BC mainland | ||
| Prince Rupert Presbytery | Northwestern BC mainland | ||
| Vancouver-Burrard Presbytery | City of North Vancouver, Northern area of Vancouver, Pemberton, Squamish, West Vancouver, Whistler | ||
| Vancouver South Presbytery | Ladner, Richmond, Tsawwassen First Nation, Southern Vancouver | ||
| Victoria Presbytery | Southern Vancouver Island, Gulf Islands, Victoria | ||
| Westminster Presbytery | Burnaby, Coquitlam, New Westminster, Port Moody | ||
| Alberta Northwest Conference[6] | Alberta Yukon Northwest Territories Northeastern British Columbia | Calgary Presbytery | Calgary |
| Coronation Presbytery | East-Central Alberta including Drumheller, Camrose | ||
| Edmonton Presbytery | Edmonton | ||
| Foothills Presbytery | South-Central Alberta including Banff | ||
| Northern Lights Presbytery | Northwestern Alberta, Northeastern BC, Yukon, Northwest Territories | ||
| Red Deer Presbytery | Red Deer and Central Alberta | ||
| Saint Paul Presbytery | North-Central Alberta | ||
| South Alberta Presbytery | Southern Alberta | ||
| Yellowhead Presbytery | Northeastern Alberta | ||
| Saskatchewan Conference[7] | Saskatchewan | Chinook Presbytery | Southwestern Saskatchewan |
| Good Spirit Presbytery | Eastern Saskatchewan | ||
| Prairie Pine Presbytery | Western Saskatchewan | ||
| River Bend Presbytery | Saskatoon and Central Saskatchewan | ||
| Tamarack Presbytery | Northern Saskatchewan including Prince Albert | ||
| Twin Valleys Presbytery | Southeastern Saskatchewan including Qu'Appelle | ||
| Wascana Presbytery | The city of Regina and surrounding areas | ||
| Conference of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario[8] | Manitoba Northwestern Ontario | Assiniboine Presbytery | Southwestern Manitoba including Brandon |
| Agassiz Presbytery | Southern Manitoba | ||
| Cambrian Presbytery | Northwestern Ontario including Marathon, Red Lake, Thunder Bay | ||
| Northland Presbytery | Northwestern and Western Manitoba | ||
| Selkirk Presbytery | Southeastern Manitoba | ||
| Winnipeg Presbytery | The city of Winnipeg | ||
| Manitou Conference[9] | Northeastern Ontario Manitoulin Island Abitibi-Témiscamingue Region, Quebec | North Bay Presbytery | The city of North Bay and surrounding area |
| Spirit Dancing Presbytery | Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Cochrance, Kapuskasing, Timiskaming, Timmins and surrounding areas | ||
| Sudbury Presbytery | Elliot Lake, Manitoulin Island, Sudbury and surrounding areas | ||
| London Conference[10] | Southwestern Ontario Algoma District | Algoma Presbytery | The Algoma District and the Eastern coast of Lake Superior including Sault Sainte-Marie, Manitouwadge, Wawa |
| Elgin Presbytery | Elgin County | ||
| Essex Presbytery | Essex County including the city of Windsor | ||
| Huron-Perth Presbytery | Huron County and Perth County | ||
| Kent Presbytery | Chatham-Kent | ||
| Lambton Presbytery | Lambton County | ||
| Middlesex Presbytery | Middlesex County | ||
| Oxford Presbytery | Oxford County | ||
| Hamilton Conference[11] | Bruce Peninsula Hamilton Niagara Region Kitchener-Waterloo | Bruce Presbytery | Bruce Peninsula |
| Erie Presbytery | Brant County, Haldimand County, Norfolk County | ||
| Halton Presbytery | Regional Municipality of Halton including Oakville | ||
| Hamilton Presbytery | The city of Hamilton | ||
| Niagara Presbytery | The Niagara Region | ||
| Waterloo Presbytery | Cambridge, Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo and surrounding areas | ||
| Toronto Conference[12] | The Greater Toronto Area Muskoka Region | Living Waters Presbytery | Muskoka Region and communities north of Toronto including Barrie |
| Northern Waters Presbytery | Angus, Borden, Durham, Owen Sound and surrounding areas | ||
| South West Presbytery | Southwestern region of the Greater Toronto Area | ||
| Toronto Southeast Presbytery | Southeastern region of the Greater Toronto Area | ||
| Bay of Quinte Conference[13] | Southeastern Ontario | Four Rivers Presbytery | Brockville, Smiths Falls, Perth and surrounding areas |
| Four Winds Presbytery | Bath, Harrowsmith, Kingston, Wolfe Island and surrounding areas | ||
| Hills and Shores Presbytery | Brighton, Campbellford, Cobourg, Trenton and surrounding areas | ||
| Kawartha Highlands Presbytery | Beaverton, Haliburton County, Kawartha Lakes | ||
| Kente Presbytery | Belleville, Madoc, Prince Edward County | ||
| Lakeridge Presbytery | Ajax, Oshawa, Whitby and surrounding areas | ||
| Shining Waters Presbytery | Bancroft, Peterborough and surrounding areas | ||
| Upper Valley Presbytery | Arnprior, Denbigh, Pembroke, Renfrew and surrounding areas | ||
| Synode Montréal et Ottawa Conference[14] | Ottawa, Ontario Most of Quebec Nunavut | Le Consistoire Laurentien | Laurentians, Numerous francophone congregations throughout Quebec |
| Montréal Presbytery | Laval, The city of Montreal, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and surrounding areas | ||
| Ottawa Presbytery | The city of Ottawa, the Eastern Ottawa Valley and Gatineau, Quebec | ||
| Quebec-Sherbrooke Presbytery | Western, Central and Northern Quebec and the entirety of Nunavut, including the Côte-Nord region, the Eastern Townships, Nord-du-Quebec region and Quebec City | ||
| Seaway Valley Presbytery | Southeastern Ontario-Quebec border region including Prescott and Hawkesbury | ||
| Maritime Conference[15] | Gaspé Peninsula New Brunswick Nova Scotia Prince Edward Island Bermuda | Bermuda Synod | Bermuda |
| Chignecto Presbytery | Southeastern New Brunswick and Western Nova Scotia including Amherst, Moncton, Sackville, Springhill and surrounding areas | ||
| Halifax Presbytery | Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia | ||
| Inverness-Guysborough Presbytery | Northeastern mainland of Nova Scotia and western Cape Breton including Guysborough County and Inverness County | ||
| Miramichi Presbytery | Northern and Northeastern New Brunswick, Gaspé Peninsula including Miramichi, Bathurst, Campbellton, and Percé | ||
| Prince Edward Island Presbytery | Prince Edward Island | ||
| Pictou Presbytery | Northwestern mainland of Nova Scotia including Pictou County and Antigonish County | ||
| Saint John Presbytery | South-Central New Brunswick and the city of Saint John | ||
| South Shore Presbytery | Southern Nova Scotia including the South Shore | ||
| Saint Croix Presbytery | Southwestern New Brunswick | ||
| Sydney Presbytery | Eastern and Industrial Cape Breton including the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Victoria County and Richmond County | ||
| Truro Presbytery | Central Nova Scotia and the Northumberland Shore | ||
| Valley Presbytery | The Annapolis Valley region of Nova Scotia and Digby County | ||
| Woolastook Presbytery | Central and Western New Brunswick including Fredericton, Edmundston | ||
| Newfoundland and Labrador Conference[16] | Newfoundland and Labrador | Western District | Western Newfoundland and Labrador including Port-aux-Basques, Saint Anthony, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Forteau, Labrador |
| Eastern District | Eastern Newfoundland including the Avalon Peninsula and Fortune |
References
- ↑ Charlotte Caron, Eager for Worship: Theologies, practices and perspectives on worship in the United Church of Canada 2000, United Church of Canada
- ↑ "Congregations and Courts of the United Church". The United Church of Canada. United Church of Canada. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
- ↑ "General Council Office Structure". The United Church of Canada. United Church of Canada. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ↑ "Conference Directory: All Native Circle Conference". The United Church of Canada. United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
- ↑ "BC Conference". BC Conference of The United Church of Canada. BC Conference of the United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
- ↑ "Presbyteries in the Conference". Alberta and Northwest Conference of the United Church of Canada. Alberta and Northwest Conference of the United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
- ↑ "Presbyteries". Saskatchewan Conference of the United Church of Canada. Saskatchewan Conference of the United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
- ↑ "Presbyteries". The Conference of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
- ↑ "Who We Are". Manitou Conference. Manitou Conference of the United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
- ↑ "About Us: Presbyteries". London Conference of the United Church of Canada. United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
- ↑ "Who We Are". Hamilton Conference of the United Church of Canada. United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
- ↑ "Toronto Conference". Toronto Conference of the United Church of Canada. Toronto Conference. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
- ↑ "Presbyteries". Bay of Quinte Conference of the United Church of Canada. Bay of Quinte Conference. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
- ↑ "About Us - Qui sommes-nous". Synode Montreal & Ottawa Conference. United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
- ↑ "Directory: Presbyteries". Maritime Conference of the United Church of Canada. United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
- ↑ "United Church of Canada: Newfoundland and Labrador Conference". Newfoundland and Labrador Conference of the United Church of Canada. United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
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