The Manual, 2021

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Manual, 2021 The Manual 2021 The United Church of Canada/L’Église Unie du Canada The Manual, 2021 Copyright © 2021 The United Church of Canada L’Église Unie du Canada The content of this resource is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd) Licence. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca. Any copy must include the United Church copyright notice and the Creative Commons licence. Care has been taken to trace ownership of copyright material contained in this text. The publisher will gratefully accept any information that will enable it to rectify any reference or credit in subsequent printings. ISSN 2369-9167 (online) United Church Publishing House 3250 Bloor St. West, Suite 200 Toronto, ON Canada M8X 2Y4 1-800-268-3781 www.united-church.ca egliseunie.ca Contents Preface ......................................................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 8 Declarations ................................................................................................................................................. 9 from the Basis of Union ........................................................................................................................... 9 from The United Church of Canada Act, 14–15 George V, c. 100, s. 28.................................................... 9 from the Declaration of Faith ................................................................................................................... 9 Apology to First Nations Peoples (1986) ................................................................................................ 10 from the Calls to the Church (2018) ....................................................................................................... 10 The Formation of The United Church of Canada ........................................................................................ 12 The Basis of Union ......................................................................................................................................... 17 GENERAL .................................................................................................................................................... 17 DOCTRINE .................................................................................................................................................. 17 Twenty Articles of Doctrine.................................................................................................................... 17 A Statement of Faith, 1940 .................................................................................................................... 21 A New Creed .......................................................................................................................................... 25 A Song of Faith ....................................................................................................................................... 26 POLITY ........................................................................................................................................................ 34 I. Background .................................................................................................................................... 34 II. The Church ..................................................................................................................................... 34 III. Communities of Faith ..................................................................................................................... 34 IV. Regional Councils ........................................................................................................................... 37 V. Denominational Council ................................................................................................................. 39 VI. Denominational Office of Vocation ................................................................................................ 41 VII. Clusters and Networks ................................................................................................................... 42 MINISTRY PERSONNEL ............................................................................................................................... 43 I. Candidacy Pathway ........................................................................................................................ 43 II. Training for Ministry....................................................................................................................... 44 III. Commissioning, Ordination, Recognition and Admission ............................................................... 44 The Manual, 2021 3 The United Church of Canada ADMINISTRATION ...................................................................................................................................... 45 I. Missions ......................................................................................................................................... 45 II. Publishing Interests ........................................................................................................................ 45 III. Colleges .......................................................................................................................................... 46 IV. Reorganization ............................................................................................................................... 46 V. The Pension Fund ........................................................................................................................... 46 Bylaws ............................................................................................................................................................ 49 A. INTRODUCTION TO GOVERNANCE IN THE UNITED CHURCH ............................................................. 49 A.1 Outline of Church Structure ........................................................................................................... 49 A.2 Decision-Making............................................................................................................................. 50 A.3 Responsibilities .............................................................................................................................. 50 A.4 Meetings ........................................................................................................................................ 50 A.5 Records .......................................................................................................................................... 51 A.6 Communication of Minutes and Decisions (2021) ......................................................................... 52 A.7 Membership of Councils ................................................................................................................ 52 A.8 Incorporated Ministries ................................................................................................................. 53 B. COMMUNITY OF FAITH ...................................................................................................................... 54 B.1 General........................................................................................................................................... 54 B.2 Governance Requirements for All Communities of Faith ............................................................... 55 B.3 Membership and Other Participation in a Community of Faith That Is a Congregation ................ 57 B.4 Responsibilities of a Community of Faith That Is a Congregation .................................................. 60 B.5 Meetings of a Community of Faith That Is a Congregation or Pastoral Charge ............................. 61 B.6 Organization—Officers of a Community of Faith That Is a Congregation or Pastoral Charge ....... 64 B.7 Organization—Governing Body of a Community of Faith That Is a Congregation or Pastoral Charge .................................................................................................................................................... 65 B.8 Governance Requirements for Communities of Faith Other Than Congregations and Pastoral Charges .................................................................................................................................................. 74 C. REGIONAL COUNCIL ........................................................................................................................... 75 C.1 Membership ................................................................................................................................... 75 C.2 Responsibilities .............................................................................................................................. 77 C.3 Organization ................................................................................................................................... 81 C.4 Meetings ........................................................................................................................................ 82 The Manual, 2021 4 The United Church of Canada C-NIDC NATIONAL
Recommended publications
  • A Short History of the United Church of Canada's Young Peoples Union
    A Short History of the United Church of Canada’s Young Peoples Union (YPU) Introduction The purpose of this short history is to ensure that the story of the Young Peoples Union movement in the United Church of Canada is remembered and preserved in the files of the Archives of the United Church of Canada. Although this short history is based on the files, stories and achievements of one church; namely, Parkdale United Church of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, the same can be said of many United Churches across Canada during the period after Church Union in 1925. The period from approximately 1930 to 1964 saw the development of the United Church Young Peoples Unions (YPU); some were called “Societies”, (YPS) until 1935. They began to form in churches after the June 10, 1925 union of some of the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational churches to form the United Church of Canada. It was organized at the National, Conference and Presbytery levels. The YPU had considerable autonomy given to it from the Board of Christian Education. The YPU was born in the Depression years of Canada, 1929-1938, went through the Second World War period, 1939-1945, grew during the post-war period, endured the Korean War of 1950-1953, thrived in the late 50’s as the population of Canada grew, and started to dwindle in the mid-1960s. To examine the Young Peoples Union movement is to look at a very interesting stage of church development and to see 1 how one part of the United Church helped its young people to learn, grow and develop leadership skills and Christian values that have continued to this day.
    [Show full text]
  • Scripture's Role in Discerning Theology in the United Church of Canada
    Scripture’s Role in Discerning Theology in The United Church of Canada by John William David McMaster A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Knox College and the Toronto School of Theology In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry awarded by Knox College and the University of Toronto. © Copyright by John William David McMaster 2016 Scripture’s Role in Discerning Theology in The United Church of Canada John William David McMaster Doctor of Ministry Knox College and the University of Toronto 2016 Abstract Traditionally, the Bible has been at the centre of the Church’s life and thought. It has been viewed as the Word of God, a unique work, revealing God and God’s ways to humankind. Authority and the authority of scripture have been questioned, however, in recent years particularly within mainline Protestant denominations. The following study seeks to clarify the role of scripture in discerning theology within congregational life of the United Church of Canada. It begins by examining the view of scripture held by the Protestant Reformers of the 16th and 18th centuries. It moves to discuss how those views have been affected by the rise of modernist and postmodernist thought, and then looks at the changing role of scripture within the history of the United Church. These contextual studies form the base for a case study of the practices and thought of three United Church Councils in the city of Toronto. There, it was found that more experiential factors were the chief influences on United Church lay leaders today as they make theological ii decisions.
    [Show full text]
  • Report of the Joint Partnership Committee Page 1 the United
    A Journey to Full Communion The Report of the Joint Partnership Committee The United Church of Christ and The United Church of Canada April 2015 The United Church of Canada and The United Church of Christ (USA) share a rich and similar history as “united and uniting” churches in North America. In 2013, both denominations authorized a Joint Partnership Committee to discern the call of God towards entering full communion. After a year of discernment, the committee is recommending through each denomination’s respective executive body that the 30th General Synod of The United Church of Christ, which will meet June 26-30, 2015, in Cleveland, Ohio, and the 42nd General Council of The United Church of Canada, which will meet August 8-15, 2015, in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, approve a full communion agreement. This document is the formal report of the committee, and is meant to accompany the proposal and serve as a resource for those who will carry the commitment to a full communion relationship into the future. United and Uniting The United Church of Canada came into being in 1925 as the first union in the 20th century to cross historic denominational lines. While union discussions in Canada first began at the end of the 19th century, the Methodist Church in Canada, the Presbyterian Church in Canada (about one-third of Presbyterian churches in Canada stayed out of union), and the Congregational Union of Canada, along with a large number of Local Union Churches which had formed in anticipation of union, formally celebrated the formation of the new church on June 10, 1925 in Toronto, Ontario.
    [Show full text]
  • Touchstone Canada
    Touchstone Volume 31 February 2013 Number 1 GOD’S MISSION HAS A CHURCH CONTENTS EDITORIAL …………....………………..……….……….…………… 2 ARTICLES God’s Own Gift: Glimpsing Tomorrow’s Church Today Edwin Searcy………...................................................................... 6 Bonhoeffer: A Post-Colonial Ecclesiology for the Canadian Context Wendy Fletcher ............................................................................. 14 Witnesses of These Things Aaron Miller ................................................................................. 27 Obsessed with Governance Doug Goodwin …………………..………………………………36 From the Heart about the Heart of the Matter Foster Freed ….…………………...……………...……….....…. 47 PROFILE Partnership in Mission: William Scott’s Ministry in Korea Hyuk Cho ..................................................................................... 57 REVIEWS Glimpses of Grace: Reflections of a Prison Chaplain by Donald Stoesz Don Misener.................................................................................. 67 The Messenger: Friendship, Faith, and Finding One’s Way by Douglas John Hall Don Schweitzer ………….……………...…………………..….. 69 Enfleshing Freedom: Body, Race, and Being by M. Shawn Copeland Mike Jones ……..…….……….…………………………..…….. 71 Editorial GOD’S MISSION HAS A CHURCH When I arrived as a B. D. student at Union Theological Seminary in the autumn of 1966, the giants who had made Union luminous in the fifties had departed the scene. Reinhold Niebuhr was still there in emeritus capacity and suffering from the effects
    [Show full text]
  • By Nancy Elizabeth Hardy a Thesis Submitted to Emmanuel College
    CONNECTING SINGING AND DOING IN UNITED CHURCH CONGREGATIONAL SONG: A LITURGICAL THEOLOGY OF MISSION by Nancy Elizabeth Hardy A thesis submitted to Emmanuel College, Victoria University, and the Pastoral Department of the Toronto School of Theology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Theology awarded by Victoria University, the Toronto School of Theology, and the University of Toronto © Nancy Elizabeth Hardy 2012 CONNECTING SINGING AND DOING IN UNITED CHURCH CONGREGATION SONG: A LITURGICAL THEOLOGY OF MISSION Nancy Elizabeth Hardy Doctor of Theology Emmanuel College, Victoria University, of the University of Toronto 2012 ABSTRACT In The United Church of Canada, congregational song serves as a key source of both personal and communal missional identity. This dissertation will investigate the liturgical and missiological functions of United Church hymnody as found in hymn resources published after union in 1925. Its focus will be on the role of congregational songs, their missional qualities, and their capacity to encourage and enable worshippers to enact peace and justice. Mission has been central to The United Church of Canada since its formation in 1925, and in its mission work, the United Church has sought to move from early twentieth century well-intentioned paternalism to a more postcolonial emphasis on justice, mutuality, and openness to other faiths. Worship has also been important to the church, and singing an essential element of its liturgical life. In the worshipping assembly, the singing of hymns involves both learning about and encountering God; it is also about mission and the living out of faith. As the church’s activity in God’s mission has changed over the years, the same kind of shift in the hymn repertoire can be noted.
    [Show full text]
  • 200 Religion
    200 200 Religion Beliefs, attitudes, practices of individuals and groups with respect to the ultimate nature of existences and relationships within the context of revelation, deity, worship Including public relations for religion Class here comparative religion; religions other than Christianity; works dealing with various religions, with religious topics not applied to specific religions; syncretistic religious writings of individuals expressing personal views and not claiming to establish a new religion or to represent an old one Class a specific topic in comparative religion, religions other than Christianity in 201–209. Class public relations for a specific religion or aspect of a religion with the religion or aspect, e.g., public relations for a local Christian church 254 For government policy on religion, see 322 See also 306.6 for sociology of religion See Manual at 130 vs. 200; also at 200 vs. 100; also at 201–209 and 292–299 SUMMARY 200.1–.9 Standard subdivisions 201–209 Specific aspects of religion 210 Philosophy and theory of religion 220 Bible 230 Christianity 240 Christian moral and devotional theology 250 Local Christian church and Christian religious orders 260 Christian social and ecclesiastical theology 270 History, geographic treatment, biography of Christianity 280 Denominations and sects of Christian church 290 Other religions > 200.1–200.9 Standard subdivisions Limited to comparative religion, religion in general .1 Systems, scientific principles, psychology of religion Do not use for classification; class in 201.
    [Show full text]
  • Religion in Life: Stages 1 to 5 Written by Bethe Benjamin-Cameron for the Congregational, Educational, and Community Ministries Unit
    Religion inLife Stages One to Five Religion in Life Stages 1 to 5 The United Church of Canada L’Église Unie du Canada Religion in Life: Stages 1 to 5 Written by Bethe Benjamin-Cameron for the Congregational, Educational, and Community Ministries Unit Copyright © 2008 The United Church of Canada L’Église Unie du Canada All rights reserved. No part of this book may be photocopied, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise, without the written permission of The United Church of Canada. Exception: Permission is granted to photocopy for work related to the United Church, Scouts, or Guides. Please credit the source. All biblical quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Care has been taken to trace ownership of copyright material contained in this text. The publisher will gratefully accept any information that will enable it to rectify any reference or credit in subsequent printings. The United Church of Canada L’Église Unie du Canada The publication of this resource 3250 Bloor St. West, Suite 300 was made possible by the Toronto, ON Mission and Service Fund. Canada M8X 2Y4 1-800-268-3781 www.united-church.ca Contents Overview................................................................................................................ 5 Stage 1: Yellow .....................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Religions in Canada
    Religions in Canada In accordance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Human Rights Act, the policy of the Canadian Forces is to accommodate the fundamental religious requirements of its members. The purpose of this reference document is to provide general information and awareness about the various religious and spiritual practices in Canada. It contains a description of major religious and spiritual requirements and tenets, including celebrations and observances, as well as dress, dietary, medical and health requirements. Although this is not the definitive guide to all religions in Canada, it should assist Commanding Officers and supervisors to understand and respond to requests for accommodation. R ELIGIONS IN C ANADA i Published by the Directorate of Military Gender Integration and Employment Equity (DMGIEE) For copies of this publication, please phone (613) 996-2468 or fax: (613) 992-1049 This document is available on the Defence Information Network at http://din.dwan.dnd.ca Catalogue No.: D2-147/2003 ISBN : 0-662-67193-7 March 2003 Ottawa, Canada Art Direction by DGPA Creative Services: CS02-0547 Table of Contents Anglican Church of Canada . 1 Bahá’í Faith . 4 Baptist Church . 7 Brethren in Christ Church . 9 Buddhism . 11 Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) . 15 Christian and Missionary Alliance . 17 Christian Reformed Church . 20 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . 23 Church of the Nazarene . 26 Doukhobors . 28 Eastern Orthodox Churches . 30 Evangelical Free Church . 35 Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada . 37 Free Methodist Church . 41 Hinduism . 43 Hutterian Brotherhood . 47 Islam . 50 Jehovah’s Witnesses .
    [Show full text]
  • Atheist Controversy in the United Church of Canada: a Review of Gretta Vosper
    Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 4-23-2019 1:30 PM Atheist Controversy in the United Church of Canada: A Review of Gretta Vosper Jacob A. Shaw The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Badcock, Gary The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Theology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Master of Arts © Jacob A. Shaw 2019 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Shaw, Jacob A., "Atheist Controversy in the United Church of Canada: A Review of Gretta Vosper" (2019). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 6133. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/6133 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract Rev. Gretta Vosper (1958–), currently a serving United Church of Canada Minister in Scarborough, Ontario, has sparked debate in Canadian religious circles as a self-proclaimed atheist. In 2015, her unorthodox approach to public worship and her media statements about the high concentration of atheism among Ministers in the United Church brought matters to a head, and Vosper came under formal review by the Church’s Toronto Conference Ministry Personnel Committee. Meantime, the surrounding controversy left many people asking questions about what the United Church of Canada really believes.
    [Show full text]
  • HISTORICAL PAPERS 2008 Canadian Society of Church History
    HISTORICAL PAPERS 2008 Canadian Society of Church History Annual Conference University of British Columbia 1-3 June 2008 Edited by Brian obbett, Bruce L. uenther and Robynne Rogers Healey 'Copyright 2008 by the authors and the Canadian Society of Church History Printed in Canada ALL RI H,S RESER-E. Canadian Cataloguing in Pu lication Data Main entry under title0 Historical Papers June 213 213884- Annual. A selection of papers delivered at the Society5s annual meeting. Place of publication varies. Continues0 Proceedings of the Canadian Society of Church History, ISSN 0872-1089. ISSN 0878-1893 ISBN 0-3939777-0-9 213334 1. Church History;Congresses. 2. Canada;Church history;Congresses. l. Canadian Society of Church history. BR870.C322 fol. 277.1 C30-030313-0 TABLE OF CONTENTS Papers Air Wars0 Radio Regulation, Sectarianism, and Religious Broadcasting in Canada, 1322-1338 MARK . MC OWAN 8 A Puppy-.og ,ale0 ,he United Church of Canada and the Youth Counter-Culture, 1398-1373 BRUCE .OU-ILLE 27 @Righteousness EAalteth a NationB0 Providence, Empire, and the Corging of the Early Canadian Presbyterian Identity .ENNIS MCKIM 77 Crom the UDraine to the Caucasus to the Canadian Prairies0 Life as Wandering in the Spiritual Autobiography of CeoDtist .unaenDo SER EY PE,RO- 97 Eelma and Beulah Argue0 Sisters in the Canadian Pentecostal Movement, 1320-1330 LIN.A M. AMBROSE 81 Canadian Pentecostalism0 A Multicultural Perspective MICHAEL WILKINSON 103 ,homas Merton, Prophet of the New Monasticism PAUL R. .EKAR 121 Balthasar Hubmaier and the Authority of the Church Cathers AN.REW P. KLA ER 133 CSCH President&s Address @Crom the Edge of OblivionB0 Reflections on Evangelical Protestant .enominational Historiography in Canada BRUCE L.
    [Show full text]
  • Baptist History and Identity Course Student Guide
    Baptist History and Identity An Elective Course for Local Churches Teaching Baptist Identity Student Guide January 2018 Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 5 Follow the Leader ................................................................................................................................ 7 1. Jesus Is Lord ....................................................................................................................................................... 7 2. The Sufficiency of Scripture ............................................................................................................................ 11 A Church with 100 Ministers? ........................................................................................................... 15 3. The Priesthood of All Believers ...................................................................................................................... 15 4. Mission & Evangelism ...................................................................................................................................... 19 5. A Believers’ Church .......................................................................................................................................... 22 Freedom in the Common Life........................................................................................................... 26 5. A Believers’ Church .........................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • MEMBERS 2021 Version: 22 March 2021
    MEMBERS 2021 Version: 22 March 2021 Oikocredit (EDCS UA) is a cooperative society with 552 members to date. The membership has 5 different categories and is made up of: 239 Churches 233 Church-related institutions 43 Partners 23 Support associations 14 Other member Members are shown per continent and country in the overview. The following graph shows the number of members per region: 191 120 105 71 52 13 Western Africa and Asia, Australia South North America Central and Europe Middle East and the America Eastern Pacific Central Europe America and the Caribbean Each member has invested in Oikocredit, at least one share of EUR 200 (or other currencies). Every member has one vote at the AGM independent of the amount invested. English Church Church-related institution Partner Support association Other members Sonstige Deutsch Kirche Kirchliche Organisation Partner Förderkreis Mitglieder Organisation Français église Partenaire Association de soutien Autres membres confessionnelle Organización relacionada Español Iglesia Socio Asociación de apoyo Otros miembros con la Iglesia Kerkgerelateerde Nederlands Kerk Partner Steunvereniging Andere leden organisatie OIKOCREDIT MEMBERS 2020 1 Africa Angola Igreja Evangélica Congregacional en Angola Igreja Evangélica Reformada de Angola-IERA Missão Evangélica Pentecostal de Angola Botswana African Methodist Episcopal Church Botswana Christian Council Botswana Young Women's Christian Association Dutch Reformed Church in Botswana Etsha Multipurpose Co-operative Society United Congregational Church
    [Show full text]