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United Church of Canada
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United Church of Canada

The United Church of Canada is Canada's second largest church (after the Roman Catholic Church), and its largest Protestant denomination with over three million members. The current Moderator of the United Church is the Rt. Rev. Peter Short.

The United Church of Canada was recognised and legitimated by Act of Parliament in 1925. It was the merger of three prominent Protestant denominations, the Presbyterians, the Methodists, and the Congregationalists. In 1968 the Evangelical United Brethren Church of Canada (or "Unionists") joined the union. At the time of the original merger in 1925 approximately 30% of the Presbyterian congregations in Canada chose not merge and they continue today as the Presbyterian Church of Canada. This merger was unprecedented in world history; Canada was the first country where the Protestant churches elected to pool their resources and become one large non-dogmatic church.

The United Church is one of the most socially liberal of the world's large Protestant denominations. It began ordaining female ministers in 1936 and has long shied away from a rigid interpretation of the Bible.

The United Church is also very open to homosexuals. Corporately, the church allows homosexual ministers, celebrates gay unions, and fights for gay rights in the greater community. Church delegates presented evidence in favour of same-sex marriage to the House of Commons Justice Committee during its cross-country hearings in 2003 and welcomed court decisions that legalized same-sex marriage in certain provinces. However, the process of coming to a church-wide decision of gay issues has been difficult, with some congregations electing to leave the church entirely. See Christian views on homosexuality.

In 1999 the limits of the Church's openness were tested when the Church's Moderator, the Rt. Rev. Bill Phipps commented that he was not sure the resurrection of Jesus was a scientific fact. This sparked great debate in the church, and many congregations passed motions asserting their faith in Jesus' resurrection.[1]

Table of contents
1 Churches
2 External links

Churches

Halifax Presbytery

Montreal Presbytery

Ottawa Presbytery

Quebec-Sherbrooke Presbytery

Toronto South Presbytery

Toronto West Presbytery

External links