The Manual, 2021 - United Church of Canada

1 The Manual 2021. The United Church of Canada /L' glise Unie du Canada The Manual, 2021. Copyright 2021. The United Church of Canada L' glise 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 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. Contents Preface.

2 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. 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 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 44.

3 III. Commissioning, Ordination, Recognition and 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. Outline of Church Structure .. 49. 50. Responsibilities .. 50. Meetings .. 50. Records .. 51. Communication of Minutes and Decisions (2021) .. 52. Membership of Councils .. 52. Incorporated Ministries .. 53. B. COMMUNITY OF FAITH .. 54. 54. Governance Requirements for All Communities of Faith .. 55. Membership and Other Participation in a Community of Faith That Is a Congregation .. 57. Responsibilities of a Community of Faith That Is a Congregation .. 60.

4 Meetings of a Community of Faith That Is a Congregation or Pastoral Charge .. 61. Organization Officers of a Community of Faith That Is a Congregation or Pastoral Charge .. 64. Organization Governing Body of a Community of Faith That Is a Congregation or Pastoral Charge .. 65. Governance Requirements for Communities of Faith Other Than Congregations and Pastoral Charges .. 74. C. REGIONAL COUNCIL .. 75. Membership .. 75. Responsibilities .. 77. Organization .. 81. Meetings .. 82. The Manual, 2021 4 The United Church of Canada C-NIDC NATIONAL INDIGENOUS COUNCIL .. 84. General .. 84. D. GENERAL COUNCIL .. 85. Membership .. 85. Responsibilities .. 86. Meetings .. 89. Organization .. 90. Executive of the General Council .. 94. Sub-Executive of the General Council .. 98. E.

5 OFFICE OF VOCATION .. 99. Membership of Board of Vocation .. 99. Responsibilities .. 99. Organization Board of Vocation .. 101. Meetings .. 102. F. INITIATING ACTION AND CHANGE .. 103. 103. Remits .. 108. G. CONGREGATIONAL LIFE .. 112. Life Cycle of a Congregation .. 112. Property .. 117. Trustees .. 120. Finance .. 125. H. ENTERING MINISTRY .. 130. Forms of Paid Accountable Ministry in the United Church .. 130. Candidacy Pathway .. 130. Principles of the Seven Phases .. 131. Markers to the Pathway .. 133. Formation for Ministry .. 135. Admission from Other Denominations .. 136. The Manual, 2021 5 The United Church of Canada Ordination, Commissioning, and Reception .. 137. Readmission to the Order of Ministry .. 138. Ministry Partners .. 139. I. PASTORAL RELATIONS .. 140.

6 Connecting .. 140. 149. Disengaging .. 157. J. OVERSIGHT, CONFLICT RESOLUTION, AND DISCIPLINE .. 164. Regional Council Oversight of Communities of Faith .. 164. Office of Vocation Oversight of Ministry Personnel .. 164. Principles of Conflict 166. Regional Council Action Communities of Faith .. 167. Accountability .. 167. Office of Vocation Action Ministry 168. Ministry Personnel Criminal 171. Conflict Resolution and Discipline Lay People .. 173. Formal 175. Appeals .. 178. Documents Giving and Receiving .. 184. Policies .. 185. Definitions .. 187. Appendix .. 190. Procedures for Holding a Meeting and Decision-Making .. 190. 1. A Whole People's Covenant .. 190. 2. Holy Manners .. 191. 3. Meeting Procedures .. 191. The Manual, 2021 6 The United Church of Canada Preface This is the 39th (2021) edition of The Manual of The United Church of Canada , and comes into effect on March 1, 2021.

7 It incorporates the remit approved in 2020-2021. It also incorporates additional changes approved by the 43rd General Council at its annual meetings in 2019 and 2020 and by the Executive of the General Council in 2020. The change to the Basis of Union and bylaws in this edition are indicated by the year 2021 in parentheses in the right-hand margin at the end of the changed text. The text of The Manual is now available in a number of ways, including online and in translation. In all cases, the most recent English-language edition posted on the website will govern. Michael Blair, Mary-Beth Moriarity, General Secretary of the General Council Chair, Manual Committee Toronto, Ontario Pictou, Nova Scotia The Manual, 2021 7 The United Church of Canada Introduction The first edition of The Manual was issued in 1928, under the authority of the Second General Council (1926).

8 Since then, The Manual has been a valuable resource for members and organized bodies of The United Church of Canada . The Manual consists of the Basis of Union and the bylaws. It is a living, working document that is regularly amended by the General Council and, with respect to the Basis of Union, through the remit process. The General Council and its executive have established certain principles to guide the writing of The Manual, including the following: a) The Manual must strike a balance between enough regulation for the United Church to function in a fair and orderly way, and enough flexibility so that courts/councils and people are free to carry out ministry in ways, both traditional and innovative, that meet local needs;. b) it must reflect that mission is the United Church 's focus, and that polity exists only to support mission rather than as an end in itself; and c) it must serve the reader by providing the greatest possible clarity and accessibility to people of different backgrounds, including people for whom English is not a first language.

9 Both the style and content of the 2021 edition of The Manual reflect these principles. The United Church exists in a wide variety of contexts. There have always been challenges in setting policies and procedures for ministry settings that may be urban, rural, large, small, and that differ in the strength of their human and financial resources. The focus in The Manual is on broad policy statements rather than specific provisions for every conceivable situation because broad policy statements address all factual situations in a general sense. They invite people to think for themselves by acting in the spirit of the policies with good will and common sense to achieve a just result in a particular situation. At the same time, The Manual is clear and precise on the roles of each of the councils, the Office of Vocation, and their respective bodies and officers to avoid any uncertainty in governance requirements.

10 The content of The Manual has also been designed to fulfill the legal requirements for corporate bylaws, since The United Church of Canada was formed as a corporation for legal purposes. The Manual contains annotations that provide additional policy and procedural information to assist in accessing resources outside of The Manual. There are also annotations with basic information about Church structures and policies to help readers who may not be very familiar with polity. Where there are changes in the Basis of Union and bylaws from one edition of The Manual to the next, the year of the change is noted in the margin. The preamble to the bylaws reminds readers that The Manual works best when applied in a spirit of open conversation, when all those involved in making a particular decision consult with each other.