Governance Structure of the United Church of Canada

The United Church of Canada uses a four-court model of governance, consisting of pastoral charges; presbyteries; conferences and the General Council. The denomination is divided into 13 regional Conferences, which are further subdivided into 88 presbyteries, 2 districts and one synod. The number of pastoral charges within each presbytery varies as the boundaries of the presbyteries change from time to time, but a recent count shows 91 presbyteries. Most of the presbyteries are geographically arranged, covering all parts of Canada and Bermuda. Presbyteries within the All Native Circle Conference, representing congregations that identify with Aboriginal groups, overlap the geographical bounds of other presbyteries in several Conferences.

Conferences and Presbyteries

Name of Conference	Regions Covered	Names of Presbyteries	Regions Covered
All Native Circle Conference[1]	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[2]	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[3]	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[4]	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[5]	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[6]	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[7]	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[8]	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[9]	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[10]	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[11]	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[12]	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, Gaspe Peninsula
		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	Southwestern New Brunswick
		Sydney	Eastern and Industrial Cape Breton including the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Victoria County and Richmond County
		Truro	Central Nova Scotia and the Northumberland Shore
		Valley	The Annapolis Valley region of Nova Scotia and Digby County
		Woolastook	Central and Western New Brunswick including Fredericton, Edmundston
Newfoundland and Labrador Conference[13]	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

General Council

The denominational structure of the United Church consists of two main parts. The General Council itself meets every three years and consists of approximately 360 ordained, commissioned and lay commissioners who have been elected by their respective Conferences to set denominational policy and doctrine; to debate and discuss proposals and other work which appropriately comes before the highest court of the church; to elect a Moderator, and to serve for three years. From within the General Council an Executive and Sub-Executive are chosen to govern between triennial meetings. 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.^[14]

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[15]

Church in Mission

Aboriginal Ministries Circle

Finance

Philanthropy

Ministry & Employment

Communications

Office of the Moderator & General Secretary

References

1. "Conference Directory: All Native Circle Conference". The United Church of Canada. United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
2. "BC Conference". BC Conference of The United Church of Canada. BC Conference of the United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
3. "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.
4. "Presbyteries". Saskatchewan Conference of the United Church of Canada. Saskatchewan Conference of the United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
5. "Presbyteries". The Conference of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
6. "Who We Are". Manitou Conference. Manitou Conference of the United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
7. "About Us: Presbyteries". London Conference of the United Church of Canada. United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
8. "Who We Are". Hamilton Conference of the United Church of Canada. United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
9. "Toronto Conference". Toronto Conference of the United Church of Canada. Toronto Conference. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
10. "Presbyteries". Bay of Quinte Conference of the United Church of Canada. Bay of Quinte Conference. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
11. "About Us - Qui sommes-nous". Synode Montreal & Ottawa Conference. United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
12. "Directory: Presbyteries". Maritime Conference of the United Church of Canada. United Church of Canada. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
13. "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.
14. "Congregations and Courts of the United Church". The United Church of Canada. United Church of Canada. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
15. "General Council Office Structure". The United Church of Canada. United Church of Canada. Retrieved April 16, 2016.