United Church of Canada

The United Church of Canada is the largest Protestant denomination in Canada. We minister to close to three million people in over 3,500 congregations across the country.  Ours is a rich history closely entwined with the development of Canada itself.

The United Church was inaugurated on June 10, 1925 in Toronto, Ontario, when the Methodist Church, Canada, the Congregational Union of Canada, and 70 per cent of the Presbyterian Church of Canada entered into an organic union.  Joining as well was the small General Council of Union Churches, centred largely in Western Canada.  It was the first union of churches in the world to cross historical denominational lines and hence received international acclaim.  Impetus for the union arose out of the concerns for serving the vast Canadian northwest and in the desire for better overseas mission. Each of the uniting churches, however, had a long history prior to 1925.

In 1968 the Evangelical United Brethren joined union and though they did not choose further union in the end, talks took place with the Anglican Church of Canada during the 1960’s.