This manuscript is based on my recent article: http://doi.org/10.1111/erev.12894

Good morning, everyone! It’s an honour to speak with you today as we celebrate the centennial of the United Church of Canada. One hundred years of ministry, of witness, of challenge and transformation. This isn’t just a story of a denomination—it’s a story of faithfulness and a story of Canada. Of how a church, born out of hope for unity, has sought to follow Christ in a complex and ever-changing world.

Today, I want to trace that journey—its roots, its turning points, its theological shifts—and reflect on what it means to honour the past while embracing the future. What is the Spirit saying to the church today, as we look back and look ahead?

1. The Dream of Union
The United Church was not born overnight. It emerged from decades of longing for Christian unity. Long before 1925, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Congregationalist leaders were engaging in conversations, prayer, and cooperative efforts toward union—not for institutional survival, but for the sake of Canada.

The first major step toward union occurred in 1875, when several Presbyterian bodies merged to form the Presbyterian Church in Canada. A similar process took place among Methodists, leading to the formation of the Methodist Church of Canada in 1884, while the Congregationalists united in 1906. By the close of the 19th century, the idea of a broader Protestant union had gained momentum, particularly among leaders who recognized the practical and missiological advantages of such a venture.

The formal pursuit of church union gained significant traction in the early 20th century. In 1902, the Methodist General Conference expressed a clear desire to unite with the Presbyterian and Congregational Churches. This initiative led to the creation of the Joint Committee on Church Union in 1904, which brought together representatives from all three denominations to explore the possibility of an organic union. Over the next four years, the committee addressed key theological and structural issues, ultimately drafting the main terms of the Basis of Union, the church’s foundational document, in 1908. The document affirmed allegiance to the evangelical doctrines of the Reformation and rejected the notion that denominational competition better served the gospel than a united national church—not state-controlled, but one offering “friendly service to the whole nation.”

The theological vision was deeply intertwined with a sense of national purpose. Church union was seen as a means of fostering a united Canada, grounded in Jesus’ prayer “that all may be one” (John 17:21). It was not merely theological but also practical and missional—seeking to make the gospel visible across the nation, in cities, rural communities, and especially in newly settled frontier areas such as western Canada.

2. Double Vision: Worship and Social Witness
This foundational vision evolved during the Great Depression (1929–1933) with two key documents from 1934: Christianizing the Social Order and Evangelism. Both emerged from the Church’s attempt to respond to the social and spiritual crises of the time. Christianizing the Social Order, a commissioned report of Evangelism and Social Services, articulated a theology of immanence, calling for societal transformation grounded in Christian ethics. It advocated structural change, economic justice, and moral responsibility, asserting that faith must shape political and social realities.

In contrast, the committee’s report, Evangelism, focused on transcendence, emphasizing personal salvation, repentance, and spiritual renewal. It distanced itself from institutional expansionism and instead stressed the Church’s call to foster individual relationships with Christ. Though often overshadowed by Christianizing the Social Order, it offered a vital complementary vision, addressing the inner, eternal dimensions of faith.

Together, these two documents reveal a dual vision for the Church—one rooted in transformative social action, the other in spiritual awakening. As Northrop Frye later articulated in The Double Vision, this dual perspective enables believers to see both the material world and the spiritual reality within it. Thus, the early ethos of the Church was not one-dimensional, but a dynamic interplay of immanence and transcendence that would guide its future ministry and witness.

3. Wartime and Welfare State
During and after the Second World War (1939–1945), the United Church played a significant role in supporting both the war effort and postwar reconstruction. With many members of Anglo-Saxon heritage, the Church encouraged loyalty to Britain, supporting military chaplaincy through its War Services Committee and mobilizing congregations—especially women in the Women’s Missionary Society (WMS)—for community and social service efforts. While urging the purchase of War Savings Certificates, the Church’s financial support for the war generated some controversy.

In the postwar period, the United Church shifted focus toward evangelism and social renewal through the Forward Movement, promoting faith, social justice, and reconciliation in response to rapid national change. Despite hopes for renewed Christian engagement, challenges such as racial tensions and moral crises persisted.

Between 1945 and the 1970s, the federal government’s workforce tripled as it expanded its services. Key developments included the introduction of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP, 1965), the Medical Care Act (universal healthcare, 1966), and improvements in public education. Meanwhile, postwar Canada experienced dramatic social transformation. Economic prosperity, suburban growth, and increased immigration contributed to the rise of the welfare state; however, during this time, the Church’s public role diminished. Once operating over 30 hospitals, the United Church’s involvement in healthcare declined sharply to just ten hospitals by the late 1960s. This marked a broader shift in which secular institutions began to replace the Church in key areas of public life.

4. A New Mission Paradigm
In 1962, the United Church established a Commission on World Mission to re-evaluate its global mission in light of emerging postcolonial realities. After two and a half years of study, the Commission presented its findings in World Mission: Report of the Commission on World Mission (1966), a landmark document comparable in significance to Nostra Aetate from the Second Vatican Council of the Catholic Church. The report marked a decisive shift away from colonial-era, hierarchical mission models and toward a theology rooted in partnership, justice, and pluralism.

One of its most radical reorientations was the explicit rejection of “ecclesiastical colonialism.” Moving beyond the traditional parent-child model of western churches dominating Indigenous partners, the report emphasized mutual respect, local leadership, and encouraging Indigenous churches’ autonomous decision-making in global mission. This egalitarian approach reframed mission as a two-way relationship of shared learning and collaboration.

Central to the report was the adoption of the missio Dei theology—the belief that mission originates with God, not the church. Rather than focusing on church expansion or conversion, mission was redefined as participation in God’s redemptive activity already present in the world, especially through social justice and reconciliation.

A further breakthrough was the report’s recognition of religious pluralism. It affirmed that God is at work in all religious traditions, encouraging interfaith dialogue based on respect and mutual understanding, rather than superiority or assimilation. This marked a major departure from previous exclusive or inclusive Christian views.

Finally, the report emphasized “shared concern” as the basis for mission, calling for solidarity with all people—Christian and non-Christian—in addressing global injustices such as poverty and inequality. Mission was thus reimagined not as conquest or conversion, but as a joint pursuit of human dignity and justice.

World Mission remains a foundational document in United Church missiology, influencing its ongoing commitment to partnership, justice, and interfaith collaboration.

5. Intercultural and Anti-Racist Church
From the 1980s, the United Church began confronting its own complicity in racism—internally and systemically. In 2000, it declared racism a sin. Not just personal bias, but a structure that must be dismantled.

The 2006 General Council stated clearly: the church must be intercultural—not just multicultural. That means not just celebrating difference, but engaging across cultures in ways that are mutual, just, and transformative.

The vision is full and equitable participation of all peoples: Indigenous, Francophone, racialized, and white communities—all sharing in leadership, worship, and mission.

This work is still unfolding. But the church has committed itself to the long journey of anti-racism and intercultural engagement.

6. Are We Victims of Our Own Success?
Liberal churches like the United Church of Canada have led progressive social change, advocating for racial and gender equality, 2SLGBTQ+ rights, and interreligious reconciliation. However, as these values become mainstream in secular society, liberal churches face a paradox: cultural success has coincided with institutional decline. Known as “cultural victory and organizational defeat,” this trend reflects how liberal Christian ethics—once countercultural—are now widely accepted, diminishing the Church’s distinct role.

Younger generations often view spirituality as personal, not communal, and may see churches as unnecessary if secular institutions already embody some Christian values. Furthermore, the liberal churches’ emphasis on theological openness and flexibility may lead to a lack of clarity, cohesion, and commitment, ultimately weakening their institutional identity.

Despite this, liberal churches have played a vital role in shaping a more just and inclusive society. Their challenge now is to redefine their relevance by offering what secular society cannot: deep spiritual formation, transformative rituals, and genuine community belonging.

Drawing on Northrop Frye’s idea of “double vision”—holding together immanence and transcendence—the United Church continues to embody its founding vision through a renewed calling: Deep Spirituality, Bold Discipleship, and Daring Justice. This vision seeks to revitalize the Church’s role in nurturing faith, justice, and spiritual community in a changing world.
Beloved friends, we are not simply celebrating a past. We are stepping into a future.

Let us honour the past—with gratitude.
Let us embrace the future—with faith.
Let us listen for the Spirit—who is still speaking.
Let us walk with Christ—who is still calling.

For the Church was never just a building or a structure.
It is a people.
It is a movement.
It is you. It is me. It is us.

Together—by God’s grace—we go forward into the second century of the United Church of Canada. Amen.