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102-579: Dominion Chalmers United Church is a large United church , located in downtown Ottawa , at the corner of Cooper and O'Connor Streets (with access from Lisgar Street). It is a 1962 merger of two key congregations from both the Methodist and Presbyterian traditions, each possessing lengthy histories. Chalmers Presbyterian/United Church , was originally Bank Street Canada Presbyterian Church , located on nearby Bank Street at Slater Street from 1866 to 1914. Alexander Cowper Hutchinson (architect) designed

204-553: A " continuing " Presbyterian Church in Canada . The United Church of Canada is an amalgamation of the Union of Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational churches. With the three denominations now in agreement about uniting, the church leaders approached the government of Canada to pass legislation concerning transfer of property rights. The legislation passed, June 27, 1924, and was effective June 10, 1925. The United Church of Canada

306-504: A bobble-head Jesus, a marriage cake with two grooms holding hands, Jesus sitting on Santa 's chair in a mall, and a can of whipped cream with the caption "How much fun can sex be before it's a sin?". In 2012, the 41st General Council elected Gary Paterson as the first openly gay Moderator. The commissioners also voted to invite First Nations peoples to become signatories to the Basis of Union. (In 1925, several aboriginal congregations of

408-531: A century. The Second Great Awakening was a catalyst for the reform of society. Efforts to improve the rights of women, reforming prisons, establishing free public schools, prohibiting alcohol, and (in the North) abolishing slavery were promoted by mainline churches. After the Civil War , however, tensions between evangelicals and non-evangelicals would re-emerge. As the practice of historical criticism spread to

510-636: A common approach that often leads to collaboration in organizations such as the National Council of Churches , and because of their involvement with the ecumenical movement , they are sometimes given the alternative label of "ecumenical Protestantism" (especially outside the United States). While in 1970 the mainline Protestant churches claimed most Protestants and more than 30 percent of the American population as members, as of 2009 they are

612-423: A minority among American Protestants, claiming approximately 15 percent of American adults. Some have criticized the term mainline for its alleged White Anglo-Saxon Protestant ethnocentric and elitist assumptions, and its erroneous association with the term "mainstream", since the term mainline almost exclusively described White , non- fundamentalist and non- evangelical Protestant Americans from its origin to

714-663: A time when these were considered radical concepts in North America. Membership and givings increased dramatically as post-war parents started to bring their young families—the Baby Boomers —to church. Talks with the Anglican Church had not made significant headway during the decade, but in 1958, the two churches decided to continue the conversation. In 1962, two women's auxiliary organizations, Woman's Association and Woman's Missionary Society, joined to form

816-553: A vibrant lifetime and continue to evidence vital ministry and faith regardless of declining populations or birthrates. For example, giving and engagement with need and justice, both indicators of strong Christian faith, have increased despite the aging and loss of congregational members. While various Protestant denominations have experienced declining membership, the most pronounced changes have occurred among mainline churches. Demographic trends for evangelical and historically African-American churches have been more stable. According to

918-459: A wooden structure built on Rideau Street in the Lower Town in 1827. The Dominion-Chalmers (or DC Church ) buildings have recently undergone major renovations to their large sanctuary (damaged by a fire in 1955), and is used for concerts; and for other special events, sometimes of a national nature. In 2018, Carleton University purchased the church building as a performance space, though

1020-697: Is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholic Church in Canada . The United Church was founded in 1925 as a merger of four Protestant denominations with a total combined membership of about 600,000 members: the Methodist Church, Canada , the Congregational Union of Ontario and Quebec , two-thirds of

1122-537: Is considered to be evangelical by Pew Research while the Association of Religion Data Archives considered it to be mainline. Mainline Protestantism is characterized by theological and ideological pluralism . While doctrinal standards and confessional statements exist, these are not usually interpreted in ways to exclude people from membership. Richard Hutcheson Jr., chairman of the Office of Review and Evaluation of

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1224-737: Is higher than that of evangelicals: While the term "mainline" was not applied to churches until the 20th century, mainline churches trace their history to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. The largest and most influential Protestant denominations in Britain's Thirteen Colonies were the Anglicans (after the American Revolution called Episcopalians) and the Congregationalists (from which

1326-479: Is more widely accepted as having the "mainstream Christianity" designation that also includes Catholics , Eastern and Oriental Orthodox believers, and non-Mainline Protestants such as Evangelical , Fundamentalist , Charismatic , Confessional , Confessing Movement , the historically Black church , and Global South Protestants . In the United Kingdom and Australia, the term mainline Protestant

1428-758: Is not used, and mainstream does not mean progressive Protestant. Although some supporters and adherents, do claim that Mainline Protestant is synonymous with Mainstream Protestant. The largest mainline churches are sometimes referred to as the "Seven Sisters of American Protestantism ," a term apparently coined by William Hutchison. The "Seven Sisters" are: The term 'mainline' has also been applied to Canadian Protestant churches that share common origins with their US counterparts such as the: The Association of Religion Data Archives , Pew Research , and other sources also consider these denominations, listed with adherents and members, to be mainline: These same sources also consider "Mainline" other denominations outside

1530-479: Is required before action is taken. (For example, a congregation requires regional council approval before a minister can be called or appointed to the congregation.) The policies of the church are inclusive and liberal: there are no restrictions of gender, sexual orientation or marital status for a person considering entering the ministry; interfaith marriages are recognized; communion is offered to all Christian adults and children, regardless of denomination or age. In

1632-431: Is true for only 28% of congregations founded prior to 1900. As demographics change, the churches founded by earlier generations often struggle to adapt to changing conditions, including the declines or shifts in the age and ethnicity of local populations. Says David Roozen, Director of Hartford Seminary's Hartford Institute for Religion Research, "Location, Location, Location used to be the kind way that researchers described

1734-651: The Mohawk phrase "Akwe Nia'Tetewá:neren" ("All my relations") to the crest's perimeter. After much debate, Commissioners also voted to adopt the recommendations of the Report of the Working Group on Israel/Palestine Policy , which included a boycott of products from Israeli settlements and a campaign of "encouraging members of the United Church to avoid any and all products produced in the settlements." This

1836-575: The Presbyterian Church in the United States , observed that clergy candidates were more likely to be rejected due to "excessive narrowness" than for violating confessional standards. Mainline churches hold a range of theological orientations— conservative , moderate and liberal . About half of mainline Protestants describe themselves as liberal. Mainline Christian groups are often more accepting of other beliefs and faiths, affirm

1938-585: The Republican Party . Numbers of the wealthiest and most affluent American families , such as the Vanderbilts and Astors , Rockefeller , who were Baptists, Du Pont , Roosevelt , Forbes , Fords , Mellons , Whitneys , the Morgans and Harrimans are Episcopalian and Presbyterian families. Through the 1940s and 1950s, neo-orthodoxy had become the prevailing theological approach within

2040-515: The Unitarians would later split). These were later surpassed in size and influence by the evangelical denominations: the Baptists, Presbyterians and Methodists. Sharing a common Reformation heritage with Episcopal and Congregational churches, these denominations together created the mainline. It was, according to historian Jason Lantzer, "the emerging evangelical movement that would help forge

2142-615: The United Methodist Church practice of Itinerancy, where clergy are intentionally moved from one church to another as often as yearly in an effort to support and encourage the United Methodist tradition of strong lay ministry. Mainline churches have also had difficulty attracting minorities, particularly Hispanics. Hispanics comprise 6 percent of the mainline population but 16 percent of the US population. According to

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2244-606: The ecumenical movement , mainline churches are sometimes (especially outside the United States) given the alternative label of ecumenical Protestantism. These churches played a leading role in the Social Gospel movement and were active in social causes such as the civil rights movement and the women's movement . As a group, the mainline churches have maintained religious doctrine that stresses social justice and personal salvation . Members of mainline denominations have played leadership roles in politics, business, science,

2346-500: The forced relocation of Japanese Canadians away from the West Coast was supported by most members across Canada, church leaders and missionaries in B.C. spoke out against it, and the churches on the West Coast set up an Emergency Japanese Committee to help fight for the rights of the dislocated people. In 1943, the Anglican Church invited other denominations to union talks, and the United Church responded enthusiastically; by 1946,

2448-495: The ordination of women , and have become increasingly affirming of gay ordination . Nearly one-third of mainline Protestants call themselves conservative, and most local mainline congregations have a strong, active conservative element. Mainline denominations are historically Trinitarian and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Son of God. In practice, mainline churches tend to be theologically moderate and influenced by higher criticism , an approach used by scholars to separate

2550-546: The 1960s. As the national population has grown these churches have shrunk from 63% of the population in 1970 to 54% by 2000, and 48% in 2012, ceasing to be the religious category for the majority of Americans. This statistic may be inaccurate due to the number of former or historically mainline Protestants who continue to espouse mainline Protestant values without active church attendance. American affiliation with mainline denominations declined from 55% of all Protestants in 1973 to 46% in 1998. The number of mainline congregations in

2652-531: The 2016 General Conference for the African Methodist Episcopal Church , a historically Black denomination but also identified as mainline, Hillary Clinton was invited to offer an address for the delegates and clergy. The term "mainline" once implied a certain numerical majority or dominant presence in mainstream society, but that is no longer the case. Protestant churches as a whole have slowly declined in total membership since

2754-664: The 20th century, they actively supported the Social Gospel . Mainline churches were basically pacifistic before 1940, but under the influence of people such as Reinhold Niebuhr they supported World War II and the Cold War . They have been far from uniform in their reaction to issues of gender and sexuality, though they tend to be more accepting than the Catholic Church or the more conservative Protestant churches. Many mainline denominations are active in voicing perspectives on social issues. Almost all mainline denominations are gender-inclusive and ordain women. On abortion issues,

2856-514: The 29th General Council, the commissioning of diaconal ministers as a part of ordered ministry was approved. On August 16, 1980, the 28th General Council elected the first female Moderator, the Reverend Lois Wilson . On August 17, 1980, a United Church of Canada task force released In God's Image , its report on sexual ethics which recommended the admission of homosexuals into the ministry and tolerance of premarital sex. Although

2958-424: The 42nd General Council, delegates voted in favour of several "denomination-changing" proposals, including a reorganization from a four-court structure to a three-council structure; elimination of "settlement", the practice of telling newly ordained ministers where they would first serve; reorganization of the process of finding and training ministers; and a new funding model. These changes were subsequently approved by

3060-607: The 7,500 mainline Christians surveyed said the Bible is God's Word and is to be interpreted as literally true, word for word. Thirty-eight percent thought that the Bible is God's Word but is not to be taken literally, word for word. Twenty-eight percent said the Bible was not the Word of God but was of human origin. It has been noted, even by members of mainline churches, that the leadership of denominational agencies and bureaucracies has often been more theologically and socially liberal than

3162-594: The Anglican House of Bishops and National Executive Council declared that the Plan of Union was unacceptable. However, the Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Catholic, and United churches did agree to recognize the validity of Christian baptisms performed in any of these denominations. Membership continued to decline slowly throughout the decade, despite a report that lay ministry was on the increase. In 1980, at

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3264-669: The Bank Street Presbyterian Church at Bank Street at Slater Street in 1868. The Bank Street Presbyterian Church building was reconstructed by the architect William Hodgson in 1881 after a fire. Alexander Cowper Hutchinson designed the Bank Street Presbyterian Sunday School in 1890. The Bank Street Presbyterian Church was renamed after Thomas Chalmers , a leader of the 1843 disruption in the Church of Scotland that led to

3366-593: The Barna Group report, the failure of mainline Protestants to add substantial numbers of Hispanics is portent for the future, given both the rapid increase of the Hispanic population as well as the outflow of Hispanics from Catholicism to Protestant churches in the past decade, most of whom are selecting evangelical or Pentecostal Protestant churches. In general, however, decline can be a difficult thing to statistically quantify. Many older Protestant churches lived

3468-479: The Bible's earliest historical elements from perceived later additions and intentional distortions. Mainline denominations generally teach that the Bible is God's Word in function, but that it must be interpreted both through the lens of the cultures in which it was originally written, and examined using God-given reason. A 2008 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found that only 22 percent of

3570-810: The Church of the Brethren and Mennonite Church USA, are against abortion. Regarding human sexuality, TEC, the ELCA, PC(USA), Society of Friends (Quaker), UUA, and UCC recognize same-gender marriages. Also considered mainline, the Anglican Church of Canada, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, and United Church of Canada bless or marry same-gender couples. In 2015, the Mennonite Church Canada saw its first same-gender marriage in one of its congregations. The American Baptist Churches USA does not perform same-gender marriages, but allows each congregation

3672-609: The Congregationalist "O God of Bethel"; and " When I survey the wondrous cross " by the British Nonconformist, Isaac Watts . The ecumenical tone of the new church was set at this first General Council. The former Methodist General Superintendent, Samuel Dwight Chown , was considered the leading candidate to become the first Moderator because the Methodist Church made up the largest segment of

3774-598: The Episcopal Church (TEC), Presbyterian Church (USA) (PCUSA), Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), and United Church of Christ (UCC) are members of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice . The United Methodist Church (UMC) and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) support exceptions, when abortion may be necessary, but do not endorse the procedure. Other denominations, such as

3876-610: The General Council Executive disassociated itself from the decision but within two years it became church policy. In 1971, the ecumenical movement reached its height as a joint commission of the United and Anglican churches and the Disciples of Christ approved a Plan of Union , and The Hymn Book , a joint publication of the United and Anglican churches was published. The tide quickly turned though, and in 1975,

3978-619: The Pew Research Center, mainline churches could claim 14.7 percent of all US adults compared to 25.4 percent who belonged to evangelical churches in 2014. Demographers Hout, Greeley, and Wilde have attributed the long-term decline in mainline membership and the concomitant growth in the conservative Protestant denominations to four basic causes: birth rates; switching to conservative denominations; departure from Protestantism to "no religion" (i.e. secularization); and conversions from non-Protestant sources. In their analysis, by far

4080-551: The Seven Sisters and which provides a core to the wide variety of theological and doctrinal differences, shaping them into a more coherent whole." The Great Awakening ignited controversy within Protestant churches between Old Lights and New Lights (or Old Side and New Side among Presbyterians). Led by figures such as the Congregationalist minister Charles Chauncy , Old Lights opposed the evangelical revivalism at

4182-684: The Seven Sisters mainline groups are not considered mainline: The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) [13.2 million], Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) [1.8 million], the Churches of Christ and Christian churches [1.1 million each], the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) [0.4 million], the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) [0.13 million], and the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (CCCC) [0.04 million]. After

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4284-798: The U. S. declined from more than 80,000 churches in the 1950s to about 72,000 in 2008. Robert Drinan estimated that there may have been a hundred million Mainline Protestants at one time in the United States. Various causes of mainline decline in population have been cited. Much analysis has taken place both from those within and outside mainline denominations. Key factors indicate that all types of churches can and do grow, regardless of hymnody or contemporary music, type of liturgy, average age of worshiper, or location On average, however, churches in rural areas, churches with older congregants, and churches with fewer young people involved struggle most to add members and grow churches. For example, of all churches founded since 1993, 54% are experiencing growth, while that

4386-607: The UMC also elected the denomination's first openly gay bishop. Some congregations of the Church of the Brethren have also voted to perform same-gender marriages although the national denomination opposes this practice. Most of the above denominations also ordain openly transgender clergy. While the national church has not approved of gay or lesbian clergy, the UMC has allowed transgender pastors. Politically, mainline churches are also active. While no particular candidate can be endorsed, mainline churches often invite political speakers. At

4488-649: The US, including: Historically African American denominations are usually categorized differently from evangelicals or mainline. However, in 2014 the Christian Century identified that these groups "fit the mainline description." Though not listed as mainline in either the Association of Religion Data Archives or the Pew Research classifications, two groups also appeal to this label. Some denominations with similar names and historical ties to

4590-691: The United Church Women (UCW). That same year, the United and Anglican churches jointly published Growth in Understanding , a study guide on union, and on June 1, 1965, the Principles of Union between the United Church and the Anglican Church. The spirit of ecumenism with other denominations stayed strong throughout the decade, culminating in 1968 when the Canada Conference of The Evangelical United Brethren Church joined

4692-427: The United Church are eligible to be considered for ordered ministry." Taken together, these two statements opened the door for openly gay men and women to join the ministry. Many members opposed this, and over the next four years, membership fell by 78,184. In some cases, entire congregations split, with a sizeable faction—sometimes led by the minister—leaving to form an independent church. Some of those opposed to

4794-417: The United Church decreased by 8%, the third largest decrease among Canada's large Christian denominations. In 2011, Statistics Canada reported approximately 2 million people identifying as adherents. The 2021 Canadian census found that more than 1 million Canadians (3.3% of the population) self-identified with the church, remaining the second-largest Christian denomination in Canada. Church statistics for

4896-477: The United Church. The high tide mark of membership was reached in 1965 when the church recorded 1,064,000 members. However, there were already rumblings of discontent in the church: that same year, Pierre Berton wrote The Comfortable Pew , a bestseller that was highly critical of Canadian churches, and a United Church Commission on Ministry in the 20th Century was appointed in response to growing frustration from congregations, presbyteries, and ministers about

4998-478: The United States, conflict over biblical inspiration erupted within Protestant churches. Conservative Protestants led by A. A. Hodge , B. B. Warfield and other Princeton theologians argued for biblical inerrancy , while liberal theologians such as Charles A. Briggs of Union Theological Seminary were open to using historical criticism to understand the Bible. As 19th–century evangelicals embraced dispensational premillennialism and retreated from society in

5100-674: The United States. Some also include the highest proportion of those with some college education, such as the Episcopal Church (76%), the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (64%), and the United Church of Christ (46%), as well as most of the American upper class . compared with the nationwide average of 50%. Episcopalians and Presbyterians also tend to be considerably wealthier and better educated than most other religious groups, and they were disproportionately represented in

5202-449: The arts, and education. They were involved in the founding of leading institutes of higher education. Marsden argues that in the 1950s, "Mainline Protestant leaders were part of the liberal-moderate cultural mainstream, and their leading spokespersons were respected participants in the national conversation." Some mainline Protestant denominations have the highest proportion of graduate and post-graduate degrees of any other denomination in

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5304-462: The bottom quadrant, the alpha and omega represents the ever-living God ( Revelation 1:8). The motto Ut omnes unum sint recalls Christ’s “ High Priestly Prayer ” in John 17:21: "That all may be one". The entire crest resembles the emblem of the Church of Scotland . In 2012, the Mohawk phrase "Akwe Nia'tetewá:neren" ("All my relations") was added to the perimeter, and the background colours of

5406-662: The building was enlarged and renamed The Dominion in 1876. The Dominion Methodist Church, which was located on Metcalfe Street at Queen Street, was designed by the architect Henry Hodge Horsey and built between 1875 and 1876. The Dominion Methodist plaque lists Alexis Helmer, whose death was the inspiration for John McCrae 's poem, " In Flanders Fields ". The building was destroyed in a fire in February 1961. The Dominion Methodist/United Church's roots go back to Methodist circuit riders visitations in Hull, Lower Canada from 1816, and

5508-577: The church when later the same year, Phipps stated in an interview that 'I don't believe Jesus was God' and that he did not believe that Jesus physically rose from the dead. In the new century, membership and givings both continued to drop, and in 2001 the General Council offices were reorganized as a cost-cutting measure. In 2005, the church urged the Canadian Parliament to vote in favour of same-sex marriage legislation; after

5610-473: The church, and elected the first Moderator of Asian descent, Sang Chul Lee . However, those events were largely overshadowed when the commissioners passed a statement called Membership, Ministry and Human Sexuality that stated "all persons, regardless of sexual orientation, who profess their faith in Jesus Christ are welcome to be or become members of The United Church of Canada" and that "all members of

5712-522: The congregation will continue to use the building for religious services as well. After its repossession, it was officially renamed the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre , although it is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the amalgamated Carleton Dominion-Chalmers United Centre . Mara Brown was announced as this extension's first director on 1 April 2019, effective 15 April 2019. Prior to this appointment, on 26 March 2019,

5814-559: The congregations of the Presbyterian Church in Canada , and the Association of Local Union Churches, a movement predominantly of the Canadian Prairie provinces. The Canadian Conference of the Evangelical United Brethren Church joined the United Church of Canada on January 1, 1968. Membership peaked in 1964 at 1.1 million. From 1991 to 2001, the number of people claiming an affiliation with

5916-571: The decades. Finally, conservative denominations have had a greater inflow of converts. Their analysis gives no support for the notion that theological or social conservatism or liberalism has much impact on long-term growth trends. Evidence from the General Social Survey indicates that higher fertility and earlier childbearing among women from conservative denominations explains 76% of the observed trend: conservative denominations have grown their own. Mainline denomination members have

6018-594: The early 20th century, the main Evangelical Protestant denominations in Canada were the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational churches. Many small towns and villages across Canada had all three, with the town's population divided among them. Especially on the prairies, it was difficult to find clergy to serve all these charges, and there were several instances where one minister would serve his congregation, but would also perform pastoral care for

6120-400: The end of 2023 showed 2,451 congregations and 325,315 members in 243,689 households under pastoral care, of whom 110,878 attend services regularly. The United Church has a "council-based" structure, where each council (congregational, regional, or denominational) has specific responsibilities. In some areas, each of these councils has sole authority, while in others, approval of other councils

6222-585: The extent to which the growth or decline of American congregations was captive to the demographic changes going on in their immediate neighborhoods." Age demographics cannot be overlooked as a real factor in congregational decline, with the birthrate for mainline Protestants well below what is needed to maintain membership numbers. The Barna Group , an Evangelical surveyor, has noted, Protestant pastors who serve mainline churches serve on average half as long as Protestant pastors in non-mainline churches. This may contribute to decline and may be influenced in part by

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6324-413: The face of mounting social problems caused by industrialization, urbanization and immigration, liberal Protestants embraced the Social Gospel , which worked for the "regeneration of society" rather than only the conversion of individuals. The Fundamentalist–Modernist Controversy of the 1920s widened the division between evangelical and non-evangelical Protestants as the two sides fought for control over

6426-518: The face of overwhelming unemployment, some in the church, both clergy and laity, called for a radical Christian socialist alternative such as the Fellowship for a Christian Social Order. Other more conservative members felt drawn to the message of the Oxford Group that focussed on the wealthier members of society. The great majority of members between these two extremes simply sought to help

6528-537: The first Native Canadian (First Nations) Moderator, the Reverend Stan McKay, a Cree man, was elected at the 34th General Council. Two years later, the church established a "Healing Fund". This was followed in 1998 by an apology made by the church to former students of United Church Indian Residential Schools. At the 35th General Council in 1994, commissioners voted to have General Councils every three years rather than every two years. This also increased

6630-431: The formation of the Free Church , and in Ottawa , their "parent" congregation of Knox Presbyterian , is now located just two blocks east on Lisgar at Elgin Street . Alexander Cowper Hutchinson designed the Chalmers Presbyterian Church on O'Connor Street at Cooper Street, 1912–1914. The Metcalfe Street building was built in 1830 as Metcalfe Street Methodist . In 1852 this group merged with those from Rideau Street , and

6732-415: The four quadrants of the crest were changed to reflect the traditional colours of a typical First Nations medicine wheel . In 1930, just as mergers of the congregations, colleges and administrative offices of the various denominations were completed and the United Church Hymnary was published, Canada was hit by the Great Depression . Although membership remained stable, attendance and givings fell. In

6834-434: The freedom to decide for itself. Including the aforementioned denominations, the Mennonite Church USA, Metropolitan Community Church, and Moravian Church Northern Province license or ordain openly gay clergy. While the UMC does not nationally ordain gay or lesbian clergy, the New York Annual Conference, a regional body of the UMC, has ordained the denomination's first openly gay and lesbian clergy. The Western Jurisdiction of

6936-424: The gay ordination issue chose to stay in the church, and formed the Community of Concern , a voice of conservatism within the church. In the 1990s, the United Church faced the legacy of cultural assimilation and child abuse in the residential schools that it had once helped to operate. On May 24, 1992, Tim Stevenson was the first openly gay minister ordained by the United Church of Canada. On August 17, 1992,

7038-489: The heart of the Awakening, while New Lights, led by fellow Congregationalist minister Jonathan Edwards , supported the revivals and argued for the importance of having a conversion experience. By the 1800s, Chauncy's followers had drifted toward forms of theological liberalism, such as Universalism , Unitarianism and Transcendentalism . The Second Great Awakening would inaugurate a period of evangelical dominance within American mainline Protestantism that would last over

7140-441: The idea of uniting under one roof; a substantial minority of Presbyterians remained unconvinced of the virtues of church union. Their threat to the entire project was resolved by giving individual Presbyterian congregations the right to vote on whether to enter or remain outside the United Church. In the end, 302 (6.7%) out of 4,509 congregations of the Presbyterian Church (211 from southern Ontario) chose to reconstitute themselves as

7242-419: The joint United-Anglican The Hymn Book . Response from congregations was enthusiastic, and by 2010, over 300,000 copies had been printed. In 1996, the Committee on Archives and History compiled the "Guide to family history research in the archival repositories of the United Church of Canada". In 1997, the Reverend Bill Phipps was elected Moderator at the 36th General Council. Controversy again descended on

7344-511: The late twentieth century. The term mainstream Christian in academic usage is not equivalent to mainline Protestant and is often used as an attempt to find impartial sociological vocabulary in distinguishing orthodoxy and heresy . Hence in Christological and doctrinal reference mainstream Christianity is often equivalent to Trinitarianism . Mainline Protestantism should not be confused with Nicene Christianity which

7446-601: The late twentieth century. The term mainline Protestant was coined during debates between modernists and fundamentalists in the 1920s . Several sources claim that the term is derived from the Philadelphia Main Line , a group of affluent suburbs of Philadelphia; most residents belonged to mainline denominations. Today, most mainline Protestants remain rooted in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. C. Kirk Hadaway and Penny Long Marler define

7548-407: The legislation had been passed, the church urged the government not to reopen the issue. In 2006, the 39th General Council approved the use of a generous bequest to start up "Emerging Spirit", a promotional campaign aimed at drawing 30- to 40-year-olds into a conversation about faith. As part of this campaign, "Emerging Spirit" used controversial magazine advertisements featuring, among other images,

7650-409: The length of term of Moderators from two to three years. The original General Council office of the church built in 1925 resided on increasingly valuable land on St. Clair Avenue in downtown Toronto, Ontario . In 1995, facing increasing financial pressure from falling donations, the church sold the building and moved out to the suburb of Etobicoke . In 1996, a new hymnary, Voices United , replaced

7752-560: The lowest birthrate among American Christian groups. Unless there is a surge of new members, rising death rates are predicted to diminish their ranks even further in the years ahead. Some other findings of the Barna Group: Recent statistics from the Pew Forum provide additional explanations for the decline. Not paralleling the decline in membership is the household income of members of mainline denominations. Overall, it

7854-408: The main cause is birth rates—low for the mainline bodies, and high for the conservatives. The second most important factor is that fewer conservatives switch to mainline denominations than before. Despite speculation to the contrary, Hout, Greeley, and Wilde argue that switching from a mainline to a conservative denomination is not important in accounting for the trend, because it is fairly constant over

7956-419: The mainline churches. This neo-orthodox consensus, however, gave way to resurgent liberal theologies in the 1960s and to liberation theology during the 1970s. Mainline Protestants were a majority of Protestants in the United States until the mid-20th century. A dip in membership across all Christian denominations was more pronounced among mainline groups, with the result that mainline groups no longer comprise

8058-493: The mainline denominations. The fundamentalists lost these battles for control to the modernists or liberals. Since the 1920s, mainline churches have been associated with liberal Protestantism. Episcopalians and Presbyterian WASPs tend to be considerably wealthier and better educated than most other religious groups in America, and are disproportionately represented in the upper reaches of American business , law and politics, and for many years were especially dominant in

8160-499: The majority. In 2020, Public Religion Research Institute conducted a religious census, based on self-identification, finding that an estimated 16% of U.S. Americans identified as non-Hispanic white mainline Protestants, slightly outnumbering non-Hispanic white evangelical Protestants who were 14% of the American population. In 2014, Pew Research completed and published the Religious Landscape Survey in which it

8262-609: The new United Church. However, in a surprise move, Dr. Chown graciously stepped aside in favour of George C. Pidgeon , the moderator of the Presbyterian Church and principal spokesperson for the uniting Presbyterians, in the hopes that this would strengthen the resolve of the Presbyterians who had chosen to join the new Church. Dr. S.D. Chown, United Church / l'Église unie was featured on an 8 cent stamp issued by Canada Post on May 30, 1975. The crest designed for

8364-677: The new church is a vesica piscis , an early Christian symbol that evoked an upended fish (the initials of the phrase "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour"; in Ancient Greek : ἰχθύς (ikhthús), ichthys , meaning "fish"). The central saltire is also the Greek letter Chi , first letter of Χ ριστός , Greek for "Christ". Within three of the four quadrants are symbols of the founding churches: Presbyterianism (the Burning Bush ), Methodism (the dove), and Congregationalism (the open Bible). In

8466-808: The new company's projects are planned as below-market rental properties partially financed by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation . All projects will have KPMB Architects as lead designers. At it launch, it had eight projects in progress, four of which, including the St. Luke's United Church are in Toronto, with twenty projected to be started by the end of the year. Mainline Protestant Mainline Protestant churches have stressed social justice and personal salvation , and both politically and theologically , tend to be more liberal than non-mainline Protestant churches. Mainline Protestant churches share

8568-550: The offices of the General Council released a statement saying, "This [decision] doesn't alter in any way the belief of the United Church of Canada in God, a God most fully revealed to us as Christians in and through Jesus Christ. Our church's statements of faith over the years have all been grounded in this understanding." A survey of 1,353 "United Church ministry personnel" published by the Vancouver Sun found that "a majority of

8670-421: The original founding churches were automatically made part of the new United Church although the congregations had not been asked to participate in church Union negotiations, and had not been asked to sign the Basis of Union document.) In addition, the original church crest (adopted in 1944 with French added in 1980) was modified by changing the background colours of the four quadrants of the crest, as well as adding

8772-417: The other congregations that lacked a minister. On the prairies, a movement to unite all three major Protestant denominations began, resulting in the Association of Local Union Churches. Facing a de facto union in the western provinces, the three denominations began a slow process of union talks that eventually produced a Basis for Union . However, not all elements of the churches involved were happy with

8874-516: The overall membership of the mainline churches. This gap has caused feelings of alienation among conservative mainline Protestants. This dissatisfaction has led to the formation of various Confessing Movements or charismatic renewal movements which are more conservative in tone. The mainline denominations emphasize the biblical concept of justice, stressing the need for Christians to work for social justice , which usually involve politically liberal approaches to social and economic problems. Early in

8976-498: The recent split of the UMC, the Global Methodist Church (GMC) could be added to this list, though no official census is currently known. Since these groups are too theologically conservative to be considered mainline, those strictly adhering to historical rules of faith are grouped as confessional , while those without are grouped as evangelical . *The National Association of Congregational Christian Churches

9078-624: The report accepted abortion under qualified circumstances, it rejected abortion on demand. With union talks with the Anglicans already at an end, talks with the Disciples of Christ also ended in 1985. In 1986, the 31st General Council elected a female Moderator, Anne M. Squire. In 1988, the 32nd General Council chose to end investment in South Africa , apologize to First Nations congregations for past denials of native spirituality by

9180-686: The respondents (almost 95%) affirmed a belief in God, with a large number (almost 80%) affirming a belief in a supernatural, theistic God". In May 2022, Kindred Works, a real estate company, was started in association with the United Church. Kindred Works operates as the asset manager for the United Property Resource Corporation, which is owned by the United Church and tasked with getting positive social utility from church property. Kindred Works aims to renovate existing United Church properties by adding rental units sufficient to house 34,000 people over 15 years. One-third of

9282-487: The role of ministry. The church lost 2,027 members in 1966, a decline of only two-tenths of a percent, but significantly it marked the first time since amalgamation that membership had fallen. The Vietnam War brought new controversies to the church when in 1968, the secretary of the national Evangelism and Social Service Committee, the Reverend Ray Hord, offered emergency aid to American Vietnam draft dodgers;

9384-520: The term as follows: "the term 'mainline Protestant' is used along with 'mainstream Protestant' and 'oldline Protestant' to categorize denominations that are affiliated with the National Council of Churches and have deep historical roots in and long-standing influence on American society." In the US, Protestantism is generally divided between mainline denominations and evangelical or theologically conservative denominations. In other parts of

9486-626: The two churches had issued a statement on mutual ministry. In a similar ecumenical vein, the United Church was one of the founding bodies of the Canadian Council of Churches in 1944 and the World Council of Churches in 1946. The United Church continued to espouse causes that were not politically popular, issuing statements supporting universal health care and the People's Republic of China at its 15th General Council (1952–54) at

9588-577: The unemployed. In the United States, Methodists had been ordaining women from 1880, but it was still a contentious issue in Canada, and it was not until 1936 that the Reverend Lydia Emelie Gruchy of the Saskatchewan Conference became the first woman in the United Church to be ordained and, in 1953, she became the first Canadian woman to receive an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree. The Second World War

9690-605: The university held a festival of life celebration for Professor Pius Adesanmi , Director of Carleton's Institute of African Studies; one of 18 Canadian persons to have died in a tragic plane crash on 10 March 2019. Several Canadian state funerals have been held in the building: of George Eulas Foster in 1932, Sidney Earle Smith in 1959, and Ed Broadbent in 2024. 45°25′00″N 75°41′42″W  /  45.416784°N 75.69506°W  / 45.416784; -75.69506 United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada ( UCC ; French: Église unie du Canada )

9792-603: The upper reaches of US business and law until the 1950s. In the 1990s four of the US Supreme Court Justices were Mainline Protestants: Sandra Day O'Connor , John Paul Stevens , William Rehnquist and David Souter . From 1854 until at least 1964, Mainline Protestants and their descendants were heavily Republican . In recent decades, Republicans slightly outnumber Democrats. From 1965 to 1988, mainline church membership declined from 31 million to 25 million, then fell to 21 million in 2005. While in 1970

9894-580: The wider church, and ratified at the 43rd General Council in July 2018. In 2015, a debate emerged regarding whether or not United Church minister Gretta Vosper , an avowed atheist, was suitable for ministry. The United Church instituted an ecclesiastical hearing that could have led to her dismissal as minister. However, in 2018, Vosper and Toronto Conference reached a settlement in which all outstanding matters were resolved. Vosper continues to serve at West Hill United Church. In response to this internal decision,

9996-482: The world, the term mainline Protestant is not used. Instead, the term " ecumenical " is used to distinguish similar churches from evangelical denominations. Some have criticized the term mainline for its alleged White Anglo-Saxon Protestant ethnocentric and elitist assumptions, and its erroneous association with the term "mainstream" since it almost exclusively described White American , non- fundamentalist and non- evangelical Protestant Americans from its origin to

10098-428: Was also a divisive issue. Some who had declared themselves pacifist before the war now struggled to reconcile their philosophy with the reality around them. Others remained pacifist—some 65 clergy signed A Witness Against War in 1939. But the church as a whole, although it did not support conscription , supported the overall war effort, both on the home front and by providing chaplains for the armed forces. Although

10200-442: Was estimated that 14.7% of Americans identified as mainline Protestant, excluding historically Black and African American denominations, while 25.4% identified as evangelical Protestants, also excluding membership in historically Black denominations. Mainline churches share an active approach to social issues that often leads to cooperation in organizations such as the National Council of Churches . Because of their involvement with

10302-557: Was inaugurated at a large worship service at Toronto 's Mutual Street Arena on June 10, 1925. Participants were handed a 38-page order of service containing the full text of the liturgy, prayers, hymns, and music. Hymns from all three churches were sung: " All people that on earth do dwell " from the Scottish Presbyterian psalm tradition; the Methodist favourite " O for a thousand tongues to sing " by Charles Wesley ;

10404-439: Was the church's first boycott since an anti-apartheid boycott against South Africa in the 1980s. According to the report, the authors consulted with Canadian-based Palestinian organizations, as well as "Jewish rabbis, individuals and organizations" among others. Still it incited controversy, with several groups campaigning against the decision, including protests of the decision by several Canadian Jewish groups. In 2015, at

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