Full Report - Pastoral Relationships Thriving with Equity Research Project

“Gracious God, we ask of you that you continue to walk with us and guide us in our healing journey, but also in this new path of ministry, with a reminder that we are called by you, O God. And gracious God, we ask of you that this whole time together and all of these meetings be a form of prayer. And that as we hand these stories over to our researchers, that we're also handing these stories over to you, O God, knowing that we are not alone. And you are so present in all of this work and in our ministries and in our calls. And we pray that we continue to have eyes to see that and to feel that.” ~ Interview participant 2 

In The United Church of Canada, we see ourselves as a church rooted in justice and equality with a vision of Deep Spirituality, Bold Discipleship, and Daring Justice. Our roots flow from the social gospel tradition of bringing Christian responsibility to public influence. In many ways, we have been a model of equality. We were the first denomination to grant ordination to women and commissioning and ordination to people who are openly 2SLGBTQIA+. United Church ministry personnel come from different walks of life and many cultural backgrounds. And while our history includes the running of Indian Residential Schools, we have apologized, made reparation, and continue to work toward reconciliation.