GC45

GC45 Conseil régional Nakonha:ka Regional Council Report for Summer 2025

Origin: Conseil régional Nakonha:ka Regional Council

Executive Summary

In a societal context that prides itself culturally as a secular one, the Conseil régional Nakonha:ka Regional Council is working to push boundaries, speak to a society that has all but forgotten about faith, navigate a hostile government, live out our prophetic call as a justice-seeking people, research and innovate in every possible way, while supporting our communities of faith that face enormous challenges, in both of Canada’s official languages. We’re constantly looking for ways to ignite creativity and imagine the church of the future. In many respects, our secular context has a 10-year head start on the future in comparison with most of the rest of Canada. We need to be bold and daring. What have we got to lose?

New Ministries with Diasporic Communities

Our Regional Council is working to establish a series of new ministries, predominantly in French and most within the context of the diasporic communities. Working with existing congregations as incubators or hosts, the development of these emerging communities of faith has some challenges. Financially, emerging communities are not the most established and host communities are not eager to lose possible rental income when they are often struggling to make ends meet. Finding ways to develop a sense of shared ministry rather than landlord/renter relationships seems to be key to success. Linguistically, the emerging and host community do not always share common language, which adds a layer of complexity to a relationship. Culturally, there is a desire on the part of the emerging community to sustain some of their previous church experience through music and worship expression, funeral and wedding rites that are different from typical United Church traditions, and church governance norms that are often a culture shock for those who are new to church polity. Having cultural interpreters, emerging church accompaniment and partnership is key to navigating these intercultural dynamics in a way that is not colonial and is open to transformation. There are currently five communities in various stages of moving towards recognition as congregations of the United Church of Canada.