GCE45 GS14 Equity and Anti-Oppression Circle for November 2025

1. What is the issue? Why is it important?

We believe that The United Church of Canada will enhance its collective commitments to equity by having a national Elected Member body that engages with these diverse commitments.

2. What is happening now?

There is considerable national denominational work happening at the moment, in the area of equity, diversity, and anti-oppression.

Some of that work within The United Church of Canada includes developing Education, Diversity, and Anti-Oppression (EDA) education for national committees, engaging with the church’s Equity Aspirations, conducting a full participation audit for national committees, and a pastoral relations equity research project. With the exception of the pastoral relations equity research project, much of this work has been primarily staff-led; however, having a regular national committee to offer collective advice and feedback would benefit this body of work as a whole with broader perspectives, and considerations for future work in the church.

3. What is the recommendation?

The Executive of General Council might:

• approve the Terms of Reference for the Equity and Anti-Oppression Circle.

4. Background information:

While the church has at least 9 different commitments to equity, there is currently not a national committee who focuses on engaging these equity commitments as a collective, the intersections of these commitments, and the ways they are lived out across the church. This diverse circle of people would offer feedback and advice on programs, policies, processes, and resources that will deepen the United Church’s commitments to equity and anti-oppression. 

5. How does this proposal help us to live into our church's commitments on equity?

This proposal relates to the following commitments on equity:

• welcoming people of all sexual orientations and gender identities into full membership and ministry in the church, with reference to: Membership, Ministry, and Human Sexuality (1988); affirming the ministry of transgender people in the United Church (2009); transgender policies (2012); Living Apology to Members of LGBTTQ Communities (2015); Apology to 2SLGBTQIA+ Communities by The United Church of Canada (2025)
• the anti-racism policy, That All May Be One (2000) and the commitment to becoming an anti-racist denomination (2020)
• intercultural policies, with reference to: A Transformative Vision for The United Church of Canada (2006); Intercultural Ministries: A Process of Church-Wide Transformation, (2009); Intercultural Ministries: Living into Transformation (2012); the Vision for Becoming an Intercultural Church (2012)
• opposing discrimination of any kind on the basis of identity, with reference to the Commitment to Inclusion (2009)
• the commitment to functional bilingualism and francophone ministries (2012)
• becoming an open, accessible, and barrier-free church, where there is full participation of people with disabilities, with reference to: Open and Accessible: Ministries with Persons with Disabilities (2012); Gathering Together report (2013); Theologies of Disabilities (2015);
• the Indigenous Church, with reference to: the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2016); the Caretakers Calls to the Church (2017); Remit 1 (2024).
• empowering youth and young adults, with a focus on people ages 30 and under.