National and Regional United Church
The United Church has three levels of governance starting with the local congregation or Community of Faith.
Local Congregation
The first level of governance is the local congregation. Whitehorse United is governed by a local Council and has at least two congregational meetings per year.
There are various committees to carry out the differing roles within the congregation. They are listed in other parts of the web site. There is a Ministry and Personnel committee which is responsible for the staff and minister of the church and a Trustees Board which holds the property of the church in trust for the whole church.
Regional Council
The second level is the Regional Council. There are 16 regions within Canada. Whitehorse United Church belongs to the Pacific Mountain Region which encompasses BC (except the Peace River area) and the Yukon. The region provides support to the Communities of Faith through Regional Ministers, training, events, Youth gatherings etc.
There are two regional representatives who sit on the Whitehorse United Church Council and who participate, along with the Minister in the yearly Regional Meetings.
General Council (National)
The third level is the General Council. It is the decision-making body for the denomination and a legal corporation. There is a general meeting of the Council every three years, where an executive and a Moderator is elected to run the church between meetings. Our current moderator, the 44th was elected in 2022; and is Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne who is a member of the Heiltsuk First Nation.
The vision statement for the church, developed in 2021 is:
Called by God, as disciples of Jesus, The United Church of Canada seeks to be a bold, connected, evolving church of diverse, courageous, hope-filled communities united in deep spirituality, inspiring worship, and daring justice.
The General Council also manages the Mission and Service Fund which is the main donation vehicle for the church. It supports needs within Canada and around the world.
Indigenous Ministries are an integral part of the United Church Governance and there are staff people at both the Regional and General Council level. The United Church was the first church to formally apologize to the indigenous people for the harm caused by the church’s part in colonization. This was in 1986.
