The United church was inaugurated on June 10, 1925 in Toronto. It was made by the conjoining of the Methodist church, the Congregational Union of Canada, and 70 percent of the Presbyterian church of Canada entered into a union.

The Bible is central to The United church of Canada. It is a source of wisdom, personal prayer, and devotion. The United church believes the Bible can bring us closer to God. It remains one of the best ways of experiencing God's continuing work of creation and liberation in the world, while offering us forgiveness, healing, and new life in Jesus.

The united church views the sacraments as a ritual or symbolic action by which people of faith encounter the presence and goodness of God. The United church practices two sacraments. baptism, the ritual that formally recognizes we belong to the Christian community, and communion, a symbolic meal initiated by Jesus.

At the communion table, the United church acknowledges that Jesus Christ is the host and all others are guests. They believe that he meal uses the symbols of small pieces of bread and a taste of wine or juice to remind us of Jesus’ last supper with his followers and of God’s enduring love.

The United church sees people as unique, loved creations of God and welcome all people to the full life of Christian community, including marriage. It believes that God intends loving relationships to be faithful, responsible, just, healing, and sustaining of the couple and those around them, and that such relationships require preparation and nurture. The united church celebrates the marriage of same sex couples and couples of different religions.

The United church does not have a single executive leader. Duties are divided among bodies that include the General Conference, the Council of Bishops and the Judicial Council. Each of these bodies are required by our Constitution, to be part of our structure, and they each have a significant role in the life of the church.

The General Conference, the primary legislative body of The United church, is the only body that speaks officially for the church. Meeting once every four years to determine legislation affecting connectional matters, it is composed of no fewer than 600 and no more than 1,000 delegates.

Working within the boundaries of the church Constitution and General Rules, the General Conference defines and fixes the conditions, privileges and duties of church membership, the powers and duties of elders, deacons, diaconal ministers and local pastors, and the powers and duties of annual conferences, missionary conferences, charge conferences and congregational meetings. It authorizes the organization, promotion and administrative work of the church. The General Conference also defines the powers and duties of the episcopacy, authorizes the official hymnal and book of worship, provides a judicial system and procedures, initiates and directs all connectional enterprises of the church and enacts other legislation for the operation of the church.

The Council of Bishops gives general oversight of the ministry and mission of the church and spiritual leadership to the entire church connection. Composed of all active and retired bishops, the council meets as a group at least once a year.

the Judicial Council interprets church laws and determines constitutionality of proceedings at all levels of church life. The nine members of the council made up of laity and clergy, are elected by the General Conference and meet about twice a year to consider whether actions of the various church bodies adhere to the constitution and follow the rules outlined in the Book of Discipline. Their cases are generally referred to them by action of the Council of Bishops, the annual conferences or the General Conference. According to the Constitution, decisions of the Judicial Council are final

There I one main difference between the United church and other churches and that is the organization that it is run by. The United church is run through an Episcopal organization. All of the other churches are ran by a Congregational, Presbyterian or Papal organization. The only church that does not practice the same sacraments as the United church is the Catholic church.

Bibliography:

“What We Believe.” The United Church of Canada, 3 Mar. 2017, www.united-church.ca/community-faith/welcome-united-church-canada/what-we-believe. Accessed 14 Mar. 2017.

“History of The United Church of Canada.” The United Church of Canada, 10 May 2016, www.united-church.ca/community-faith/welcome-united-church-canada/history-united-church-canada. Accessed 14 Mar. 2017.

Communications, United Methodist. “Constitutional Structure.” The United Methodist Church, www.umc.org/who-we-are/constitutional-structure. Accessed 15 Mar. 2017.

Nov 22, 2015 by Steve Myers Listen. “What Happens After Death?” United Church of God, 20 Nov. 2015, www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-television-program/what-happens-after-death. Accessed 15 Mar. 2017.