Response to Questions about an Affirming Denomination

Many have asked: now that The United Church of Canada has apologized to the 2S and LGBTQIA+ people of the church, shouldn’t that mean The United Church of Canada declares itself as an affirming denomination.

While Affirm United/S’affirmer Ensemble would love ALL denominations to be affirming, becoming affirming is a process of discernment and exploration that EACH individual community of faith goes through. Each individual community of faith needs to discern what God is calling them to be.

The beauty of The United Church of Canada is that while we are united, we are also diverse. Our polity welcomes diversity, because each decision made at a gathering like General Council 45 is not automatically adopted in each individual community of faith. It is up to each community of faith to adopt the proposals and decisions of the wider church. While the national church has apologized, it would be harmful to assume that all churches within the denomination are affirming. There are similarities in each United Church, as well as differences. Everyone can find a home in The United Church of Canada, from conservative to liberal, non-affirming to affirming. We are all welcome at the table.