1942: United Church Of Canada

The United Church of Canada, uniting the Congregational Churches of Canada, the Presbyterian Church in Canada, and the Methodist Church (Canada), in 1941 raised a total of $11,991,680 for all purposes. The membership stood at 716,920 with 1,737,893 persons receiving pastoral oversight divided into 7,109 congregations. The total value of property owned amounts to $85,548,413.

During the year the church continued its efforts to liquidate the deficit on its missionary and general work which accumulated during the depression years. There has been a steady demand for Chaplains. About one hundred and fifty ministers are now serving in this capacity in the three branches of the Canadian Armed Forces, in addition to those who are in the Auxiliary Services or serving as combatants.

The General Council — the law making Court of the Church — met in September. It elected Dr. Victor T. Mooney Treasurer of the Church to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Dr. Robert Laird. Dr. J. C. Cochrane was appointed Secretary of the Department of Pensions as successor to Dr. S. W. Dean who has reached the age of retirement. The newly elected Moderator, the Rev. J. R. P. Sclater, is an outstanding preacher of Scottish background. He is the author of several books on homiletics and will bring to the tasks of the Church distinctive qualities of leadership.

Among the important enactments of the General Council were the setting up of a Board of Finance under a federal type of constitution embracing the Department of the Treasury, the Missionary and Maintenance Department and the Department of Pensions; the choosing of a Committee to outline a plan to secure support for the Pension Fund by a system of assessments upon pastoral charges instead of by annual grants from the Missionary and Maintenance Fund; the creation of a Board of Colleges and Secondary Schools to take over and administer an important field of educational work which formerly was administered as part of the duties of the Board of Christian Education; the acceleration of the theological course as a war emergency measure in order to keep home mission charges better supplied with ministers and the adoption of a plan in a few areas adjacent to theological colleges whereby two or more rural or suburban charges would be combined and served by one ordained minister assisted by theological students.