On the road to Toronto

I am sitting on a fast-moving train, headed for Toronto, Ontario, on the first leg of a three week trip to Canada that will help me find out more about the Disciples who live north of the U.S. border. Our church is known as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. But who are the Canadian Disciples? I see and hear about Disciples from Canada working in the general church: on the General Board, the Young Adult Commission and serving on general ministry boards. But are my fellow Disciples ‘up north’ carrying out ministry in ways different than those of us in the States?

In what ways are they helping to live out the four church wide priorities: of helping to create new churches, transformed churches, new leadership, and become a pro-reconciling, anti-racism church? What can they teach us about mission, evangelism, or communication? How are they helping our church become a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world?

Equally important to me is some understanding of how such a small core of Disciples stay committed to the principles of our Church in the vast expanse of Canada – where in 1925 all of the Methodists, two-thirds of the Presbyterians, and all of the Congregationalists came together to form the United Church of Canada. Later the Evangelical United Brethren also joined in the United Church of Canada.

The Anglican Church of Canada also was involved in talks for a united church, but today remains independent. There was also an attempted merger between the United Church of Canada and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Canada (1958-1985), which failed, despite the fact that both were union churches. By the late 1950s, the Disciples in Canada had a total of 38 congregations with a membership of approximately 4,000. In contrast, the U.S. membership exceeded 1 million. Today Disciples in Canada have much lower numbers. So how do Disciples churches in Canada today connect with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and how do they work in conjunction with the United Church of Canada?

My travels will take me to four parts of Canada – Toronto, the Maritime area to the east, which includes Halifax and Milton/Summerville, then on to Montreal, and Winnipeg. I’m sure I’ll be become much more informed – and inspired – about the work of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) along the way.