Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Church Union collection
General material designation
- Textual record
- Graphic material
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Variations in title: Previously identified as Church Union Materials series (A.381.IX).
Level of description
Collection
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
ca.1900–1936 (Creation)
Physical description area
Physical description
77.5 cm of textual records
4 maps
1 poster
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Joint Committee officially convened in April 1904, in Toronto, bringing together appointed representatives from the Congregationalist, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches, to negotiate church union. Meetings continued through to 1908, when the terms written in the Basis of Union were agreed upon and sent to the negotiating churches, for discussion and approval. By 1912, both the Congregationalists and the Methodists had agreed to the terms. The decision was more contentious for the Presbyterian Church, though in 1916, their General Assembly decided to go ahead with the union.
Between 1916 and 1925, the Joint Committee worked to complete the union and defeat those opposing it, including the newly formed Presbyterian Church Association.
Custodial history
Records in the collection were likely transferred to the archives between 1925 and 1986. Their original provenance is unclear but the finding aid (written ca.1986) notes that they may have come to the archives at different times and/or from different sources, as suggested by the names noted on some documents – including E.H. Oliver, D.S. Dix, and Walter C. Murray. At some point, Conference archivists brought together the various items, under Church Union Material, though it could have been filed alongside other records in the Archive Collections.
Scope and content
The collection consists of primarily textual materials relating to the Church Union movement and the organizations involved, including the Joint Committee on Church Union. There appears to be a mix of original documents and various published and copied items.
Contents include: Basis of Union documents from the Presbyterian Church (1905-1908) and Methodist Church (1909); records of proceedings, minutes, and publications by and relating to the Joint Committee on Church Union and its Subcommittees; documents relating to proposed legislation (1922-1924), the Act Incorporating the United Church of Canada, House of Commons debates on the topic, and associated Saskatchewan legislation (1924); publications and articles relating to the anti-union movement and the legal issues resulting from the division of the Presbyterian Church; copies of information regarding the voting returns on Union from across Canada (1925-1926); maps showing communities with local union churches; and a poster published by the Union Committee of the Presbyterian Church (1924).
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Original order for many of these records is unclear. Items listed under A.381.IX were arranged sometime before 1990 and described as part of this collection in 2016. In 2023, records of the Provincial Church Union Committee and those by/regarding the Commission Pursuant to the United Church Act were re-described as fonds (see Related Materials).
Language of material
- English
Script of material
- Latin
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Use, publication, and/or reproduction of records are subject to the conditions of the Copyright Act. Please consult archivist for assistance.
Finding aids
GS-168 includes original file and series listings, in section A.381.IX.
Uploaded finding aid
Associated materials
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
General note
Box numbers (pink label): 4174, 4175, 4176, 4177
Box numbers (green label): 255
Alpha-numeric designations
Textual records: A.381.IX.B.1 to B.21, B.23, B.24, B.26; A.381.IX.D; A.381.IX.E;
Graphic materials: A.381.IX.B.25;
Maps: A.381.IX.B.22
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number area
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Oliver, Edmund Henry (Collection)
- Murray, Walter Charles (Collection)
- Dix, David Strathy (Collection)
- United Church of Canada (Subject)