Letters from the General Secretary

November 19, 2007

Board Chairs/Directors Incorporated Ministries
Conference Executive Secretaries
Presbytery Secretaries

Re: Implementation of section 429, The Manual – Incorporated Ministries

Greetings from the General Council Office. At the 39th General Council 2006, a proposal to revise Appendix IV, Applications for Incorporation, was adopted resulting in changes to The Manual. This is the first time since the 1960s that a significant revision to the incorporation policies has been undertaken, and for many, a task that was long overdue.

As of July 1, 2007, The Manual changes came into effect. The following highlights the changes:

• Appendix IV was removed from The Manual and replaced with an expanded section 429;
• Section 429, Duties and Powers of Conference, now includes supervision responsibility of corporations;
• Section 184, Duties and Powers of Congregations, was revised removing reference to applications for incorporation (184, j, (i & ii);
• Section 336, Duties and Powers of Presbytery re: corporations, was deleted

What do these changes mean to existing incorporated ministries? Specifically, the following are noted as the key effects:

• The supervising court becomes the Conference;
• Provision for multi-participant corporations is established;
• A process for ending the legal relationship with the United Church of Canada is provided and “legacy ministries” can be acknowledged

The means and timing by which supervision is transferred from presbytery to Conference will vary from Conference to Conference. Some Conferences have already initiated the change, while others are taking a graduated approach. The Manual changes came into effect as of July 1, 2007, and the handover for supervisory responsibility needs to be completed by December 31, 2011.

If you have specific questions regarding the changes, we would encourage you to contact your Conference office directly.

Sincerely,
Nora Sanders
General Secretary, General Council