The General Council Office is located in Toronto, Ontario and is arranged into the following eight operational units. The units are overseen by these Senior Church Leaders.
Office of the Moderator and General Secretary (OMGS)
The Office of the Moderator and General Secretary (OMGS) provides coordination, integration, and implementation of the purpose and priorities established by the General Council and its Executive. It leads in the articulation of the vision, theology, and polity of the church as determined by the General Council. The Moderator is the presiding officer of the General Council and its primary spokesperson. The General Secretary has responsibility for the coordination and integration of the people and programs of the General Council. The OMGS team is responsible for implementing a program of work that reflects the purpose, priorities, and plans of the United Church.
Shared Services (SS)
The Shared Services Unit (SS) brings together all the shared services offered nationally and includes Human Resources, Payroll Services, GCO Administration, Legal Employment Services, and Information Technology. They ensure that policies established by the General Council are upheld and that federal/provincial employment standards are met. The unit also has responsibility for the information technology needs of the General Council and Regional Council offices.
Pension and Finance (PENFIN)
The Pension and Finance Unit (PENFIN) is responsible for ensuring effective, efficient, and prudent financial stewardship for the General Council Office and the Pension and Benefits Plans of The United Church of Canada. The Unit is comprised of two integrated sub teams: Finance and Pension and Benefits. The teams work collaboratively to support the financial sustainability and governance of the church. The Finance team oversees core financial management functions, including accounting, financial reporting, budgeting, revenue and expenditure management, internal and external audits, and enterprise risk management. In addition to these responsibilities, the team provides financial and compliance advisory services to congregations, oversees nationally sponsored property and liability insurance programs, and administers various capital assistance initiatives. The Pension and Benefits team is responsible for the governance and administration of the Pension and Benefits Plans of The United Church of Canada. The team ensures that employment, compensation, and benefits policies are upheld and that all activities comply with applicable federal and provincial employment standards and legislation. It also oversees retiree payroll related services.
Organizational Development and Strategy (ODS)
The Organizational Development and Strategy Unit (ODS) supports the General Council Office in the development, execution, and communication of its vision and strategic priorities. The unit helps shape the public face of the United Church, contributing to the denomination’s principled presence supporting bold witness in the public square and strengthening invitation to the church across the country and its ministries. It leads in implementing strategy that nourishes congregations, supports regional councils, advances the national program, and contributes to the effectiveness and resilience of the church. ODS houses the General Council planning function (strategic and operational); research and development; national property support; a communications department ensuring alignment in key messaging; and Ministries in French, which supports Francophone communities of faith and implements organizational commitments to functional bilingualism.
UCC Identity and Governance (UCCIG)
The UCC Identity and Governance Unit (UCCIG) provides integrated leadership to ensure that the structures, decisions, and practices of the United Church are faithful to its identity, accountable to its governance, and aligned with its call to justice, equity, and reconciliation. UCCIG brings together governance, legal and judicial oversight, equity and anti-racism, archives and institutional memory, and Indigenous governance into a coherent and mutually reinforcing framework and ecumenical coordination. Its purpose is to strengthen how the church understands itself, makes decisions, and lives out its commitments in a consistent, transparent, and principled manner. The Identity and Governance pillar exists to ensure that The United Church of Canada operates with integrity, clarity, and faithfulness to its identity as a conciliar and connected body—grounded in strong governance, informed by its history, and accountable to its commitments.
Growth and Stewardship (GS)
The Growth and Stewardship Unit (GS) provides focused, coordinated leadership for the renewal, sustainability, and future vitality of the United Church. This reflects a recognition that renewing existing communities of faith, creating new communities of faith, and strengthening invitation and stewardship across the denomination requires intentional strategy, dedicated leadership, and sustained investment. GS brings together the church’s work in ministry development, innovation, and stewardship to support communities of faith in discerning where they are called to be and how they are invited to participate in God’s ministry in their local contexts. It creates a cohesive approach to nurturing existing ministries, fostering new and emerging communities of faith, and embedding a culture of generosity and shared responsibility across denomination. On the work of strengthening invitation, GS collaborates closely with the Communications department. GS works collaboratively across the General Council Office, Regional Councils, Indigenous communities, and diverse networks to identify opportunities for deepened discipleship, renewal, and innovation. It supports experimentation, pilot initiatives, and learning, enabling the church to respond faithfully to changing social, cultural, and spiritual landscapes.
Church in Mission (CIM)
The Church in Mission Unit (CIM) provides support and leadership to the United Church to participate in God’s mission of justice, peace, and transformation in the world through its ministries and global and ecumenical partners in their contextual response to God’s invitation of partnership. CIM supports programs helping the church to be an intercultural and anti-racist church that is welcoming, relational, adaptive, justice seeking, intentional and mission centered. CIM gives leadership and support in these areas: Global Partnership, Identity and Mission, Refugees and Leadership, and Administration.
Indigenous Ministries and Justice (IMJ)
Indigenous Ministries and Justice (IMJ) works with the National Indigenous Council (NIC) and Indigenous communities of faith across The United Church of Canada. In line with the norm, principles, and standards set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action, Indigenous Ministries and Justice supports the whole United Church as it strives to animate the Calls to Action and Calls to the Church. This work is done by building on the capacity, already present, in areas of spiritual healing, leadership and youth development, stewardship, and justice and reconciliation.
Theology and Ministry Leadership (TML)
The Theology and Ministry Leadership Unit (TML) brings together all the pieces relating to leadership, taking seriously the understanding of the ministry of the whole people of God. The unit includes the Office of Vocation, which is responsible for the assessment, candidacy, admissions, and accreditation of ministry personnel. It is also responsible for the standards of practice and ongoing oversight and (when necessary) discipline of ministry personnel, as well as Pastoral Relations. TML also includes Member Engagement (including nominations for national committees, boards, and task groups), the work of the Theology and Inter-Church Inter-Faith Committee (TICIF), and United Church theological schools.