Be in Christ Church of Canada
In 2012 Brethren in Christ Canada, previously a regional conference of the Brethren in Christ Church of North America, formally became a separate national denomination known as Brethren in Christ Canada. Its sister denomination in the USA became known as Brethren in Christ U.S.
The 200th anniversary of the Brethren in Christ (BIC) coming to Canada (in 1988) was marked by the release of Two Hundred Years of Tradition and Change by E. Morris Sider. A revised edition is anticipated in 2019.
The International Brethren in Christ Association (IBICA) as a network of all recognized national conferences of the Brethren in Christ family was formed in 2006, following 40 years of informal gatherings of international BIC leaders and lay people. The IBICA was formally organized in 2009 with the aim to facilitate communication, as well as to build trust and cooperation within the global community known historically as the Brethren in Christ.
As early as 2010 the Canadian Conference of the Brethren in Christ Church of North America (BIC Canada) asked the North American General Conference to consider the potential of a name change. The Canadian Conference questioned the relevance of the word "Brethren" in the modern world. "Brethren" was not a word commonly used in North American culture, and had undesired gender implications. After discussion, this request was tabled for future review.
In 2015, the leadership of Brethren in Christ Canada brought a motion to its own annual meeting recommending a change in name effective 1 September 2016. The delegates supported this, and a new name, "BIC Canada" was proposed in May 2016. The delegates asked the leadership to do more work on the name. On 6 May 2017 delegates approved a name change to Be In Christ Church of Canada by a vote of 300 to 28.
In 2017 Be in Christ Church of Canada was composed of 33 long-time "community" churches; The Meeting House, a megachurch based in Oakville, Ontario, with sites in 19 locations; and The Network, an outreach ministry with 21 locations. In 2017 the community churches had an average weekly attendance of 4,096, The Meeting House locations had a total average weekly attendance of 5,198, and The Network locations had a total average attendance of 724.
In 2017 Be in Christ Church of Canada had a budget of $1.5 million. Ministries supported included BIC Canada-Global (international ministries), Camp Kahquah (near Burks Falls, Ontario) and The Network. Niagara Christian Collegiate, Fort Erie, Ontario, founded by the Brethren in Christ, operates as an independent intermediate and high school.
Since the late 1970s an Archives collection has been developed, including artifacts. Previously housed in the head office in Oakville, the entire collection moved in 2018 to the Port Colborne BIC Church.
See also Brethren in Christ Church.
Bibliography
"126th Annual General Meeting." Brethren In Christ (BIC) Canada. 6 May 2017. Web. 2 September 2018. http://www.canadianbic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/AGM-Minutes-2017-RFS.pdf.
"Name Change Announcement: Be In Christ Church of Canada" Be in Christ Church of Canada. 6 May 2017. Web. 2 September 2018. http://www.canadianbic.ca/name-change-announcemet/.
| Author(s) | Leonard Chester |
|---|---|
| Date Published | September 2018 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Chester, Leonard. "Be in Christ Church of Canada." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. September 2018. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Be_in_Christ_Church_of_Canada&oldid=161555.
APA style
Chester, Leonard. (September 2018). Be in Christ Church of Canada. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Be_in_Christ_Church_of_Canada&oldid=161555.
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