Anglican Church of Canada is a Christian church in Canada. It is a member of the Anglican Communion, an international organization of self-governing Anglican churches. Along with the Church of England and the Episcopal Church in the United States, the Anglican Church of Canada is one of the major churches in the Communion. It has more than 600,000 members. As in other Anglican churches, doctrine and worship are based on the Bible, the Apostles’ and Nicene creeds, and the Book of Common Prayer.
The church is divided into 30 dioceses (districts) in four ecclesiastical provinces. These provinces are, from east to west across the nation, Canada, Ontario, Rupert’s Land, and British Columbia and Yukon. A bishop is responsible for the administration and spiritual well-being of each diocese, while a metropolitan archbishop oversees each province. The primate serves as the head of the entire church. The chief governing and legislative body of the church is the General Synod, which meets every three years to set church policy and pass resolutions and canons (laws). The General Synod also elects the primate, who then acts as its president. Between meetings of the General Synod, the Council of the General Synod governs the church.
The first known Anglican service in Canada took place in 1578 in Frobisher Bay, in what is now the territory of Nunavut. Until the late 1700’s, there was no local church organization. In 1787, the first Anglican diocese in Canada was established in eastern Canada. In 1893, the General Synod of the Church of England in Canada was formed. The church adopted its present name in 1955.
See also Anglican Communion ; Apostles’ Creed ; Nicene Councils .
