Éric Hébert-Daly, General Council’s head of French ministries, discusses La Table des Ministères en Français in a video from the United Church. (Screenshot: The United Church of Canada/YouTube)

French ministries in the United Church have a new voice

The church's big restructuring early this year had hit Francophone ministries especially hard
May. 23, 2019

Francophone ministries in the United Church have a new national governing body.

La Table des Ministères en Français, an 18-member council launched in February, aims to “support existing French ministries, promote the establishment of new French ministries, and help the Church as a whole respect its engagements concerning the use of French.”


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While many mourned the loss of Presbyteries that resulted from the church’s major restructuring early this year, it was especially significant for French-language ministries. Laur­entien Presbytery, a non-geographic body, was their formal voice in the national church.

As a linguistic minority, francophone ministries require decision-making processes that are culturally relevant to their different approaches, says Éric Hébert-Daly, General Council’s head of French ministries. “It’s not to isolate francophone ministries, but rather to ensure that a culturally appropriate governance model exists for them.”

In a new collaborative process, La Table will work with regional councils to recognize newly established French ministries, and make decisions about closing congregations.

Some of La Table’s budding projects include a francophone equivalent of Gathering magazine, a Quebec-wide survey to gauge openness to the United Church among the general population, and a library of francophone video sermons and other resources available to all ministries.

The church has committed $100,000 to the council.

This column first appeared in the June 2019 issue of Broadview with the title “New support for French ministries.” For more of Broadview’s award-winning content, subscribe to the magazine today.

1 Comment Leave a Reply

  1. I understand the intent of this article, I had trouble though with this quote:
    “It’s not to isolate francophone ministries, but rather to ensure that a culturally appropriate governance model exists for them.” Canada, being diverse, the United Church needs to ensure that a culturally appropriate governance model exists nation wide. Issues in Newfoundland/Labrador will be different than Toronto, the Prairies, Yukon, or Vancouver.
    Ultimately, culture is defined as the way of life for a community of people, is it not the United Church?

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