Saskatoon Council of Churches

The Saskatoon Council of Churches has been actively promoting Christian unity, dialogue, and co-operation since the early 1960s. With a similar mandate and membership as the national Canadian Council of Churches, with which it has been affiliated, the Saskatoon Council brings one important distinction. Unlike many such councils in Canada and around the world that until recently were formed by the Protestant mainline churches, the Saskatoon Council has enjoyed active participation and membership by Roman Catholics since its inception. The Council's membership is comprised of both lay and ordained representatives of the member churches. The Saskatoon Council was incorporated as a charitable organization in 1974. Over its many years of service it has provided a forum for local churches to engage each other in reflection on social and theological issues of concern. The Council has organized local ecumenical education projects, social justice advocacy, and inter-religious encounters. Recognizing in 1984 that its major role is as a “thinking reflective body” and as a catalyst for other ecumenical endeavours, the Council has since relinquished its active programming to the Saskatoon Centre for Ecumenism (now Prairie Centre For Ecumenism), established by six of the Council's member churches. Since 1985, it has provided leadership in the Local Church Leaders' Group, a regular gathering of ecumenical and denominational leaders in Saskatoon.

Nicholas Jesson