The Reformed Episcopal Church of Canada is a Canadian Anglican church established as a distinct entity by an act of the Canadian Parliament, which received royal assent on June 2, 1886. It upholds the foundational principles of episcopacy in historic apostolic succession, traditional Anglican liturgy, Reformed doctrine, and evangelical zeal. While maintaining episcopal polity, the church also recognizes the validity of certain nonepiscopal evangelical ministries. The church is organized into two dioceses within the Reformed Episcopal Church structure: the Diocese of Central and Eastern Canada and the Diocese of Western Canada and Alaska[1].

History

The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) was originally founded in 1873 in New York City by George David Cummins, a former bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States. The founding of the REC was motivated by a desire to maintain a low-church Protestant expression of Anglicanism, emphasizing a pure scriptural liturgy and the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Within a year of its founding, Canadian Anglicans who shared similar principles in New Brunswick and Ontario formed their own Reformed Episcopal congregations. Notably, in 1874, Edward Cridge, dean of the Anglican cathedral in Victoria, British Columbia, separated with about 350 members to establish the Church of Our Lord under the REC, and he was consecrated a bishop in 1876[2][3].

Over time, many Canadian Reformed Episcopal congregations joined the United Church at its formation, but the REC presence in Canada persisted. Today, there are several Reformed Episcopal churches in Canada, mainly located in British Columbia and Ontario. Some congregations, like St. George’s Church in Hamilton, Ontario, align with the Diocese of the Northeast in the United States, while others belong to the Diocese of Western Canada and Alaska[2].

Doctrine and Practices

The Reformed Episcopal Church of Canada adheres to the historic episcopacy in apostolic succession and the use of Anglican liturgy consistent with Reformed evangelical theology. It rejects ritualism and Roman Catholic influences, maintaining a distinct evangelical character within the Anglican tradition. The church affirms justification by faith alone and focuses on a scriptural and evangelical ministry approach[1][2].

Organization and Membership

The Canadian branch is structured primarily into two dioceses, serving different geographic regions: the Diocese of Central and Eastern Canada and the Diocese of Western Canada and Alaska. Membership figures have fluctuated over the years, with historical data indicating growth from about 260 communicants in 1996 to over 800 in the early 2000s, with a total inclusive membership exceeding 1,000 at times. The church comprises multiple congregations across Canada, reflecting its ongoing evangelical mission and ministry[1].

This article summarizes the Reformed Episcopal Church of Canada's identity, history, doctrine, and organizational structure as an evangelical Anglican body firmly rooted in historic episcopacy and Reformed theology within the Canadian religious landscape.