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Indigenous self-determination in the Anglican Church

Indigenous Anglicans have worked for generations to build a self-determining expression of the Anglican Church rooted in community, culture and relationship. Their leadership continues to shape how we grow as a Church and how we deepen our commitments to reconciliation and right relations. As a community of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, we recognize that we hold different relationships to this history yet share a responsibility to walk together in respect and hope.

Also in Truth and reconciliation

A growing Indigenous Church

Delegates and guests at Sacred Circle 2025. Shane Roberts

The movement toward Indigenous self-determination has developed over many decades. It includes the work of Sacred Circle, the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples (ACIP), The Covenant and Our Way of Life and the formation of Indigenous-led structures and ministries across the Anglican Church of Canada. These milestones reflect a growing vision of an Indigenous Anglican Church shaped by Indigenous leadership, identity and community.

Explore the current work of the self-determining Indigenous church

Key moments in this shared journey

This timeline provides an overview of significant developments in the movement toward a self-determining Indigenous Anglican Church. Beginning with the Hendry Report (1969), it highlights leadership, national gatherings, governance changes and commitments that have helped shape this ongoing journey.

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For more historical context, see History of residential schools.

For resources to support you in truth and reconciliation, visit Reconciliation and right relations today.

Acknowledging the land and God’s creation

This acknowledgement is crafted in light of the Principles of Reconciliation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, as we seek to live faithfully in Christ and in right relationship with all. 

We give thanks to the Creator for this land, its waters, forests and all living beings, and for the abiding presence of Christ among us. From coast to coast to coast, these have been cared for and nurtured by First Nations, Inuit and Métis through countless generations. 

We honour the enduring relationship Indigenous Peoples have cultivated with these lands and waters, and the treaties and agreements that reflect these sacred bonds. We acknowledge the harms caused by colonial expansion, through frameworks like the Doctrine of Discovery and structures like the residential school system. We recognize our past failures as a Church, including disruption of connections to the land and suppression of Indigenous spiritualities. 

Guided by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we confess our need for healing. We commit ourselves to seeking truth, pursuing reconciliation and nurturing harmony with all creation. We place our trust in Christ, through whom all things are reconciled to God. 

May God strengthen us to live faithfully as stewards of the Earth. Let us walk in love, justice and reconciliation, joining in God’s work to restore all creation.