Our Mission and Vision
In the Territory of the People we walk together with all God’s people, journeying into a new creation and trusting with faith and courage in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We love as Jesus loves, living with integrity and openness, and are committed stewards of God’s world.
The Territory of the People is located in the South-Central region of the Province of British Columbia. We span some 166,500 square kilometers that stretch from Prince George in the north to beyond Merritt and Boothroyd in the south. This is about 10 hours of driving north-south. The Territory was formed in 2016; previously, we were called the Anglican Parishes of the Central Interior (APCI), which was formed in 2002 after the cessation of the Diocese of Cariboo. The Diocese of Cariboo ceased operations after the exhaustion of resources resulting from litigation and financial settlements to survivors of abuse at St. George’s Indian Residential School in Lytton, British Columbia.
The process to be recognized by the broader church as a territory rather than a diocese came out of our deep commitment to the Indigenous people of our area and our commitment to walk together to healing and reconciliation. You can read more of our history in Appendix 1.
The Territory of the People Anglican Church was incorporated under the BC Societies Act on August 10, 2017. The Territory is a recognized Anglican Institute with the status of a Diocese with the ability to elect a Bishop and delegates to General Synod in its own name. The Fraser Basin Property Society holds titles to the land and church/hall buildings in the Territory, which holds them in trust for the parishes and wider communities.
The Territory of the People is part of the grouping of financially assisted dioceses through The Council of the North. “The Council of the North is comprised of all bishops of the assisted dioceses in the Anglican Church of Canada. The Council administers the General Synod’s grants for northern mission and meets twice a year to share information about the unique challenges faced by smaller ministries in the church.” –anglican.ca
Statements of Affirmation
Three Statements of Affirmation were confirmed at the Constitutive Assembly in 2002 when the Anglican Parishes of the Central Interior was formed. These have been and continue to be instrumental in providing the foundation for our formation and the subsequent new structure for governance.
- We affirm that the Anglican Parishes of the Central Interior need to gather together as a family of God.
- We affirm that this time of transition has been given to us as a gift to explore possible new directions towards which the Spirit may be calling us.
- We affirm that God is calling us to share in Jesus’ ministry of healing and reconciliation.
Emotionally and spiritually, we are a family of parishes united in mutual respect and love of God. God has led us, as a people of God in the Central Interior, through a desert time during which our vision of ourselves has been tested and clarified.
Collectively, we have faced a time of challenge with the dissolution of our existence as a diocese in the Anglican Church of Canada and faced the possible loss of all financial assets, property, and church buildings.
Having come through this threatening time, we are engaged in the process of examining what is important to our existence. Out of this has emerged a strong community of faith committed to God, the Anglican Church of Canada, and each other. We often refer to ourselves as a family.
We have a history of being creative about how we do ministry and a commitment to continued lay and clergy education. Indigenous ministry, presence, and voice remain priorities in all our actions.
Population of Central Interior of BC: 298,000
Number of Churches: 19
Ecumenical Shared Ministry Congregations: 3
Total on Parish Rolls: 1066
Family & Single Units (Households): 868
Bishop: 1
Active Clergypersons: 18
Stipendiary priests: 10
Stipendiary Deacons 0
Non-Stipendiary priests: 1
Deacons (non-stipendiary): 0
Pastoral Elders: 4
Hospital Chaplain (paid by government): 1
Lay Ministers of Word and Sacrament: 35
Budget Income (2023): $404, 850 (CDN$)