The Benefit Of A Clergy Union To The United Church of Canada

This thesis was was motivated by the question of the effect of the union organizing efforts of some of the clergy in the United Church of Canada. The topics of work, call and covenant/contract are examined in a secondary, qualitative manner to establish the way in which they affect the relationship between clergy and the various levels of the church. The work of philosophers, such as Hannah Arendt and sociologists, such as Richard Sennett, as well as theologians Martin Luther, Jean Calvin, John Wesley, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Abraham Heschel, and Walter Brueggemann are included in the study. A Biblical understanding of the relationship between clergy and congregation is the underpinning for the study. From this information benefits and detriments of unionization are examined. The research led to the conclusion that the formation of a clergy union would not only be of benefit to the clergy, but also to the institutional church