The crest is the official signature of The United Church of Canada, placed on legal documents,
ordination and commissioning certificates, and licences to perform the sacraments. Designed by the Rev. Dr. Victor T. Mooney
(a treasurer of the United Church), it was officially adopted in 1944 by the 11th General Council.
For our church members, this insignia is a spiritual and historic reminder. Its oval shape is derived from the outline
of a fish, a symbol of identity by early Christians. The initials of the words "Jesus Christ, Son of God,
Saviour" spell the Greek word for fish.
The crest is designed in the form of a St. Andrew's Cross with an insignia in each of the four corners. The "X"
at the centre, the first letter of the Greek word for Christ, is a traditional symbol for Christ. In the four corners of the
crest are symbols, three of which are particularly associated with the three communions—Congregational, Methodist, and
Presbyterian—that united to form The United Church of Canada in 1925.
The Latin words ut omnes unum sint that surround the symbols on the crest mean That all may be
one and are taken from John 17:21. They are a reminder that we are both a "united" and "uniting" church.
In 1980, a French translation of The United Church of Canada—L'Église Unie du Canada—was authorized by General
Council to be added to the crest.
In August of 2012, at the 41st General Council, The United Church of Canada acknowledged the presence and spirituality
of Aboriginal peoples in the United Church by revising the church’s crest. The crest changes include incorporating the
four colours of the Aboriginal medicine wheel (yellow as a symbol of life and Asian people, black as a symbol of the south
and dark-skinned people of the world, red as a symbol of the west and Aboriginal peoples, and white as the colour of the north
and white-skinned people) and adding the Mohawk phrase “Akwe Nia’Tetewá:neren,” which means “all my
relations.”