Previous reference to the three most significant issues in the church,
http://www.axz.ca/issues.htm,
looked at the different levels of the church
- church government
- congregation
- individual
and while those issues are still much the same a composite response might be of value...

The King James translation reads,
"where there is no vision, the people perish" [PRO 29:18] ;
"if the trumpet give an uncertain sound..." [1CO 14:8];
without a recognizable gospel we are bereft of hope, and without hope we are destitute.

The basic issue is still the person and gospel of Jesus Christ.

The King James translation reads,
"...he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute" [GEN 49:15]
the membership has acquiesced and so "became a servant unto tribute".

The second issue is as previously 'saving the church has supplanted the gospel'.

The signs of oppression are evident within the denomination
- disregard of grass roots [cf. two orders of magnitude difference to any other issue in the church with petitions relating to Sexual Orientations, Lifestyle and Ministry received as historic document rop 1988 pp. 95-112, 213-214 with only 29 petitions published rop 1988 pp. 757-786, 793-806 {1760 petitions , 1647 or 93.58 % not to affirm, 94 or 5.34% to affirm or adopt, 19 or 1.08% ambiguous} and Membership, Ministry and Human Sexuality approved rop 1990 pp. 131-138, 197-202 with minimal reference to 1262 responses representing 1869, or almost half of all congregations rop 1990 pp. 603-609, 612, 615, 674-723 {1405 or 75.17% strongly opposed, 31 or 1.66% opposed w/qualifications, 255 or 13.64% mixed, 70 or 3.75% accepted w/qualifications, 108 or 5.78% approved}]
- editorial displacement of the former basis of union 9.4 [cf. remit #3; rop 1988 pp. 90-92; rop 1990 pp. 390, 404, 412]
- intimidating or removing ministers by authorizing presbytery to initiate disciplinary action without cause as result of the above editorial displacement
- intimidating congregations with questions of property [cf. apology and dissemination of previous court decision within the denomination]
- the legal identity of of the pastoral charge related to property, trusts, and specific rights has been functionally eroded by a more hierarchical form of government
- private unrecorded inquisitions
- the response to issues raised by the moderator in 1997
- non-representative committees by discriminating appointment
- non-representative government [cf. "the architects and shapers of the United Church determined that in order to be faithful and open to the continual in-breath of the Holy Spirit, it would be a 'conciliar' church, one where councils or 'Courts' rather than individuals, make decisions... An essential element of decision-making in the Court system is the freedom of members, delegates and Commissioners to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit and free from the obligation to follow the dictates of the body that appointed them... Over the years, we believe that this model of decision-making has served the church well. It has sometimes caused grief when decisions involving 400 people cannot be made quickly. It has caused hurt when decisions made by the body do not reflect the views of individual church members or even a majority of church members." [rop 2000 p. 230]
- deficiencies in the appeal process that protect courts of the church from censure [rop 2003 pp. 55, 94, 186, 815]
- editorial change to bylaw 524(c) giving executive almost the unrestricted powers of General Council [rop 2003 pp. 97, 102, 192, 746, 828, 836]
- abuse of due process
- abuse of trusts
- disinformation [cf. disposition of mission and service funds, prohibiting discrimination re sexual orientation when hiring ministry personnel as required by human rights where human rights specifically exempts religious institutions, public statements where the congregation has no separate legal status hence questionable status to refuse a same sex marriage]
- trespassing the rights and responsibilities of other courts [cf. public statements re same sex marriage where marriage is the responsibility of session]
- the attempt to unionize
- process which limits speaking to issues before approval [cf. the final draft of faithtalk will not be released to commissioners to General Council until after conferences have met, and then with the restriction of confidentiality, leaving no formal means to speak to the final wording other than for a subset of commissioners hearing the report]
- a growing congregationalism

Similar study was actually done by Warren Shepell Consultants who concluded a growing isolation in ministry within the United Church of Canada. [rop 2003 pp. 670-675]

The third issue is injustice within a denomination that exalts justice. [effective 11/03/06 the denomination has addressed or is looking at some of these injustices]

Paradoxically our church cries for representative government in other situations but ignores the indicators of subservience within itself and will not "set its people free". [EXO 5:1]

The Spirit calls
"to proclaim release to the captives" [ISA 61:1; LUK 4:18];
"I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings,
I will not accept them,
and the peace offerings of your fatted beasts I will not look upon.
Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." [AMO 5:21-24];
making it imperative to right the injustice if there is ever to be shalom within this church. [Manual 065(b)]