Rev. Smith delivered the first official Apology from the church to Indigenous peoples at the 1986 General Council.

SECHELT, BC, Dec. 12, 2025 /CNW/ - The Very Rev. Robert Frederick Smith, the 30th Moderator of The United Church of Canada, died at age 91 in Sechelt, BC, on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, after a few years of hospital and family care. He is survived by his partner, Ellen, and their five children: Rick, Dan, Marnie, Doris, and Rob.

Born in Montreal in 1934, Smith served as Moderator of the United Church from 1984-1986, and is perhaps best known for delivering the first official Apology from the church to Indigenous peoples at the 1986 General Council. In the years after delivering the Apology, he mused how the church's course had been forever changed and how he had tried to "make an honest man" of himself by living up to the words of the Apology.

"We are grateful for the life of Rev. Robert Smith, for his many years of service in congregations and his leadership at every level of the Church, including as the 30th Moderator of the United Church," says The Right Rev. Dr. Kimberly Heath, current Moderator. "His apology on behalf of the Church to Indigenous peoples and his opening up of the scriptures for fresh interpretation are among his legacies that we will remember. We hold his family in prayer in this time of loss."

As Moderator, The Very Rev. Smith guided the church as it wrestled with fundamental questions around authority and interpretation of Scripture. This included dialogue around homosexuality, which led in 1988 to a declaration by the 32nd General Council that all people – regardless of sexual orientation – are welcome as full members of the United Church, and all members are eligible to be considered for ordered ministry.

"The word of God is a lively word. It is not something that is static; it is not something that is preserved in amber. Though the word of God may be unchanging, our understanding of it is constantly changing, and our context must be brought into the picture when we are attempting to understand what the word of God says for us today," he told Rev. Ken Wotherspoon on Pressure Point in 1984. "I think that the central issue which is facing the church today is the issue of the interpretation of scripture . . ."

Robert Smith was born in Montreal, QC, in 1934. After receiving a degree from the University of Alberta in 1956, he obtained a diploma in Theology at St. Stephen's College in 1958, a B.D. from the University of Alberta in 1964, and a Th.D. at Boston University School of Theology in 1973. He was ordained by the Alberta Conference of the United Church in 1958, and married Margaret Ellen Maguire the same year.

After his ordination, he held pastorates across Canada and the U.S., settling eventually in Sechelt, BC, where he attended St. John's United Church. Throughout his time as a minister, he held a variety of posts on many different committees, including co-chair of the committee on Roman Catholic-United Church Dialogue. He was also founding president of the Richmond Hill and Thornhill Area Family Services.

SOURCE United Church of Canada