Key Takeaways
- Indigenous peoples make up roughly 5 % of Canada’s population (about 11 % when including those with indigenous ancestry), a share comparable to African Americans in the United States.
- The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) played a central role in the 1992 Sacred Assembly, helping draft the Reconciliation Proclamation and issuing public apologies for the harms of residential schools.
- EFC leaders such as Brian Stiller and Bruce Clemenger emphasized that, although evangelicals did not run the schools, they shared responsibility for addressing the legacy of cultural loss and abuse.
- The EFC’s ongoing commitments—seven pledges announced in 2020 and a 30‑year anniversary gathering in 2026—show a sustained effort to foster right relationships with Indigenous peoples.
- Harper’s legacy lives on through NAIITS (the North American Institute for Indigenous Theological Studies), an Indigenous‑led, accredited graduate theological school that partners with evangelical institutions, illustrating deep collaboration between evangelical and Indigenous communities.
Harper’s Faith and Public Influence
Harper emerged as Canada’s most prominent Indigenous leader, grounding his life in a deep Christian faith nurtured by his father, a Pentecostal pastor of over fifty years. Later, he extended his service internationally through World Vision projects in Tanzania, Kenya, and Taiwan, embodying a commitment to both spiritual and humanitarian work.
Demographic Weight of Indigenous Peoples in Canada
Indigenous peoples—First Nations, Métis, and Inuit—constitute about 5 % of Canada’s population; when those with Indigenous ancestry are added, the figure rises to roughly 11 %. This proportion mirrors the African American share of the U.S. population (~12 %), underscoring that policies affecting Indigenous communities have nationwide repercussions.
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada’s Role in the Sacred Assembly
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), the umbrella organization for most Canadian evangelicals, acted as an organizer and active participant in the 1992 Sacred Assembly. Former EFC presidents Bruce Clemenger and Brian Stiller were instrumental: Stiller delivered a major address, while Clemenger helped shape the Reconciliation Proclamation, a vision statement for proper Indigenous‑non‑Indigenous relations.
Crafting the Reconciliation Proclamation
Brian Stiller and Bruce Clemenger worked together to articulate the Reconciliation Proclamation, which sought to define a “right relationship” between Indigenous and non‑Indigenous peoples. The proclamation acknowledged past wrongs, called for repentance, and set a framework for ongoing dialogue and restitution, becoming a guiding document for Canadian evangelicals.
Spotlight on Indian Residential Schools
A major achievement of the Sacred Assembly was bringing the tragedy of the Indian Residential School system into national consciousness. Leaders from Catholic, Presbyterian, Anglican, and other denominations renewed their apologies for their complicity in a system that aimed to educate, convert, and assimilate Indigenous youth while severing them from family, language, and culture.
The Reality of the Residential School System
Created through cooperation between the Canadian government and churches, the residential schools isolated over 150,000 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children from their homes. Students endured severe neglect, malnutrition, and emotional and physical abuse, with the explicit aim of erasing Indigenous languages, traditions, and identities and remolding them in a Euro‑Canadian image.
EFC’s Motivation for Reconciliation Work
The EFC engaged in reconciliation partly because a significant number of evangelicals are Indigenous, but also because, unlike Catholic and mainline Protestant churches, its members had not directly administered the schools. As Brian Stiller later reflected, evangelicals could not remain innocent bystanders; they recognized a moral duty to confront the system’s legacy even if they had not built it.
Brian Stiller’s Address at the Sacred Assembly
Invited to speak, Stiller praised Indigenous spirituality, noting how public ceremonies begin with spiritual invocations that reject secular materialism. He declared that Indigenous teachings remind Western culture that life’s core is spirituality, soul, repentance, and forgiveness, and that he could walk alongside Indigenous peoples only after learning to weep with their pain.
EFC’s Ongoing Commitments and Anniversary Observances
In 2020, the EFC announced seven concrete commitments toward a right relationship with Indigenous peoples, ranging from education initiatives to financial support for Indigenous‑led projects. In January 2026, the fellowship marked the 30th anniversary of the Sacred Assembly with a gathering to remember the Reconciliation Proclamation and renew its pledge to uphold its principles.
Harper’s Educational Legacy: NAIITS
Harper’s emphasis on education bore fruit in the formation of NAIITS (the North American Institute for Indigenous Theological Studies). This institution is the only Indigenous‑designed, -developed, -delivered, and -governed graduate and post‑graduate theological school in North America, authorized to grant master’s and doctoral degrees and accredited by the Association of Theological Schools. NAIITS maintains strong ties with evangelical Canadian schools such as Tyndale University and Acadia Divinity College, demonstrating a thriving partnership between evangelical and Indigenous scholarly communities.
Conclusion: A Shared Journey Toward Healing
The narrative intertwines Harper’s personal faith, the demographic significance of Indigenous peoples in Canada, the EFC’s leadership in reconciliation, the painful history of residential schools, and the enduring educational legacy embodied by NAIITS. Together, these elements illustrate how evangelical and Indigenous communities, despite historical differences, are now collaborating actively to heal past wounds and build a future grounded in mutual respect, spirituality, and justice.