The General Council Archives has existed informally since 1930s and formally since 1952. It has moved locations several times, the most recent being 2012 to its current Regent Park location.
It has previously been referred to as the National Archives, the Central Archives and the United Church of Canada/Victoria University Archives. The General Council Archives is staffed by 4 full-time and 1 half-time employee, and works together with the Ontario Regional Council Archives to provide access to records, preserve the holdings and promote the collection in the research community.
General Council records include: records of antecedent denominations (prior to The United Church of Canada’s birth in 1925) – Methodist, some Presbyterian, Evangelical United Brethren and Congregational Church records; Personal papers of Church leaders and prominent members of the church community; Department records of the General Council Office; Inter-church and ecumenical organization records; Social justice and Canadian history records; Missionary photographs and papers; an extensive publication and ephemera collection; Records related to residential schools run by The United Church (and former Methodist/Presbyterian Church).