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Civil pastors were persons authorized by the government of Quebec upon the recommendation of the [[Christian Brethren Churches in Quebec|CBCQ]] to keep books of civil status, to make entries in them relative to births and deaths and to copy extracts from them.  They also performed marriages and made the appropriate entries in the registers. When the new Quebec Civil Code came into force in January 1994, the title “civil pastor” was replaced by that of “officiant” ("célébrant" in French) and persons so designated no longer keep registers. Only the Director of Civil Status of Quebec can create acts of civil status and furnish certificates based on these acts. The government of Quebec still works with religious societies such as the [[Christian Brethren Churches in Quebec|CBCQ]] – the name was officially changed in 2000 - in both the civil and religious solemnizing of marriages. For this purpose, it accepts their recommendations, and authorizes as officiants those who have been approved for the task.