The faith once delivered

Faith rooted in Scripture and the Creeds

Our beliefs are based on the Bible and the time-honored Creeds of the Church. We believe the Church is meant to change the world, not for the world to change the Church. We uphold orthodox belief and tradition in the historic Christian faith.

01 · Identity

Our identity: Catholic?

You may hear us refer to ourselves as Anglo-Catholic, Anglican Catholic, or simply Catholic. You may also hear us reject the label "Protestant," although many Anglicans describe Anglicanism as a Protestant denomination. For Christians from a Protestant background, the word "Catholic" may seem closely tied to the Roman Catholic Church. The word catholic means universal. While we regard our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters as true Christians and part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, we do not agree that submission to the Bishop of Rome is the defining mark of the true Church. We believe its primary marks are Apostolic Succession, adherence to the Creeds and Ecumenical Councils, and faithful teaching of what the Church has always believed.

1. Apostolic Succession — An unbroken chain of bishops tracing back to the original Apostles.
2. Creeds & Councils — The Nicene, Apostles', and Athanasian Creeds and the seven Ecumenical Councils.
3. Faithful Teaching — Holding fast to what has always been believed by the Church.

Apostolic Succession is the chain of bishops who govern the Church and trace their lineage to the original Apostles. It preserves orthodox doctrine and the valid administration of the sacraments. As the early Church believed, we hold that sacraments such as the Eucharist, Confirmation, and Confession require an ordained priest or bishop.

At key moments in history, the Church gathered in Ecumenical Councils to confess the faith and define doctrine. We adhere to the Nicene, Apostles', and Athanasian Creeds and recognize the seven Ecumenical Councils. We receive them as authoritative witnesses because they express the agreement of the undivided Church.

Especially in the modern era, some churches have abandoned the faith by embracing teaching contrary to historic Christianity. We believe Christians must hold fast to what Christ and His Church have taught rather than changing with the world.

The Anglican Continuum possesses valid Apostolic Succession, adheres to the Creeds and Councils, and teaches orthodox doctrine. For these reasons, we understand ourselves to be Catholic: part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church alongside other historic traditions.

We do not identify as Protestant. Our tradition reaches back to the first century. The Reformation and other historical events changed Anglicanism, but they did not create or define it. As Anglo-Catholics, we believe the Reformation addressed real needs but went too far in some areas. We seek to recover sacred traditions that were rejected or forgotten and to stand in continuity with the faith and worship of the historic Church.

02 · Common prayer

Our liturgy: Worship in beauty and ordered dignity

We use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer as the basis for our worship, together with elements of the Anglican Missal. With Jesus Christ and His sacrament of Holy Communion at our center, we worship God and preach the Gospel with beauty and ordered dignity.

03 · Sacramental life

The sacraments: Real grace through supernatural means

The mission of Christ's Church is the worship of God, the preaching of the Gospel, and the administration of the sacraments. We believe the sacraments are more than symbols: they convey real grace through supernatural means.

1. Baptism
2. The Eucharist (Holy Communion)
3. Reconciliation (Confession)
4. Holy Matrimony
5. Confirmation
6. Ordination (Holy Orders)
7. Anointing of the Sick (Unction)

Of these seven, Baptism and the Eucharist were uniquely instituted by Jesus Christ and are generally necessary for salvation.

Baptism — Water & the Spirit

In Holy Baptism, the outward and visible sign is water, in which candidates are baptized "in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). The inward and spiritual grace is death to sin and new birth to righteousness through union with Christ in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:1–11).

Holy Baptism is appropriately administered within the Eucharist as the chief service on Sunday or another holy day. The congregation welcomes the newly baptized into Christ's Church and remembers the benefits and profession of its own Baptism. The bishop, when present, is normally the celebrant. Each candidate is sponsored by one or more baptized Christians committed to supporting the newly baptized through prayer and encouragement.

We believe Baptism is more than symbolic, that it is ordinarily necessary for salvation, and that infants may rightly receive it. Although an infant cannot make a personal profession of faith, the historic Church has taught from the Gospel, the Apostles, and the Church Fathers that children are received into Christ's Church through Baptism by the faith of the Church, expressed through their parents and sponsors. At an age of understanding, that personal profession is made in Confirmation.

The Eucharist — Bread & wine

The Eucharist is normally the principal act of Christian worship on the Lord's Day and on appointed Feasts and Holy Days. It is also called Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper. The Eucharistic rite was instituted by the words and actions of our Lord Jesus Christ as He celebrated the Passover with His twelve disciples. Through this meal, Christ revealed the meaning of His coming, His suffering on the Cross, His death, and His resurrection.

The sacrificial worship of the Old Covenant—its Temple and Law—was fulfilled in the worship of the New Covenant. In word and action, Christ instituted a sacred rite forever joined to true worship: worship centered not in earthly temples, but in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

Holy Communion is a means of grace given for the remission of sins, covenant renewal, and the strengthening of Christian life. We affirm the historic faith of the early Church that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. This is witnessed by the Apostles, the Church Fathers, and the words of Jesus Himself. We do not attempt to explain this miracle in merely scientific terms; we receive it through faith.

"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah." — Jeremiah 31:31

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." — John 6:53

"Take, eat; this is My body... Drink from it, all of you, for this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." — Matthew 26:26-28

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