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Declaration of Common Faith, Purpose, and Intercommunion
By Abbot-Bishop Brian E. Brown, OSH | November 5, 2009
Declaration of Common Faith, Purpose, and Intercommunion
Adopted Unanimously at the 2nd Ecumenical Synod
May 4th 2007, Feast of St. Chad of Lichfield Meeting in Ozark Missouri
Christ’s Catholic Church, heretofore known as the CCC, is established to preserve and extend an ecumenical, free, catholic, faith in accordance with the principles set out in this document and is a Communion of individual Christians, ministries, and other associations who support catholic unity, and who have assented to this Declaration of Common Faith, Purpose, and Intercommunion. To these ends we have come together with at least one unifying motive: a love for Christ, His Church, and the Sacraments.
We are an Evangelical – Liturgical – Sacramental – Spirit Filled church and offer a home to all who have been seeking a sacramental church not bound by man made dogmas and doctrines, but rather free in the Holy Spirit. Christ’s Catholic bishops hold valid lines of Apostolic Succession: the authority Christ gave to His Apostles on the Day of Pentecost which has been handed down from generation to generation through the laying on of hands. Traditionally we believe in the Seven Sacraments, The Apostle’s, Nicene, and Athanasius’ Creed.
Christ’s Catholic Church sees itself as only one expression of God’s Truth among many such Christian expressions and it holds firm to the belief that the Church really is One. It knows no national boundaries, no ethnic allegiance, no historic founder except Jesus Christ, no imperial court, and no secular government. Being truly free in the “free church” tradition, it has known neither papal prince nor earthly king. It seeks to be truly universal or catholic and ecumenical, serving all of God’s children with love, welcoming all to His Sacraments, and inviting all people to His care and fellowship. It does so regardless of race, creed, sex, historic tradition, or state of grace, and at the same time holds fast to the Apostolic Faith.
The Communion is open to all who are interested in us. All are welcomed here! We simply ask that we abide in charity with one another. Accept those around you for who and where they are in their spiritual journey. However, acceptance does not always mean agreement. Respect for one’s own integrity and beliefs, which are of equal worth and value, will not always allow one to agree with others. Agreement is not always necessary, but acceptance is part of love, and God tells us love is necessary. With that in mind, we are open to traditional, conservative, moderate, progressive, and liberal thought, doctrine, and liturgical expression. Members of this Communion walk many paths and come from diverse Christian traditions, but a common thread that binds us is a deep abiding love of Christ, His Church, and the Sacraments. That is our centering point. That is our unity.
While we are well aware of the differences among us and the variety of beliefs this Communion will encompass, we will attempt to be the kind of community that we believe Jesus called us to: one of faith, hope, and love. Holding on to that calling let us focus on our unity and show charity in those areas where there is no unity. Remember the advice of a great Celtic Christian, Saint Cuthbert, “Do not ever think yourselves better than the rest of your companions who share the same faith.”
Since the founding of our autonomous and autocephalous jurisdiction, our communion continues to rediscover the foundational unity of the Message of Christ, and our commitment to the mission of becoming more faithful servants of Christ in every generation, especially for those marginalized by institutional religion and society. Unity and mission are organically linked in the Body of Christ. We are nourished and sustained by the Logos, experienced in study, prayer and sacrament, and expressed in our service to the least of our sisters and brothers.
By these letters, let the intention of Christ’s Catholic Church be hereby known and accepted by the Affiliate Jurisdiction to enter into a Declaration of Common Faith, Purpose, and Intercommunion.
The purpose of this Declaration of Common Faith, Purpose, and Intercommunion is to work toward greater unity in response to the prayer of Jesus, “Et ut omnes unum sint” – that they might all be one. It intends to describe the relationship between two church bodies, and does not seek to define the Church or either jurisdiction, which are gifts of God’s grace. Neither jurisdiction seeks to remake the other in its own image, but each is open to the gifts of the other as it seeks to grow and understand the mission and purpose of Christ’s message.
By these letters each jurisdiction recognizes the other as a catholic church, holding the essentials of the Apostolic Tradition and possessing the fullness of their apostolic succession. This intercommunion agreement includes the establishment locally and nationally of recognized bodies of regular consultation and communication, including Episcopal and sacerdotal collegiality, to express and strengthen the fellowship and enable common witness, life and service of the Church. Diversity is preserved, but this diversity is not static.
I. Agreement of Doctrine of Faith
Recalling that it has always been creedal differences and personal disputes that were the major cause of division among Christians, we are a people who use the word “creed” with constraint.
We believe that God is calling us to be a faithful, growing ecumenical free catholic church that demonstrates true community, deep Christian spirituality and a passion for social justice. Our faith and beliefs as Catholics are rooted in the ancient Didache – the Apostolic Teachings of the Church, yet interpreted within the richness of the postmodern culture in which we live. Our beliefs are a living reflection of the nature and call of God. In that spirit, we offer the following “Confession of Faith” as one of many possible reflections of what it means to be a Free Catholic:
We trust in the One Living God, present in all reality, the Source of all creation and creativity. We experience this Creator God in a way that transcends hate, injustice, conflict, sickness and death. We recognize the True Presence of and work of the Living God throughout the entirety of creation.
We accept that Jesus is the Christ, the Child of the Living God and the manifestation of God’s healing, reconciliation, transformation, peace, love and justice.
We experience the presence of the Holy Spirit, as the dynamic action of the Living God, present in all of life and freely offering love, justice, peace, healing and life more abundantly to everyone.
We acknowledge that the Living God can be revealed through canonical and non-canonical writings, sometimes referred to as Holy Scripture, in church tradition, human reason, life experience, nature, music and in many forms of creative expression.
We affirm that the Spiritual Experience of a life of prayer, worship and spiritual nurture, of communion with God, and the eternal family of God, is central to becoming and sustaining the Commonwealth, sometimes translated as the Kingdom of God.
We share in the Unbroken Apostolic Tradition of preserving the best aspects of Christian wisdom and practice and of calling out particular people for service and leadership, for teaching and proclamation, for healing and justice, and for the ministry of sacraments.
We believe that everyone is called by God to gather together as a faith community, the One True Church, undivided by human boundaries, doctrines, organizational schemes, prejudices, languages and cultures, to share in the creation of God’s Commonwealth. This community, in Christian Tradition is also referred to as the Body of Christ, the collective presence of the living, resurrected Christ in the world.
We celebrate the Grace of the Sacraments, the visible, non-verbal, signs of God’s blessing of birth, rebirth, of joining in love, of reconciliation, of health and healing, of loving service, of transformation from death to life eternal, and all expressions of the of the presence and action of God in life and lives, and commit that they should freely and without qualification be made available to everyone.
We expect that the Living God will work through the Body of Christ and human creativity to transform life and culture into the Commonwealth of God, the manifestation of love, peace and justice.
We thank God for giving all people the right to the priesthood, and empowering each person with the ability to become God’s child, to directly experience God’s reconciliation, love and justice without any human intermediary or impediment. All Christians are called into ministry of healing, reconciliation, justice, worship and witnessing to the Good News of Christ.
We affirm the equality of every person in life, faith, sacrament and service, regardless of ability, sexuality or gender, appearance, culture, vocation or theological opinion. We recognize the four orders of the Priesthood: laity, deacons, presbyters and bishops all working together to manifest the Commonwealth of God.
We celebrate the eternal Cloud of Witnesses to the grace of God and the power of faith. These eternally living witnesses include Mary the Mother of Jesus and all the Holy Ones of the Church and God’s people throughout the ages.
We know that True Faith is simply trust in the reality of the living, loving God active in the world and experienced throughout human history, but particularly and uniquely in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, and it is not merely the ritual or intellectual acceptance of any particular creed, formula, dogma, or theology.
Above all we understand that the essence of God’s Law is: “‘Love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
II. Interchangeability of Clergy
Our jurisdictions declare that each believes the other to hold all the essentials of the Apostolic Tradition, although this does not require from either jurisdiction acceptance of all doctrinal formulations of the other. Ordained ministers serving occasionally or for an extended period, will require proper approval of the ordinary, abbot or abbess, or competent local superior of both the sending and receiving church, and will be expected to respect the internal disciplines and doctrines of the other’s church community and traditions of the local faith community at all times. Such ministers will be expected to preach, teach, and administer the sacraments in a manner that is consistent with that particular jurisdiction’s canon or constitution.
Ordained ministers from either church seeking long-term ministry, with primary responsibility in the other will be expected to apply for incardination with the other order, if it would better serve the needs of the faithful and the spiritual development of the minister to do so.
III. Collegial Consultation
Both churches authorize the establishment of a joint commission, fully accountable to the decision-making bodies of their respective jurisdictions, for the purpose of consultative discussion, to facilitate mutual support and advice as well as common decision-making through appropriate channels in fundamental matters of cooperative ministry.
IV. Whithorn School of Theology
Christ’s Catholic Church utilizes Whithorn School of Theology. Churches with which we enjoy intercommunion with have full access to the seminary for their seminarians/students and ordained for the purposes of initial and ongoing education.
V. Other Dialogues
This Declaration of Common Faith, Purpose, and Intercommunion is binding throughout Christ’s Catholic Church and its associate members but is limited in scope solely to the CCC. It does not imply or inaugurate any automatic communion between the CCC, and those churches with whom the associate jurisdiction is in relationship nor is the authority to enter into intercommunion on behalf of Christ’s Catholic Church vested in any body or persons outside of the Convening Bishops of the CCC.
Seeing through a glass dimly, we do not know to what new, recovered or continuing tasks of mission this declaration will lead our jurisdictions, but we give thanks to God for leading us to this point. We entrust ourselves to that leading Spirit in the future, confident that our communion will be a witness to the gift and goal already present in the Message of Christ for the Universal Church and all of Creation that we love one another and God with our entire beings.
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