THE REFORMED OLD CATHOLIC CHURCH
"If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me" Mt 16:24
GET TO KNOW US
"My job as a priest is to attract people to the the Community of Faith, not the Institutional Church..." —Fr Bob Scott
A number of baptised Faithful approached validly consecrated bishops and ordained clergy attached to the Independent Sacramental Movement (ISM) and asked if they would provide them with the Sacraments of the Church.
Those who were approached agreed to offer the Sacraments on a regular basis but needed to form a body within which to work. The Reformed Old Catholic Church was established in 2014.
In a world of uncertainty, so-called Christian organisations labelled as a 'Church' are popping up with alarming veracity. The Faithful are being blindly led by persuasive people, are then pouring thousands of dollars into these institutions all the while preaching contrary to the Word. What is perplexing and no one seems to be asking is: "where do these organisations and their people get their authority and who gave it to them?"
Apostolic Succession is the means by which Christ gave His authority to the Apostles (Mk. 6:7) who in turn passed that on to the Bishops, the Successors to the Apostles. It was to ensure that the teachings, doctrines and principles as taught by Our Lord continued in an unbroken succession. If scripture alone was to be the determining factor for the validity of a Church, any random could lay claim to Christian teachings and base their interpretation on vague scriptural texts. It would be a disaster!
Some may hold that Apostolic Succession is unscriptural, but so too is the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity. There is no mention specifically of a Trinity in scripture and yet it is taught to be a foundational principle of the Church which would not have been brought to light had it not been for the Council of Nicaea (AD 325) composed of bishops and clergy in the succession.
This is why Apostolic Succession is important to us. Our mission is to further the work of Christ without obstacles or interventions. May God help us to fulfill that with integrity - in spirit and in truth.
We are a Church that adheres to the traditional Sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Confession, Extreme Unction, Holy Ordination and Marriage) and desire to reach all people in need of Christ's saving grace. The majority of our membership is made up those who have been forced out of their own congregations and parishes or those who have left their own Faith unwillingly. Often those who are new to the Faith, at first, find us confusing - but after classes and a period of formation they then see the difference and happily join our small, international family.
The Bonn Agreement
We uphold to the spirit and general principles of the Bonn Agreement. Although it does not give an extensive description of theological principles on which participating Churches must agree and ascribe to, rather it describes a concise consensus by which each Church accepts the Catholicity and autonomy of the other. This is the foundation for full communion, but rests on the assumption that each Church maintain the essentials of the faith mainly the three marks of the Church but does not imply that each has to share all of each other Churches beliefs doctrines and sacramental practices. Whilst the Bonn agreement was not created for us, it compliments our spiritual philosophy and helps to foster ever closer Ecumenical relations.
For further reading on Who We Are? this booklet that explains our Faith simply: "What's The Difference. A Simple Explanation." can be an ideal guide for your spiritual walk.