Our Statement of Belief

An Ecumenical Christian Organisation

"There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." — Ephesians 4:4–6

Preamble

This Statement of Belief represents the shared confession of an ecumenical Christian organisation that gathers believers from Protestant, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox traditions. It is grounded in Holy Scripture and the great tradition of orthodox Christianity as expressed in the historic creeds, articulating what we together hold, what we together reject as heresy, and the areas in which we humbly recognise that faithful Christians hold differing convictions.

The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed of AD 381 is our shared statement of faith — the one confession that unites us all, and everything else in this document unfolds from it. What follows expands the faith the Creed proclaims (Part I), names the teachings that contradict it (Part II), and marks the questions the Creed leaves open, on which faithful Christians still differ (Part III).

This document does not seek to resolve every theological question that divides the church. Rather, it identifies the deep centre — the regula fidei or rule of faith — around which all orthodox Christians stand together, while marking with transparency and respect the questions on which this organisation takes no official position. This is a confession of the historic, creedal faith as it has been received across these traditions; it expresses what the great central stream of Christianity has held in common, and it does not attempt to speak for every contemporary movement that bears the Christian name. We hold fast to the ancient principle: in essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.

Our method is one of deference for the sake of unity. On the central truths of the faith we confess together the common ground that every tradition shares — stated simply, so that all may say "Amen." On the questions where faithful Christians have long differed, we make no ruling, but leave room for one another (see Part III). And where our traditions differ not in belief but in practice, we choose, out of respect for all, the path that every tradition can in good conscience stand under, rather than requiring any to act against its convictions. In the words of the Apostle, we seek to "become all things to all people" (1 Corinthians 9:22), so that nothing of our own making would divide what Christ has joined.

The boundaries of this statement are defined by the three early ecumenical councils received across all traditions here represented: the Council of Nicaea (AD 325), the First Council of Constantinople (AD 381), and the Council of Ephesus (AD 431), together with the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed — the shared symbol confessed by the whole Church, East and West — and the Apostles' Creed, the ancient baptismal confession of the Western Church. This organisation acknowledges that the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451) and subsequent councils are received differently across our traditions, and does not impose acceptance of Chalcedon as a condition of participation or orthodox standing.

The Creed, Unfolded

Every affirmation that follows is rooted in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. Each clause of the Creed has its home in these articles, so that what we confess together is simply the Creed, opened out:

The full text of the Creed, in its original 381 form, is given in the Closing Affirmation. The articles below also unfold the wider counsel of Scripture on matters the Creed assumes but does not spell out — grace and faith, sanctification, the Christian life, marriage, and the moral law — always within the bounds the Creed sets.

Part I: What We Affirm Together

1. The Holy Trinity

We believe in one God — eternally existing in three co-equal, co-eternal, co-substantial Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three Persons are one divine substance (ousia), neither divided nor confused. The Godhead of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.

The Father is the eternal source (arche) and fountain of the Godhead — unbegotten, the principle without principle. The Son is eternally begotten of the Father before all ages. The Holy Spirit proceeds eternally from the Father. We affirm the Trinitarian faith as expressed in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed of AD 381. That both the Eastern and Western traditions affirm the Father as the sole ultimate source (arche, monarchia) of the Godhead is a point of genuine agreement across all our traditions.

God is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. He is perfectly holy, perfectly just, perfectly merciful, and perfectly gracious. There is no place where He is absent, no knowledge that escapes Him, and no power that surpasses His.

With the Creed, we confess God as the Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. He created all that exists out of nothing, by His word and for His glory, and He declared it good. Everything that is — the seen world and the unseen realm of the angels alike — depends upon Him for its being and is upheld by Him. Creation is neither divine in itself nor an illusion to be escaped, but the good work of a good God.

Together we hold — There is one God, eternally Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Maker of all things visible and invisible; this is the foundation of all we believe.

2. The Person and Nature of Christ

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal, uncreated Son of God — the Logos who was "in the beginning with God" and through whom "all things were made" (John 1:1–3). He is the only being who pre-existed His Incarnation, as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, begotten of the Father before all ages. He is not a created being; He is truly God of truly God, begotten not made, of one substance (homoousios) with the Father.

At the Incarnation, the eternal Son took on a complete and genuine human nature — a rational soul and a true human body — being born of the Virgin Mary, yet without sin. He is not a mere human being inspired by God, nor God appearing only to be human. He is the one Lord Jesus Christ: fully and truly divine, and fully and truly human, the divine and human united without the human being diminished, absorbed, or set aside.

With the Council of Ephesus and the whole historic Church, we confess the Virgin Mary as Theotokos, the God-bearer. This is first and foremost a confession about her Son: because the one born of her is none other than the eternal Son of God, she is rightly called the Mother of God incarnate. The title safeguards the unity of the one divine Person of Christ, and we receive it as Christological truth.

We acknowledge that the precise theological formulation of this mystery — whether expressed in the language of the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451) or in the Miaphysite Christological language of St Cyril of Alexandria as received by the Oriental Orthodox churches — has been the subject of centuries of careful dialogue. The Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches concluded that "both families have always loyally maintained the same authentic Orthodox Christological faith". We receive this convergence with joy, and affirm together: Jesus Christ is one Lord, fully divine and fully human, without mixture or confusion of the divine and human, and without any division of His one Person. Oriental Orthodox Christians — Coptic, Ethiopian, Armenian Apostolic, Syriac, Eritrean, and Malankara — stand within the bounds of this shared Christological confession.

Together we hold — Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, one undivided Person, our one Lord and Saviour.

3. The Death and Resurrection of Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ was crucified under Pontius Pilate, truly died, and was buried. He rose bodily from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, appeared to His disciples, and ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He now intercedes for His people.

The death of Christ is the final and sufficient atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world — the once-for-all offering by which God reconciles sinners to Himself. Through His death and resurrection, the believer is united with Christ: dying to the old self and rising to new life (Romans 6:1–11). This union with Christ is at the very heart of Christian salvation. Christ's resurrection was not merely spiritual but bodily — the first-fruits of the general resurrection of the dead, vindicating His person and His work, and declaring that death itself has been defeated.

Together we hold — Christ truly died for our sins and truly rose again; this is the centre of our hope.

4. The Final Work of Christ

We believe that Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and that His kingdom shall have no end. The Last Judgment is the culmination of history, in which all human beings will give account before God. Those who have trusted in Christ will receive eternal life with God; those who have finally and freely rejected Him will know the eternal loss of that life — an estrangement from the joy of communion with God that is the dreadful consequence of refusing His love. We affirm the reality of heaven and hell as real and eternal states of being.

We believe that in His death and resurrection, Christ fulfilled the Mosaic Law — not abolishing it but completing its purpose — and established a New Covenant in His blood (Matthew 5:17; Hebrews 9:12–14). The entire law finds its fulfilment (telos) in Christ.

Together we hold — Christ will come again to judge the world and reign forever, and in Him is our hope beyond death.

5. The Grace, Justice, and Mercy of God

We believe that the grace of God is His entirely undeserved and freely given love and favour toward sinners. Grace is not a reward for human effort or moral achievement; it is God's own initiative, reaching toward humanity before and apart from any human deserving. Every good thing in the Christian life — repentance, faith, love, perseverance — flows from this grace as its source and sustaining power. Nothing in salvation originates in human will or human goodness; it originates in God alone.

We affirm the justice of God: that He is perfectly holy and perfectly righteous, and that sin is not overlooked or trivialised but answered — fully and finally — in the saving work of His Son. And we affirm the mercy of God: that in His incarnation, death, and resurrection, Christ has done for us what we could never do for ourselves — offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin, reconciling us to the Father, conquering death and the powers of evil, and healing and restoring our broken human nature — so that all who come to God through Him find welcome, forgiveness, and new life. The Church has confessed the riches of this one saving work in many complementary ways: as sacrifice and reconciliation, as ransom and victory over death, as the satisfaction of divine justice, and as the healing and re-creation of humanity. We hold these together, glorying in the cross and the empty tomb, without binding the conscience to any single theory of how the atonement works.

Together we hold — Salvation is the free gift of God's grace, accomplished by Christ and offered to all.

6. The Fallen Condition of Humanity

We believe that all human beings have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The human person has been profoundly affected by the fall — in mind, will, desires, and body — such that no one is capable of the perfect love of God that His holiness requires, and no one is capable of saving themselves.

We hold this truth with pastoral precision: it does not mean that every human being is as corrupt as they could possibly be, or that human beings are incapable of kindness, love, or moral goodness toward one another. What it means is that every part of the human person has been touched by sin's corruption, and that we stand in need of God's grace at every point. We are not sinners merely because we sin; we sin because we exist in a condition of fallenness from which only God can deliver us.

Importantly, our traditions hold different accounts of how this condition relates to guilt and inheritance. Western traditions (Catholic and most Protestant) speak of original sin as involving both inherited corruption and inherited guilt before God. Eastern Orthodox theology speaks of ancestral sin — affirming that all people inherit the mortality, weakness, and tendency to sin that flows from Adam's fall, while holding that personal guilt attaches to one's own actual sins, not to Adam's. Both traditions affirm alike that the human condition is one of deep need, that all have sinned, and that salvation is entirely dependent on the grace of God in Christ. We hold these together without seeking to adjudicate their precise formulation.

This is not a counsel of despair. It is the honest diagnosis that makes the gospel genuinely good news: God, in Christ, has done for us what we could never do for ourselves.

Together we hold — Every one of us has sinned and needs the grace of God; none can save themselves.

7. Salvation and Faith

We believe that a person comes to God through faith in Jesus Christ — trusting in His person, His death for sin, and His resurrection. This faith is not merely intellectual agreement with facts about Christ; it is a living trust and personal reliance on Christ as Lord and Saviour. This faith is itself a gift, awakened in the heart by the grace of God; it is not generated by human will alone, yet it is genuinely ours, embraced and lived out as we cooperate with the grace that calls us (Romans 10:17; Ephesians 2:8–9).

"Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6). Faith comes through hearing, and hearing through the Word of God (Romans 10:17); the preaching and proclamation of God's Word is therefore essential to the mission of the Church. We also confess that God works His grace within us through the life of His Church — through the sacraments or ordinances He has given, through prayer, through the fellowship of believers, and through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit — so that faith is awakened, nourished, and brought to maturity.

Together we hold — We come to God through living faith in Jesus Christ, awakened and sustained by His grace.

8. Good Works and the Fruit of Faith

We affirm, with the whole of Scripture, that good works are the necessary fruit of genuine faith — not its root, and never its cause. A living faith will always produce love, obedience, and care for one's neighbour (James 2:17; Ephesians 2:10).

To be clear on both sides: works do not earn salvation, do not contribute to obtaining salvation by human merit apart from grace, and are not a ladder by which one climbs to God's favour. But the absence of any good works is a serious sign that something is wrong with the faith claimed — for a dead tree produces no fruit.

To put it plainly: we are not saved by works of our own devising; we are saved for good works, and unto good works. "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10). The good works of the Christian life are not a means of earning God's acceptance but the natural overflow of a life genuinely transformed by His grace.

We equally reject both errors: the error of works-righteousness — the idea that human effort apart from grace earns or maintains one's standing before God — and the error of antinomianism — the idea that those who are saved have no ongoing obligation to grow in love, holiness, and obedience to God.

Together we hold — Genuine faith always bears the fruit of love and good works.

9. Ongoing Sanctification

We believe in the ongoing sanctification of the believer: those who are united to Christ are progressively transformed by the Holy Spirit into the likeness of Christ throughout their lives. This is not a second salvation, nor is it the believer adding works to their standing before God. Rather, it is the same grace that saves, now at work within the believer to produce genuine change of heart, mind, and life.

"Work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12) does not mean work for your salvation; the very next verse clarifies: "for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose" (Philippians 2:13). The believer is not manufacturing salvation but living out what God is accomplishing within them.

Sanctification is lifelong; it is the normal condition of the Christian life, not an optional extra. Humility — the posture of a person who knows they are wholly dependent on God's grace at every moment — is a foundational Christian virtue, and the condition in which growth in holiness is possible.

Together we hold — God is at work in every believer, making us more like Christ throughout our lives.

10. The Security and Perseverance of the Believer

We believe that God is faithful, and that those who are genuinely united to Christ are held by His power. The promise of Scripture is clear: "neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come... will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38–39).

We acknowledge that our traditions hold different theological accounts of how this promise is best understood — whether as the unconditional eternal security of the elect (as most Reformed and many evangelical Protestants affirm), or as the steadfast faithfulness of God to those who remain and persevere in His grace (as Catholic, Orthodox, and Arminian traditions affirm). All our traditions agree that God is faithful; all agree that the Christian life calls for perseverance, watchfulness, and continued trust. We hold the promise of God's faithfulness together, while taking no official position on its precise theological formulation (see Part III).

Together we hold — God is faithful, and He holds fast all who trust in Him.

11. The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and is the Spirit of Truth, who inspired the prophets and apostles, who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and who indwells, seals, and sanctifies all who believe.

We affirm the active and ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers and the Church. The Spirit gifts the Body of Christ for ministry and service. We affirm that signs and wonders can and do occur according to the Lord's sovereign will, and that the Spirit can work through a believer to give a timely word of encouragement that is grounded in and consistent with Holy Scripture. We affirm that Christians, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, cannot be possessed by demonic forces, though they may experience spiritual oppression (that is, external demonic attack and influence from without). The indwelling Holy Spirit is greater than any opposing power (1 John 4:4), and the full armour of God is given for this spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:10–18).

Together we hold — The Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, dwells in and empowers all who believe.

12. The Active Work of the Holy Spirit Through the Arts

We believe that the Holy Spirit actively works through the creative arts as a medium of encounter with God, proclamation of truth, and the formation of the community of faith. The arts hold a legitimate and honoured place within the life of the Church and the individual believer.

Human creativity is grounded in the doctrine of the Imago Dei: that God created human beings in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:27). God's first self-revelation in Scripture is as Creator — "In the beginning, God created" — and to bear the image of God is to share, finitely and reflectively, in God's creativity, imagination, and productive power. The goodness of creation and the goodness of human creativity are therefore inseparable from a proper theology of God as Creator. Music, visual art, poetry, literature, drama, and craft are not peripheral to Christian life; they are expressions of faithful stewardship of the Imago Dei, integral to worship, witness, and the formation of the Christian soul.

Together we hold — Made in the image of a creative God, we offer our art to His glory.

13. Holy Scripture

We believe that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired and authoritative Word of God, trustworthy and true in all that they teach for our salvation. All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

We read the Scriptures according to their genre, literary form, and historical context, attentive to the unity of the whole canon, illumined by the Holy Spirit, and interpreted within the living community of the Church with the mind of the Church and the witness of the Fathers — never in isolation from the whole body of faith. Where Scripture uses poetry, it is to be read as poetry; where it uses history, as history; where it uses apocalyptic imagery, as apocalyptic — always with care, and always within community.

We affirm that the Holy Scriptures hold a place of unique and pre-eminent authority in the life of the Church, and that the community of the Church and her tradition have a vital role in the faithful reading and application of the Word. We acknowledge that our traditions hold differing accounts of the precise relationship between Scripture and Holy Tradition — whether Holy Tradition carries an authority coordinate with Scripture, or whether Scripture holds a position of unique primacy — and on this we take no official position (see Part III). What we hold in common is that Holy Scripture is received not as the private possession of the individual reader, but as the Word of God, read and rightly understood within the community of faith and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Together we hold — The Holy Scriptures are the inspired Word of God, our trustworthy guide, read within the community of faith.

14. Baptism

We believe that baptism is a holy rite instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19), in which a person is identified with Christ in His death and resurrection, confesses faith in the Triune God, and is received as a member of the Body of Christ (Romans 6:3–4). Through baptism the believer is publicly marked as belonging to Christ and to His Church.

We confess with the Nicene Creed: "We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins". We recognise that our traditions hold differing theological accounts of what occurs in baptism — some understanding it as a sacrament in which God acts to convey grace; others as a holy ordinance in which the believer publicly declares an inward faith already received. Both affirm that baptism is a genuine and important act of obedience and initiation, commanded by Christ himself, and not something trivial or optional.

We receive as a fellow Christian any person who has been baptised in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, or who is actively being led toward baptism and has not rejected it.

Together we hold — Baptism is Christ's command and gift, the sign of belonging to Him, for every Christian.

15. Holy Communion

We believe that the Lord's Supper — known variously as Holy Communion, the Eucharist, the Mass, the Divine Liturgy, or the Lord's Table — is a holy rite instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ on the night of His betrayal (1 Corinthians 11:23–26). In it, the Church proclaims His death until He comes, gives thanks for His life given for the world, and anticipates the feast of His coming Kingdom.

We affirm that the Lord's Supper is a solemn and joyful act of corporate worship, central to the ongoing life of the gathered community. The Lord is truly present with His people at His table. We take no official position on the precise theological account of how Christ is present in or through the elements — whether understood as transubstantiation, the real presence, or a spiritual and covenantal partaking — recognising that this is among the questions on which our traditions faithfully differ. What we affirm together is that the Supper is never merely a formality, and that it is to be received with reverence, self-examination, and gratitude.

Together we hold — The Lord's Supper is Christ's gift to His Church; in it we proclaim His death until He comes.

16. The Nature and Mission of the Church

We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church — the ecclesia, the whole gathering of all who have been called out by Christ and gathered to Him across every time and place (1 Peter 2:9). The Church is the Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ, and the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Belonging to Christ means belonging to His Body — not as an optional addition to personal faith, but as an inseparable dimension of it. Personal faith and corporate community are not alternatives; they are two aspects of one Christian life. We reject the idea that being a Christian is a purely private transaction between the soul and God in which the gathered community of believers is unnecessary. At the same time, we fully affirm that personal faith — the individual soul's trust in Jesus Christ — is real, indispensable, and irreplaceable.

We believe that the Church is called to active partnership with the Holy Spirit in bringing people to repentance, faith, and the fullness of Christian life — through proclamation, sacrament and ordinance, prayer, acts of mercy, and the witness of the community. We affirm the importance of the believer's personal devotion: prayer, Scripture reading, examination of conscience, and a life of ongoing growth.

Servant leadership — after the pattern of Christ who came not to be served but to serve and give His life (Mark 10:45) — is the shape of all Christian ministry.

Together we hold — To belong to Christ is to belong to His Church, His one Body across all time and place.

17. Confession and Repentance

We believe in the examination of conscience, the honest acknowledgment of sin before God, and genuine contrition. We affirm confession — whether made directly to God, to an ordained minister, or to a trusted Christian brother or sister — as a vital practice of Christian life, enabling restoration, accountability, and renewed communion with God and neighbour.

We take seriously James 5:16: "Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed." Repentance is not a one-off event at the beginning of Christian life; it is an ongoing posture of the Christian who takes God's holiness seriously and who knows their own weakness. Ongoing repentance is not a sign of incomplete salvation, but of genuine, living faith.

Together we hold — We are a people of ongoing repentance, honest about sin and restored by God's mercy.

18. Marriage, Sexuality, and the Body

We believe that God created human beings as male and female — a distinction established at creation, expressing the wisdom and goodness of God (Genesis 1:27). We affirm the holiness of God-given biological sex and the goodness of both sexes as complementary expressions of humanity.

We believe that marriage is a holy covenant between one man and one woman, reflecting the relationship between Christ and His Church (Ephesians 5:25–32). The gift of marriage and the gift of holy singleness are both honoured before God as vocations of faithfulness, neither being superior to the other.

We hold that human sexuality is a gift from God, given to be expressed within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman. We affirm traditional Christian sexual morality as the expression of the unchanging mind of God on what is holy, grounded in both Natural Law and the witness of Scripture.

We hold that the human person is a unity of body and soul, and that our identity is not merely a matter of inward self-perception but is given with the body that God has made. The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19–20); it is not incidental to who we are but integral to it, hallowed by the One who Himself became flesh in the Incarnation. We therefore receive our created maleness and femaleness as a gift to be honoured rather than a reality to be overcome, and we extend the compassion of Christ to all who wrestle with these questions, holding truth and love together as He did.

We affirm the full and equal dignity and worth of men and women: both bear the same Imago Dei, both stand equally before God, and both are equally loved, redeemed, and called. We honour the indispensable service of women throughout the history of God's people and across every part of the life of this community.

Concerning who brings the spoken word in our gatherings, we adopt a practice not as a judgement upon the gifts or calling of women, but out of respect for all the traditions we gather, so that no member of any tradition is given cause to stumble. At our public events, the delivering of the spoken message or sermon from the platform is undertaken by a man — the practice that can be received in good conscience across every tradition we serve. The public reading of Scripture and the leading of prayer may be undertaken by women and men alike. In our internal gatherings, such as rehearsals and team times, a woman may also bring and teach a message from the Scriptures. We hold this as a deliberate deference for the sake of unity, in the spirit of becoming all things to all people (1 Corinthians 9:22) — honouring those who order their own communities differently, and trusting one another's love for Christ. (The wider question of ordination, on which the traditions differ, is addressed in Part III.)

Together we hold — Men and women are equal in dignity before God, made male and female by Him, and marriage is His good and holy gift.

19. The Sanctity of Life

We believe in the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every human being, without exception, bears the Imago Dei and possesses irreducible dignity and worth — not derived from ability, productivity, age, health, or social standing, but from being made by and in the image of God. While this organisation does not pronounce on specific political decisions as such, we will speak clearly on laws and policies that bear upon the protection and definition of the sanctity of life, because these are not merely political matters but matters of who God declares precious.

We affirm the mystery of God's hand in disability — that vulnerability, limitation, and difference are woven into His purposes, not as problems to be solved but as gifts to be received. The person with disability is fully a bearer of the divine image and a full member of the Body of Christ, from whom the whole Church has much to receive and learn.

Together we hold — Every human life bears God's image and is precious, from conception to natural death.

20. The Resurrection of the Dead and Eternal Life

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead. At the final coming of Christ, all who have died will rise bodily, and all people will give account before the judgment seat of God. We affirm the reality of heaven — eternal life in the joy and presence of God — and of hell — the eternal condition of those who finally refuse that communion — as real and distinct states. These are not metaphors; they are real and ultimate. The resurrection hope transforms Christian living in the present: we do not grieve as those without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Together we hold — We await the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

21. The Ten Commandments and the Moral Law

We believe that the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–17) express the moral will of God and remain instructive for the Christian life, even as Christ fulfils and transcends the Mosaic law. They are not a ladder by which one climbs to God but a mirror by which one sees one's need of Him, and a guide for those who have been saved and seek to love God and neighbour. Jesus summarised them as love of God and love of neighbour (Matthew 22:37–40).

We affirm the Sabbath as a principle of holy rest and set-apart time for God — a rhythm of worship and restoration built into the fabric of creation and given for human flourishing. The specific day or mode of Sabbath observance is a matter on which we take no official position (see Part III).

Together we hold — God's moral law, summed up in love of God and neighbour, guides the Christian life.

22. Traditional Morality and Natural Law

We believe that God's moral character is unchanging, and that what God declares holy does not shift with culture or the passage of time. The Church is called to speak the truth in love — neither bending God's word to fit the spirit of the age, nor delivering truth without the compassion of Christ. We affirm traditional Christian morality as the consistent witness of the Church across its many traditions.

We affirm Natural Law: the conviction that God has written a moral order into creation itself — knowable through reason, conscience, and experience, and confirmed and clarified by Scripture. This natural moral order is not merely a Christian invention; it is the structure of a world made by a personal and holy God, accessible in principle to all human beings.

Together we hold — God's goodness and truth do not change with the times.

23. The New Covenant and the Kingdom of God

We believe that Jesus Christ has inaugurated the New Covenant in His blood (Luke 22:20), fulfilling the promises of the Old Testament and establishing a new and living way of access to the Father. The Church is called to embody and advance the Kingdom of God — already inaugurated in Christ's coming, not yet fully consummated, and growing until His return. This calling encompasses proclamation, acts of mercy, justice, care for the vulnerable, and the patient establishment of God's shalom in every sphere of human life.

Together we hold — In Christ, God has made a new covenant, and we live to see His Kingdom come.

24. Angels, Demons, and Spiritual Warfare

We believe in the existence of angels as real, personal spiritual beings who serve God and minister to His people (Hebrews 1:14). We believe in the reality of demonic forces — spiritual beings in rebellion against God — and that spiritual warfare is a genuine dimension of the Christian life (Ephesians 6:12).

Christians cannot be possessed by demonic spirits. To be possessed means a demonic spirit has seized control of the will of a person from within; this is impossible for one indwelt by the Holy Spirit, for greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Christians may, however, experience oppression — external demonic attack, harassment, or influence — and for this the full armour of God, prayer, Scripture, the community of believers, and the sacraments/ordinances of the Church are provided.

Together we hold — The spiritual world is real, and in Christ we have victory over every dark power.

25. Creation as Reminder of God

Building on our confession of God as Maker of all things (Article 1), we believe that the created world continuously bears witness to its Creator. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork" (Psalm 19:1). Creation is not divine, but it is the good work of a personal God who declares it good. The beauty, order, complexity, and grandeur of the natural world are invitations to worship, wonder, and gratitude. A wholistic approach to Christian faith attends to creation with reverence and care, seeing in it the ongoing signature of its Maker.

Together we hold — All creation declares the glory of God and calls us to worship.

26. Giving, Generosity, and Stewardship

We believe that giving and generosity are expressions of worship, gratitude, and trust in God. The Christian life is one of stewardship — of time, talent, and treasure held not as absolute possessions but as gifts entrusted by God, to be used for His glory and the good of others. We affirm that the generous life is an essential fruit of genuine Christian faith, and that the Church is called to model radical generosity toward the world, after the example of God who gave His only Son.

Together we hold — Everything we have is God's gift, held in trust and shared in generosity.

27. The Cross, Suffering, and Persecution

We believe that the Christian life involves taking up one's cross and denying oneself, following Christ in the way of sacrificial love (Mark 8:34). This phrase is frequently misunderstood as simply bearing life's inconveniences or hardships with patience. What Jesus meant was more radical: the cross in His day signified death. To take up one's cross means a willingness to surrender one's agenda, comfort, safety, reputation, and rights to the will of God — counting these things as nothing compared to knowing and following Christ. It is the daily dying to the self-centred life, and the daily rising to a Christ-centred one.

God is actively at work in suffering, bringing forth purposes of purification, solidarity, witness, and transformation. The Church has always faced, and will continue to face, trials, tribulation, and persecution — especially in the end times. We hold these realities not with despair but with the eschatological hope of Christ's ultimate and certain victory.

Together we hold — To follow Christ is to take up our cross, trusting Him through every trial.

28. Christian Responsibility and Submission

We believe in the responsibility of Christians to order their lives, families, and households with faithfulness, integrity, and care. We affirm respect for godly leadership and those in authority, while maintaining that all human authority is accountable to God and must be exercised for the good of those entrusted to it, not the self-interest of those who hold it.

We affirm truth spoken in love as the standard of Christian communication — neither compromising conviction nor abandoning compassion, but integrating both, as Christ exemplified. We affirm the responsibility of Christians for their own lives and families as a genuine Christian calling (1 Timothy 5:8).

Together we hold — We are called to live with integrity, speaking the truth in love.

29. The Historic Creeds

We receive and affirm the following historic creeds as authoritative expressions of the apostolic faith:

• The Apostles' Creed — the ancient baptismal confession of the Western Church (Catholic and Protestant), a faithful summary of apostolic teaching; the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox confess the same apostolic faith principally through the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.
• The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (AD 381) — the ecumenical creed of the undivided Church, defining the Trinity and the Person of Christ, received by all traditions represented in this organisation.
• The Chalcedonian Definition (AD 451) — received as authoritative by Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and most Protestant traditions; honoured with respect by this organisation, with the acknowledgment that Oriental Orthodox churches confess the same Christological substance through their Miaphysite tradition rooted in St Cyril of Alexandria.
• The Athanasian Creed — a comprehensive Western exposition of Trinitarian and Christological orthodoxy, formally received by Catholic and most Protestant traditions. It is not formally received by the Eastern or Oriental Orthodox churches — in part because its text includes the Filioque ("proceeding from the Father and the Son") and strong clauses concerning the necessity of holding the faith for salvation. It is offered here as a valued theological resource rather than as a creed binding upon all members.

The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed defines the boundaries of Christian orthodoxy as this community understands them. Confession of its content is the touchstone by which this organisation discerns the bounds of the faith it holds in common.

Together we hold — We stand with the whole Church in confessing the faith of the ancient creeds.

Part II: What We Reject — Heresies

This community confesses with the historic Church that certain teachings, while claiming the name of Christian, depart so fundamentally from the apostolic faith as to place their adherents outside the bounds of orthodox Christianity. We name and reject the following:

Arianism — the teaching that the Son of God is a created being, subordinate to and of a different substance from the Father. We confess with the Nicene Creed that the Son is "begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father".

Nestorianism — the teaching that Christ is two separate persons, a divine Son and a human Jesus, rather than one divine Person who is fully divine and fully human.

Eutychianism / strict Monophysitism — the teaching that Christ has only one nature in which the divine absorbed or replaced the human, so that His humanity is unreal or incomplete. This is to be carefully distinguished from the Miaphysite position of Oriental Orthodoxy, which affirms a genuine composite nature preserving both full divinity and full humanity.

Modalism (Sabellianism) — the teaching that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not distinct eternal Persons but merely three sequential modes or masks of a single divine actor.

Pelagianism — the teaching that human beings can achieve righteousness before God by their own natural will and effort, without the necessity of divine grace.

Gnosticism and Docetism — the denial of the goodness of the material creation, and the denial of the bodily reality of Christ's Incarnation, death, and resurrection.

Universalism that denies Final Judgment — the teaching that all human beings will be saved regardless of their response to God's grace, in a way that nullifies the seriousness of sin and the necessity of faith in Christ.

(The opposite errors of works-righteousness and antinomianism — that human effort apart from grace earns salvation, or that the saved have no call to holiness — are likewise rejected, and are addressed in Article 8.)

We also recognise that certain movements, while using Christian language, depart from the Trinitarian and Christological faith of the historic creeds and so cannot be regarded as standing within the bounds of orthodox Christianity. This is said not in a spirit of contempt, but in fidelity to the apostolic faith and with love for all who hold these views:

• teachings that deny the one eternal, uncreated Trinity — for example, the view that God is a created, finite, or exalted being (as in the theology of the Latter-day Saints);
• teachings that deny the full and eternal deity of Christ or the personhood of the Holy Spirit (as in the theology of the Jehovah's Witnesses);
• syncretistic spiritualities that blend Christian language with pantheism, karma, reincarnation, or occult practice, which are incompatible with the God revealed in Scripture and confessed in the Creeds.

Part III: Areas in Which We Take No Official Position

This community holds with humility and charity that there are significant theological questions on which faithful, orthodox Christians across our traditions hold varying and legitimate convictions. This organisation does not prescribe or adjudicate official positions on the following. It is acknowledged that individuals in this community, including those in leadership, may hold personal views on many of these matters.

The Filioque — Whether the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone (Eastern and Oriental Orthodox position) or from the Father and the Son (Western Catholic and most Protestant position). All our traditions affirm the Father as the eternal source and fountain (arche) of the Godhead, and all affirm the Spirit's full divine personhood and coeternal glory. The Nicene Creed in this document is quoted in its original conciliar form — "who proceeds from the Father" — which is the text received by the undivided Church.

The Security of the Believer — Whether the assurance of salvation is best expressed as unconditional eternal security (Reformed/evangelical Protestant) or as the faithful perseverance of those who remain in God's grace (Catholic, Orthodox, Arminian). All traditions affirm God's faithfulness and the call to perseverance (see Article 10 above).

The Extent of the Biblical Canon — Which books belong to Holy Scripture. The traditions receive differing canons: the shorter canon of sixty-six books received in the Protestant traditions, and the larger canons — including the deuterocanonical or anagignoskomena books — received in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, together with differing views of the authority of the disputed books.

Calvinism and Arminianism — The question of the precise relationship between divine sovereignty and human freedom in salvation — including questions of election, predestination, and the nature of grace.

The Age of the Earth and Creation — Questions of the relationship between Scripture and natural history, including the interpretation of Genesis 1–11 and the age of the universe.

The Parallel Authority of Scripture and Tradition — Whether Holy Tradition carries an authority coordinate with Scripture (as Catholic and Orthodox traditions affirm) or whether Scripture holds a position of unique primacy (as most Protestant traditions affirm).

Speaking in Tongues as Evidence of Spirit-Baptism — Whether glossolalia is the necessary initial evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit.

The Number of the Sacraments (Mysteries) — Whether there are two sacraments or ordinances (as most Protestant traditions hold — Baptism and the Lord's Supper) or seven mysteries (as the Catholic and Orthodox traditions hold — Baptism, Chrismation/Confirmation, the Eucharist, Confession, Ordination, Marriage, and the Anointing of the Sick), together with the precise sense in which each is understood.

The Office of the Priesthood — Whether ordained ministry constitutes a mediating sacerdotal priesthood (Catholic/Orthodox) or is understood primarily within the priesthood of all believers (Protestant). This organisation affirms both the universal priestly access of all believers to God through Christ and the distinct honour and function of ordained ministry.

The Ordination of Women in the Wider Church — Whether the churches should ordain women to the priesthood or pastoral office is held differently across the traditions: the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches reserve ordination to men, while many Anglican, Protestant, and Pentecostal churches ordain women and receive their full preaching and teaching ministry. As an arts organisation and not a church, this body does not ordain and takes no position on that question for the churches. Out of respect for all the traditions we gather, our own practice for the delivering of messages, the reading of Scripture, and prayer at our events is described in Article 18.

Baptism of Infants — Whether baptism is administered to infants of believing parents (paedo-baptism) or reserved for professing believers (believer's baptism).

Apostolic Succession — Whether valid ministry requires an unbroken chain of episcopal ordination traceable to the apostles.

Absolution by a Priest — Whether an ordained priest has authority to pronounce absolution as a declarative act of the Church, or whether confession to a fellow believer involves only the declaration of forgiveness that God has already granted.

Indulgences — The Catholic teaching regarding the treasury of merit and the remission of temporal punishment for sin.

Purgatory — Whether there is an intermediate state of purification for believers before final glory.

Veneration of Saints — Whether prayer directed toward the saints is a legitimate devotional practice, and the distinction between latria (worship due to God alone) and dulia (veneration of saints).

The Dormition, Assumption, and Immaculate Conception of Mary — Doctrines formally defined within the Catholic tradition (and, in the case of the Dormition, held in the East) but not universally received across our traditions.

The Precise Manner of Christ's Presence in Holy Communion — Whether understood as transubstantiation, real presence, spiritual presence, or a covenantal memorial.

Specific Feast Days and Liturgical Calendar — The observance of specific saints' days and liturgical seasons beyond the central feasts of Christ.

The Specific Day of Sabbath Observance — Whether the Lord's Day is to be observed on Saturday or Sunday, and the theological account of how the Christian Sabbath relates to the Old Testament Sabbath.

Divorce and Separation in Specific Pastoral Cases — While affirming the permanence of marriage as the ideal and norm, specific pastoral situations require wisdom, mercy, and careful discernment that goes beyond universal prescription.

Venial and Mortal Sins — The Catholic moral-theological distinction between different categories of sin and their spiritual consequences.

Specific Metaphorical vs. Literal Readings of Individual Texts — Where Scripture's literary genre is genuinely debated, this community affirms reading in accordance with literary convention, without prescribing one hermeneutical conclusion over another.

Iconography and Statuary in Worship — Whether visual art in sacred space constitutes legitimate devotional practice or inadmissible idolatry — a question on which our traditions have centuries of differing, principled views.

Style and Form of Worship — This community affirms the full spectrum of Christian worship traditions — liturgical and non-liturgical, contemplative and charismatic, ancient and contemporary — and does not prescribe a single form as normative.

Specific Social Constructs of Dress — Apart from the general Christian principles of modesty, dignity, and care for the conscience of others within one's specific community, this organisation does not prescribe dress codes corresponding to cultural convention, while honouring the particular sensitivities of communities within it.

Church and State — The structural or legal relationship between religious institutions and civil government, except to affirm that the Church's first allegiance is always to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom.

Geopolitics — This organisation does not issue pronouncements on specific international political disputes or alignments.

The Validity of Specific Ministries — This organisation does not pronounce on the validity or practices of specific Christian ministries, except where those ministries contradict the Trinitarian faith, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, or other articles of the Nicene Creed.

Closing Affirmation

The following is the text of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed in its original conciliar form — without the Filioque addition — being the text received by all traditions represented in this organisation, East and West, and the common confession of the undivided Church:

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us and for our salvation He came down from heaven; He became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried. The third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the Son He is worshipped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen.

In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.

This document is a living confession, to be held with faith, humility, and ongoing submission to the Holy Spirit's guidance within the community of believers.