Continuing church

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Continuing Churches are often numerically small denominations that formed from disputes within a larger parent organization. The ‘continuing’ organisations may be old or the split between the parent Church and the Continuing Church may be recent.

1 Terminology
2 Examples of Continuing Churches
3 Apostolic succession
4 Theology
5 References

[edit] Terminology

The term, Continuing Church, has been used by a number of Christian denominations formed in response to a variety of doctrinal disagreements between members . The use of this term is meant to suggest that no new doctrines were being promoted by the dissenters, but rather that the historic faith allegedly abandoned by the parent body was being preserved--or continued--in these newly-founded churches.

[edit] Examples of Continuing Churches

Examples of Continuing Churches include the Free Church of England (1844), Presbyterian Church in America (1973), Continuing Anglican Movement (1977), Reformed Presbyterian Church General Assembly (1991), the Episcopal Missionary Church (1992), and the Free Church of Scotland (continuing) (2000). In the USA, the ordination of women beginning in the 1970s played a major part in the formation of a number of Continuing Churches.

In Australia, Continuing Churches were formed by members of each of the three denominations that merged to form the Uniting Church in Australia in 1977, and one of these, the Presbyterian Church of Australia, was formally created by the Basis of Union. Others included the Fellowship of Congregational Churches and the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia.

[edit] Apostolic succession

Continuing Churches with a Catholic or Anglican tradition often find it difficult to manage the initial separation in that there are few examples of Anglicans or Roman Catholics who have passed on valid Apostolic succession. ‘Continuing Churches’ often approach English speaking Old Catholics to obtain Apostolic Succession and to place themselves within the historic episcopacy. This means that although such groups have an outward display of Anglicanism they have Apostolic Succession through Arnold Harris Matthew or Bishop De Landas Berghes

A review of the web sites of Anglican Continuing Churches confirms that there are few such Churches that publicly acknowledge their Old Catholic or Independent Catholic history. The reason for this failure to disclose their Apostolic Succession is unclear.

[edit] Theology

‘Continuing Churches’ are frequently less tolerant than the parent Church and claim that they hold on to a ‘purist’ position. The separation of the ‘continuing’ Church from the parent body often leads to a position of conflict between the two organisations.