Christian beliefs compared
What Christians Believe About the Church
Christians confess 'one holy catholic and apostolic church,' the body of Christ made up of all who belong to him. What they differ on is where authority in the church lies, how it is governed, and what makes a church truly the church.
What nearly all Christians hold
Every historic tradition confesses the church as the body of Christ, founded by him, one in him, and sent into the world. The Nicene Creed names its four marks: one, holy, catholic (universal), and apostolic.
Where the traditions differ
The church is one visible communion governed by the bishops in union with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, understood as the successor of Peter and the visible center of unity. Authority is handed down through apostolic succession.
The church is a communion of self-governing (autocephalous) churches, one in faith and in the Eucharist, led by bishops in council. The Patriarch of Constantinople is honored as first among equals, but the East does not accept universal papal jurisdiction.
Protestants hold that the true church is fundamentally the fellowship of all believers, united in the gospel rather than under one hierarchy. Its visible order varies: some keep bishops (Anglican, Methodist), some are governed by elders (Presbyterian), and some by the local congregation (Baptist, many nondenominational churches).
What remains genuinely disputed or open
The dividing questions are where final authority rests (the Pope, the councils of bishops, or Scripture over the church), whether apostolic succession is essential, what makes a church a true church, and how the visible and invisible church relate. These questions lie behind the great divisions of 1054 and the Reformation, and behind today's ecumenical efforts.
The source ladder
How the answer is weighed: from the highest and most shared authority down to the most contested.
- Scripture: Matthew 16, Ephesians, and Acts describe the church, its foundation on Christ and the apostles, and its shared life; they do not spell out one form of government.
- Ecumenical creeds: the Nicene Creed's four marks (one, holy, catholic, apostolic) are confessed by all.
- Tradition: Cyprian, the ecumenical councils, the East-West schism of 1054, and the Reformation are the decisive turns.
- Scholarship: the study of church order (ecclesiology) and modern ecumenical dialogue map where agreement and difference actually lie.
Beneath every difference, one Lord
Christians have argued long and hard over much of this, and the differences are real and worth understanding honestly. Yet on the thing that matters most they have always stood together: that God so loved the world he came among us in Jesus, died and rose for us, and calls everyone home. You do not have to settle every question to come to him. The Gospel of John is a gentle place to begin, and it costs you nothing but a little quiet and an honest look.
Read the Gospel of JohnWhat is the gospel?Ask for prayerJesus Christ is Lord.
Frequently asked questions
- What does 'one holy catholic and apostolic church' mean?
- These are the four marks of the church confessed in the Nicene Creed. 'Catholic' means universal, the whole church across all times and places, not the Roman Catholic Church specifically. All the traditions confess these marks, while understanding them differently.
- Do all Christians accept the Pope?
- No. Catholics hold the Pope as the successor of Peter and the visible head of the church. The Orthodox honor the Bishop of Rome historically but reject universal papal authority. Protestants do not recognize the papacy, holding Christ as the church's only head.
- What makes a church a 'true church'?
- Traditions answer differently: valid apostolic succession and communion with Rome (Catholic), communion in the true faith and Eucharist (Orthodox), or the faithful preaching of the gospel and right use of the sacraments (much of Protestantism).