What are the different "Marks of the Church" of Christian denominations?

score:3

Accepted answer

Every mark of every church is potentially a tall order. I'll count the major branches as Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Reformed.

Lutherans say that "The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered" (Augsburg Confession, Article VII).

Roman Catholics say that "'This is the sole Church of Christ, which in the Creed we profess to be one, holy, catholic and apostolic.' These four characteristics, inseparably linked with each other, indicate essential features of the Church and her mission. The Church does not possess them of herself; it is Christ who, through the Holy Spirit, makes his Church one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, and it is he who calls her to realize each of these qualities." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 811).

Reformed say that "The true church can be recognized if it has the following marks: The church engages in the pure preaching of the gospel; it makes use of the pure administration of the sacraments as Christ instituted them; it practices church discipline for correcting faults" (Belgic Confession, Article 29).

The Eastern Orthodox also use the Nicene formula "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic." I haven't fully explored the difference between EO and RC usage of the word "catholic."

Anglicans have historically said that "The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men, in the which the pure word of God is preached and the sacraments be duly ministered according to Christ's ordinance in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same" (Articles of Religion, XIX).

More post

Search Posts

Related post