Full communion

A church community, sometimes referred to as community or communion, is given by a church community or mutual recognition between churches or denominations that the partner churches include the essentials of the Christian faith. According to the Bible, it is Jesus' will that believers are one, even as He and the Father are one ( Jn 17:11 LUT). In early Christianity, church divisions began at the time of Paul, by individual denominations were established (1 Corinthians 1:10-12 LUT). Proceeding as the church community is the Catholic Church and the Protestant Union Union Administration or confession.

Full communion - usually referred to as " full pulpit and altar fellowship " in the Reformation churches - includes:

  • Mutual recognition of baptism
  • Common celebration of the Eucharist / the Eucharist ( Communion Community )
  • Mutual recognition of ordained ministers
  • Mutual recognition of sacraments
  • Shared commitment to mission
  • Pulpit fellowship

The partner churches of a church community to preserve their theological, traditional and organizational autonomy.

Full communion is, for example between

  • The 15 autocephalous Orthodox Churches of Byzantine tradition;
  • The pre-Chalcedonian Eastern Churches Alexandrian and Antiochene tradition, so the Armenian, Syrian, Malankara ( South Indian), Coptic ( Egyptian ), Ethiopian and Eritrean Christianity;
  • The churches of the Roman Catholic tradition, that of the Latin Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches;
  • The Anglican churches, the Old Catholic or Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht, the Philippine Independent Church and Indian Orthodox Churches;
  • The 145 Lutheran churches that belong to the Lutheran World Federation;
  • The churches of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe, the members of Lutheran, Reformed and Methodist;
  • The four major Protestant and Reformed churches in the United States that are united on the basis of the Formula of Agreement ( 1997) ( Evangelical Lutheran, Reformed, Presbyterian and United Church of Christ ); the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Episcopal Church, which also belongs to the Anglicanism;
  • The United Church of Christ and the German Union of Evangelical Churches ( ICE);

Excluded from this performance are some " non-canonical " Orthodox churches, some Protestant denominations ( Christian Church ( Disciples of Christ ), Quakerism ) and certain denominations that are indeed emerged from Christianity, but from the usual understanding of the Trinity differ ( Unitarianism, Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormonism ).

Church union Ordination Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Reformed Church in America Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Union Evangelischer Kirchen Porvoo Communion Baptist World Alliance World Methodist Council Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
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