Church of the Ancient Christian Faith

Is COTACF “Protestant”?

No. COTACF does not mark its doctrinal standards from the Protestant Reformation. We strive to adhere to “that faith once for all delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3) 

COTACF is an “episcopally structured pre-denominational” independent communion of Christians who share a dedication to BEING the apostolic church of Christ in the world today.

We are open to all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior regardless of their “denominational” past.

Is COTACF “Catholic”?

If by “Catholic” you mean are we a part of the “Roman Catholic Church” then, No. However, we strive to be a manifestation of the undivided catholic (meaning “universal and everything needed to be complete”) church of the apostolic era, as described in Holy Scripture and testified to by the Ante-Nicene Fathers, within the world today.

What does it mean to be a Genuine Christian?

In short, it means you have a deep desire to “Live your faith in Christ as He commanded all who believe in him to do,” rejecting the precepts of man in favor of adhering to God’s will for us as given in Scripture.

What is Our Position on Female Clergy?

We hold to the scriptural and apostolic practice of ordaining women to the office of Deaconess. We believe that women are a very important part of the church and can and should have a wide range of opportunities to serve. This includes prayers, Bible readings, music, testimonies and encouragement during services. As well, we are always open to women involved with outreach and Bible studies to other women.

What is Our Position on Forced Celibacy?

The practice of forced celibacy for clergy was not the practice of the New Testament or Apostolic Church; in fact the Scriptures clearly teach us the opposite was true. We do not require celibacy of our clergy, however, we do require a sexually pure life; meaning that if our clergy is married they always remain faithful to their spouses and if they are single they refrain from the sin of fornication outside marriage.

What is Our Position on Divorce and Remarriage?

Divorce is an unfortunate epidemic of our secular society. We hold to the belief that marriage is a sacred institution ordained by God. Neither marriage nor divorce should be entered into lightly. It is the responsibility of the Church to strive to ensure that the couple in question has a firm understanding of the commitment they are undertaking in choosing to marry. Likewise, it is the church’s responsibility to strive to prevent a divorce from occurring. However, this being said, we realize that divorce does happen and believe that divorce should not prevent a penitent Christian from participating in the life of the Church.

What is Our Position on Abortion?

COTACF holds that the practice of abortion for birth control is the taking of an innocent human life and is therefore condemned in Scripture as a sin. However, all too often the full effects of such a ‘choice” are not fully realized by the unfortunate soul who was deceived into undertaking such a destructive procedure, therefore, the Church should be ever ready to project the love of Christ upon those whom He has lead to regretting having had an abortion. Likewise, the Church should be ever ready to assist, to the best it is able, the penitent women and girls who find themselves pregnant and choose to follow the will of God and keep the blessing that His providence has bestowed on them, in the rearing of that child.

What is Our Position on Homosexuality?

We want every homosexual in the world to know that God loves and cares about them very much. While the Bible is clear that homosexuality is wrong, we invite anyone to attend our services and to receive from our fellowship, regardless of their sexual orientation. We believe that there is nothing that we can do to “make” people change, that only God can do that. We will do all we can to support everyone who is working to live a truly Godly life, regardless of the issues of their situation. We will not, however, consider them for any position of leadership, and further, we encourage them to forsake all wrong practices for a pure life in Christ.

What is Our Position on Bible Translations?

We do not believe that any translation of the Bible into English is perfect. We have found that due to a number of factors, in every version, some things are “lost in the translation.” It is recommended that more than one translation of the Bible be acquired and used for comparison. The Archbishop regularity studies from a parallel Bible consisting of The New American Standard Bible (Rev.1995) (as his preferred translation), the King James Version, the Amplified Bible and The New International Version.

What is Our Position on various Creeds?

As described in Our Charter, in Article 11. Faith and Doctrine: 

The primary Profession of Faith of the Church is the ancient and venerable Apostles' Creed [Symbolum Apostolorum]. St. Irenaeus and Tertullian both provide verification of the ancient Creed of the Christian Faith at the end of the second century. The Apostles' Creed meets the Vincentian criteria for Catholicity: antiquity, universality and consent. The member jurisdictions of the Church may likewise hold and subscribe to the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed. No member community will be prohibited from also sharing the Nicene Creed or Athanasian Creed; provided the community likewise embraces and shares the Apostles' Creed.

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