The Founding Vision of the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church
We seek to bring the rich sacramental and liturgical life of the early church to searching evangelicals and charismatics as well as carrying the power of Pentecost to our brothers and sisters in the historical churches, all the while providing a home for all Christians who seek an expression of faith that is equally liturgical/sacramental, evangelical, and charismatic.
Who We Are
We are men and women of faith gathered from diverse backgrounds seeking an expression of the church that is fully sacramental, evangelical and charismatic; a church that is submitted to the authority of scripture, as interpreted by the continuing witness of the ancient church and governed by consensus. Our worship is Biblical, Spirit filled, ancient and contemporary, holy and joyful. We are committed to advancing God’s kingdom by proclaiming the Gospel to the least, the lost and the lonely.
A Church fully Sacramental: At the center of worship is the sacrament of Holy Eucharist (The Lord’s Supper) in which we believe is the Real Presence of Christ. We celebrate the living historic forms of the liturgies of the Church and the seven Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist (the Lord’s Supper), Confession, Healing, Holy Orders and Holy Matrimony.
A Church fully Evangelical: We are a church holding to a high view of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, believing them to contain all things necessary for salvation; nothing can be taught as necessary for salvation that is not contained therein. We are committed to the preaching of the Gospel to fulfill the great commission. We believe that we are saved by grace alone and justified by faith in Christ who is calling us to a personal relationship with Him.
A Church fully Charismatic: We are a church open to the historic working of the Holy Spirit. We believe that through the baptism of the Holy Spirit all believers are empowered to participate in the fullness of ministry. The baptism of the Holy Spirit releases in the believer both the fruit and gifts of the Spirit for the building up of the church and the advancement of the Kingdom.
Consensus
Government: We are a church governed
by Bishops in apostolic succession who are humbly submitted to the leading of
the Holy Spirit and to each other. We
are a house of prayer at all levels of government, desiring to hear the voice
of God. Decisions are made in council
upon coming to consensus. The church is
administered by the orders of Bishops, Priests, Deacons and Laity. All baptized Christians are ministers of the
church.
What We Do
The Charismatic Episcopal Church of North America is an Eucharistic community that exists to make visible the Kingdom of God to the nations of the world; to provide a home of fatherly care, loving community and evangelistic outreach. The Church is the Household of God.
- Fathers: The ICCEC is a Home lead by Bishops in Apostolic succession. These Bishops are fathers leading the family of God. They speak the truth to the children of God; that God loves you, God forgives you, and come, for the dinner is ready. Fathers that guide, guard and govern the people of God to bring the Gospel to them and to help them walk out their gifting and release them into the destiny God has provided for them.
- Eucharistic Life: Our life together is founded upon celebrating the Eucharist, where we are made one body in Christ, who gave Himself sacrificially for the life of the world. All worship, pastoral care, education, works of mercy, preaching, teaching, government–everything that encompasses the ministry of the Church–flows from the sacrificial love of God made flesh and suffering for us on the Cross. Our life together is therefore sacramental, offered back to God in this Thanksgiving.
- Fellowship: We remain in fellowship with our Bishop, and with the body of believers to build families, trust, and relationship. We believe that where the Bishop is, there is the church. The visible unity of the church is in each congregation, where the Bishop or his representative, celebrates the Eucharist. We take serious our Lord’s command to love one another and to seek that the church become one.
- Caring Community: We are a Caring community to reach the least, the lonely and the lost, with mercy and love. We bring them to the fullness of the blessing God has for them. We build residential ministries, birthing centers, homes for unwed mothers, refugee and feeding programs and other ministries. Our local congregations provide pastoral care throughout all the seasons of life.
- Prophetic Voice: We speak with a Prophetic voice into the church and culture. We are the voice for the voiceless, the unborn, downtrodden and oppressed. We are uncompromisingly Pro-Life and committed to the building of strong traditional families. We speak strongly against injustice and oppression, particularly when it impacts the poor.
- Charismatic Experience: The Gifts of the Spirit are a normative part of our life and worship. We bring God’s healing power to those lost and oppressed, we providing a home for those held captive by life-controlling problems, crime and sickness. We desire to see the captures set free by the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Evangelistic Outreach: We desire to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ, the means of grace and the hope of glory, to all the peoples in the world. We will be intentional in our evangelistic efforts, believing that evangelism is at the very heart of the church and that the great commission is the motivating call from our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Formation: We work to be a place of lifelong learning for the ministry of the clergy and people. We offer to develop the mind and character of each person in the ICCEC. We offer a curriculum of academic excellence in each local parish and diocese. We seek the transformation of both the heart and mind into the character of Jesus Christ. We provide schools, both primary and secondary as well as seminary education for those seeking ordination. We offer training for clergy. We offer practical training in Christian discipleship, marriage, parenting and other day-to-day life skills.
- Doctrine: We speak the truth as received from the Apostles, Scripture and the Councils of the early Church.
For more information about the Charismatic Episcopal Church, please visit www.cec-na.org
