When we say that we believe in One Church what we mean is that Jesus founded One Church, not two or three, and that there is One Church and one only today.  Let us think now of the history of the Church as of a river flowing on through the centuries.

Founded by Our Lord

The Church was founded by Jesus in Jerusalem with the 12 Apostles as its first members.  This was around the year 30 AD.  So, thinking of the history of the Church as the course of a river, we know that the source of the river, its beginning, was Our Lord himself. 

At that time the lands round the Mediterranean were ruled by the Romans.  This was the mighty Roman Empire, and it stretched from Palestine to Britain.  As the Church spread, so bishops were appointed to be in charge of the Church in the various cities and towns.  The capital and the centre of the Empire was the city of Rome in Italy, where St Peter and St Paul were martyred, and the Bishop of Rome, who was also called the Pope or Father of Rome, was the chief bishop in the Church.

The Great Schism

During the course of the centuries the Church at the eastern end of the Mediterranean lands got rather out of touch with the Church in the West; and in 1054, as a result of a number of disputes, there was a separation between the two.  The result was that the Church was now divided into the Western Church, which remained under the Pope, and the Eastern Church.  So we can think of the river forking at this point.

The breach with Rome

The Eastern Church, known also as the Orthodox Church, has continued more or less without change down to the present day, but not so the Western Church, and this is where the Church of England comes into the picture.  The Church had been planted in Britain by the beginning of the third century, that is, at the beginning of the two-hundreds, but the barbarian invasions almost destroyed it.  So, in the year 597 AD, Pope Gregory the Great sent St Augustine with 40 monks to replant the Church and appointed him to be the first Archbishop of Canterbury.  For over 900 years the English Church, like the rest of the Western Church, accepted the authority of the Pope, and the Archbishops of Canterbury at their appointment took an oath of obedience to the Pope in accordance with Church Law.

But in the 16th century all this came to an end, and the English Church parted company, not only with the Pope, but also with the rest of the Western Church.  There were, of course, faults on both sides.  The Popes, for example, had for many years made money out of the English Church by means of heavy taxes and fees.  Nevertheless, the separation was brought about, not by the Church, but by the State, and in particular by Henry VIII who had made the Church in England his prisoner.  This separation became complete in the year 1570 in the reign of Elizabeth I.  So we can think of this as a fork in the Western stream of the Church.

It is very important to remember that through all these troubles in the 16th century the Apostolic Succession in the Church of England was kept safe.  That is to say, the line of bishops from the Apostles was continued without a break.  This was important because it meant that the bishops and priests of the Church of England had the same right and power as Our Lord himself gave to the Apostles to administer the Sacraments of the Church; and so people in the Church of England were assured that the Sacraments they received were true and genuine.  The technical term is ‘valid’, so a valid Sacrament is one which is guaranteed by God to convey his promised gift.

During the past 300 years or so the Church of England had spread all over the world.  We call this greater Church of England the ‘Anglican Communion’.

That part of the Church which accepts the Pope as its head is usually called the Roman Catholic Church.  The Eastern (Orthodox) Church can be found in many countries of the world, notably in Russia, but also in Britain.

The One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church

In more recent times the word ‘Church’ has been applied rather loosely to all sorts of organisations.· So in order to know whether they are part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church we need to remember that the One Church, even though divided, shares certain features.· Here are some examples.· Members of the One Church:

• all have the same Scriptures and Creeds;
• all accept the writings and decisions of the Early Church;
• all have the same three-fold Ministry of Bishop, Priest and Deacon
• all have the same seven Sacraments;
• all regard the Eucharist as the great act of worship;
• all churches are built with the altar as the most important part;
• all keep the same seasons and festivals of the Church’s Year

These things are part of the Church’s true inner unity.

The hope for unity

It is Our Lord’s will that his Church should be truly one, not only inwardly but outwardly as well, and this is something we must all hope and pray and work for.  On the night before his Crucifixion, Jesus prayed to his Father for the unity of his Church.  He prayed for all those people (and that includes us) who would come to believe in him through the teaching of the Apostles.  And Jesus prayed “that they may all be one.  As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us…I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one..” (NRSV, John 17:20-23).  It is a very great sadness that the Church is still divided.

Every year, during the week from January 18th to 25th Christians all over the world pray that the prayer of Jesus may come true. 

“For all thy Church, O Lord, we intercede;
make thou our sad divisions soon to cease;
draw us the nearer each to each, we plead,
by drawing all to thee, O Prince of Peace.” (1)

SUMMARY

1. Jesus founded One Church in Jerusalem in around 30 AD.

2. Since then there have been various divisions in the Church, with the Eastern Church and the Western Church separating in 1054.  The Church in England separated from the rest of the Western Church in the 16th century.  During this difficult time the Apostolic Succession in the Church of England was kept safe.

3. In order to know if an organisation is part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church we need to remember that the One Church, even though divided, shares certain features, for example, having the same Scriptures and Creeds, accepting the writings and decisions of the Early Church and having the same three-fold Ministry of Bishop, Priest and Deacon.

4. On the night before his death on the Cross, Jesus prayed for the unity of his Church.  It is a very great sadness that the Church is still divided and we must all pray very hard for unity and do all we can to bring it about, so that the prayer of Jesus may come true.

Reference

1. Turton, W. (1881) O thou, who at thy Eucharist didst pray.  Available from: http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/o/o645.html  (Accessed 16 August 2010) (Internet).