A world of disciples

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19, NIV).

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Welcome to the Independent Reformed Catholic Church

IRCC CrestThe Independent Reformed Catholic Church is a network of sacramental, non-Roman Catholic churches embracing the fullness of Christianity. We are in full recognition of, and hold fast to, the teachings of the ancient faith in the face of modern day anti-Christian hostilities, mind-set and governmental persecution.

The Independent Reformed Catholic Church is not part of the Roman Catholic Church, but our bishops hold valid apostolic succession. We are neither Roman Catholic nor Protestant; our tradition evolved from the "Old Catholic" tradition, but we further enhance our ecclesiastical life by embracing the principles of the Augsburg Confession. Our goal is to achieve "early church" standards in the purity of our worship. We are not an on-line church, even though we do certainly use the blessings of modern technology to help us in the Church’s mission. We firmly believe that effective Christian fellowship and the making of Christian disciples is a face to face, heart to heart operation that is not possible in a Web Church.

We are non-conventional in many respects; one of these is the fact that we insist on keeping our fellowships small; mega-churches cannot minister to the needs of the people on an individual basis. A church is a family, not an assembly line. Although we do operate some more conventional churches in search of early church purity, the majority of our congregations are formed into fellowships that consist of a smaller number of people than is expected in a conventional church setting. Some fellowships even meet in private homes. Some have called us an underground church because we are not interested in money and do not go along with government control of the Church.

The theology, liturgy and practices of the Independent Reformed Catholic Church are ancient and Catholic. We are established to maintain that ancient faith and holiness of worship. Our purpose is to share the truth of Christ and open the doors of the real Church for the seekers of truth. 

Why do we exist?

For seventeen hundred years Christianity has been tied to a theological system, which has been based on Greek philosophy and a system related to neo-Platonism. The simplicity of the biblical message and the cohesiveness of God's revelation to man over both Testaments has been altered and obscured for the sake of power and domination of the then known world.

The end result was what was understood to be the structure as laid down in the councils of Nicaea (325AD) and other church councils over the centuries. The structure altered the understanding of God along metaphysical lines and ultimately the law given to Moses was held to be no longer relevant and the New Testament passages were re-interpreted to justify existing practices. As a result, modern Christianity sadly by and large has very little if anything in common with original Christianity.

We have attempted in our efforts to come full cycle and back to the practice of the early church. Does this mean we are going backwards? Certainly not, it means we are returning to the Truth. In some areas we know we have failed, but that is the penalty of being human. We can only pray that God in his mercy will lay his healing hand upon our efforts.

Our Proclamation

We proclaim the truth and mystery of the Faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again! Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human. Jesus Christ saves humankind through His death and resurrection.

Our Sacramentality

We celebrate the seven sacraments (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, Ordination, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick).

We preserve the apostolic succession.

Our Inclusiveness

We welcome all people to worship with us, inviting all baptized Christians to receive Holy Communion.

Our Rationality

The people of the Independent Reformed Catholic Church share a strong common life, even though we are widely dispersed by distance and culture. We do not believe that it is possible to be a "solitary Christian," but instead believe that we are called to work together as The Body of Christ that is "The Church" in its various expressions, so that we may grow in our discipleship to Christ. We are also called to bear witness to Christ and work for justice in the larger world. We invite you to join us in our journey of Christian life.

Our communion table is open to all.