The Christian Community Mission (OSF)

The International Free Episcopal Church - USA,

Free Methodist-Episcopal Mission Province

and the

Order of Servant Franciscans

A Statement of Belief

"The future of our Missions...from an ancient Faith."

We believe that God is calling us to be a liturgically contemporary & theologically progressive Missionary group rooted in the historic and venerable Anglican Christian faith tradition.  The Anglican tradition came down to us from that Early Church founded by Christ Jesus and His Holy Apostles, growing into the historic and early undivided Church, spreadiing into Europe...and eventually becoming the Anglican via media and from thence into the modern, contemporary, yet historical Methodist and Episcopal faith traditions.  As such, the episcopate rejoices in its documented Anglican Succession, as well as the Anglican faith of the Wesleys...Given this historical glimpse, the Missions are committed to the recognition of one Church and Body of Christ, sadly divided by the faithful over the years, yet to become that one Body that demonstrates true community, deep Christian spirituality and a passion for social justice.  Our beliefs are a living reflection of the nature and call of God as interpreted within the richness of the post-denominational culture in which we live.

In that spirit, we offer this "Statement of Belief" as one of many possible post-denominational reflections of what it means to be a part of the autocephalous Free Episcopal Missions and Order of Servant Franciscans.  A more historic and formal expression of our faith may be seen in the 39 Articles of Religion as found in the Anglican and Episcopal Book of Common Prayer.

1.  We trust in the One Living God, present in all reality, known by many Names - the source of all creation and creativity.  We experience this Creator-God in a way that transcends hate, injustice, conflict, sickness and death.  We recognize the True Presence and work of the Living God in all religions of love, and rejoice in the love that is expressed by every religion of peace.

2.  We accept that Jesus is the Christ, the Child of the Living God and the manifestation of God's grace through: healing, reconciliation, transformation, peace, love, and justice.  We strive to see this Christ in all of God's children, through all time, in all faith groups, and in all religions.

3.  We experience the presence of the Holy Spirit, as the dynamic action of the Living God, present in all of life and freely offering love, justice, peace, healing and life more abundantly to everyone.

4.  We acknowledge that the Living God can be revealed through canonical...and non-canonical writings...God is also manifest in apostolic traditon, human reason, life experience, nature, music, art, and in other divers forms of creative expression.  The various translations of the Sacred Scriptures are acceptable for use within the Missions...

5.  We affirm that the spiritual experience of a life of prayer, worship and spiritual nurture, of communion with God, and the eternal family of God, is central to becoming and sustaining the Commonwealth (kingdom) of God in the here and now.  Furthermore, we share in the historic Apostolic Tradition of preserving the best aspects of Christian wisdom and practice throughout our spiritual formation.

6.  We believe that everyone is called by God to gather together as a faith community: the One True Church, undivided by time, human boundaries, doctrines, organizational schemes, prejudices, languages and cultures.  Each faith community is to share in the creation of God's Commonwealth in their own time, place and space.  This community, in Christian Tradition, is also referred to as the Body of Christ, the collective presence of the living, resurrected Christ in each of us and in the world.  Just as there is only One Body of Christ, so too is there but one true church - though outwardly divided by men, doctrine, and misunderstandings.

7.  We celebrate the Grace of the Sacraments, the visible, yet non-verbal signs of God's blessings of birth, rebirth, of joining in love, of reconciliation, of health and healing, of loving service, of transformation from death to life eternal, and all expressions of the presence and action of God in life, and commit that they should freely and without qualification be made available to everyone.  The sacraments belong to God, and therefore, to all God's children.  Our role is to actually go into the highways and hedges, and bring all the divers peoples of the world, to the table of the Lord.  Our primary sacramental text is the Anglican-Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, as well as other historic Christian Prayer and Service Books.

8.  We thank God for giving all people the grace of the priesthood, and in empowering each person with the ability to participate in becoming God's child, to directly experience God's reconciliation, love, and justice, without any human intermediary or impediment.  All Christians are called into the apostolate of healing, reconciliation, justice, worship and witness to the Good News of Christ.

9.  We recognize the four orders of the Priesthood:  laity, deacons, presbyters and bishops; all working together to manifest the Kingdom of God.  We affirm the equality of every person in life, faith, sacrament and service, regardless of ability, gender, appearance, culture, race, ethnicity, vocation or theological opinion.  All Missions members are thus qualified to present themselves to the Universal Church for consideration for Holy Orders.  Ordained clergy within the FME-Missions and the OSF enjoy the grace of Christ Himself passed to them through Unbroken Apostolic Succession.  The FME-Missions and the OSF believe in the calling-out and ordination of particular people for service and leadership, for teaching and proclamation, for healing and justice, for missions and the ministry of sacraments.

10.  We celebrate the eternal Cloud of Witnesses to the grace of God and the power of faith.  These eternally living witnesses include Mary - Theotokos - the Mother of Jesus, and all the Holy Ones and Saints of the Universal Church as well as all God's people throughout all ages and religions; and for us especially, Saints Francis and Clare.

11.  We know that True Faith is simply trust in the reality of the living, loving God active in the world and experinced throughout human history in many manifestations, and that it is not merely ritual or intellectual acceptance of any particular creed, formula, dogma, or theology.  Faith is living and active, and deeply personal, demanding our full participation and cooperation.  This is "saving faith," apart from all works of creedal confession or of contrition, for the Love and Grace of God are freely given to all through Christ, irregardless of any form or fashion of work.

12.  Above all, we understand that the essence of God's Religion of Faith is: "Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind," and "Love your neighbor as yourself."  All aspects of faith and religion, above and beyond these, are negotiable and changing works of man.