WHAT IS THE ANCIENT CHURCH OF THE WEST?

FAQ – The Ancient Church of the West

Welcome to the official FAQ of the Ancient Church of the West. This page is offered to answer the most common questions from seekers, believers, skeptics and detractors. We write with clarity, transparency, and pastoral firmness to those who desire to know who we are, what we believe, and why we walk the ancient path of the Orthodox and Apostolic Faith in the West. For more detailed explanations, please explore our blog or reach out directly to our clergy.

What is the Ancient Church of the West?

The Ancient Church of the West is a missionary jurisdiction within an Orthodox Church community, restoring the ancient Western expression of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. We hold to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, the Seven Ecumenical Councils, and the unbroken sacramental tradition of the Apostolic Church.

We are committed to replanting Western Orthodoxy (especially the ancient Celtic, Gallican, Roman, and British traditions) rooted in deep fidelity to Scripture, the Church Fathers, the sacramental life, and a mission to all nations.

Are you part of a broader Church body, or just on your own?

We are not on our own, nor are we an isolated or self-proclaimed group. 

The Ancient Church of the West is:

A founding member of the World Federation of Orthodox and Apostolic Churches - an international communion of eleven Orthodox and Apostolic Church bodies working together in shared mission, dialogue, and mutual recognition.

A full member of the Orthodox Archdiocese of America, through which we are canonically structured and governed by synodality, episcopal oversight, and theological accountability.

Through these ecclesial ties, we are in communion with Orthodox and Apostolic churches throughout the world. Our clergy, doctrine, and sacraments are under regular review, discipline, and shared governance. We function with multiple layers of authority and fellowship, not in isolation.

Are you in communion or dialogue with other Churches?

Yes. Through our synodal and federation relationships, we are actively engaged in charitable, theological, and ecclesial dialogue with:

The Roman Catholic Church…

The Polish National Catholic Church…

The Assyrian Church of the East…

Various Oriental Orthodox jurisdictions, including Coptic, Ethiopian, and Armenian traditions…

While full communion is not yet achieved with any one of these jurisdictions, we affirm with joy that we share a great deal of common faith, sacramental life, and doctrinal tradition with these Churches, and we strive toward visible unity with all right-believing and Orthodox Christians in truth and love.

Do you have valid Apostolic Succession?

Yes. Our bishops and clergy have received Apostolic Succession from multiple historic and canonical lines, united in ancient ordinals, administered canonically and accountably, and recognized throughout the Apostolic Churches. 

These include:

The See of Canterbury, via the Continuing Anglican lineages rooted in the Nonjuror and Anglo-Catholic traditions, before doctrinal deviation in the 20th century.

The See of Antioch, through the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which traces its lineage to the Antiochian Patriarchate via the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

The Russian Orthodox Church, through the consecratory acts and episcopal lineage of St. John Maximovitch of Shanghai and San Francisco (1950’s), whose legacy continues in our Orthodox jurisdictions today.

The Patriarchate of Alexandria, through the chorosthia (conditional re-consecration) of our hierarchs by bishops in the Alexandrian and Greek Orthodox traditions in the 1980s.

These lineages are maintained with full form, matter, and intent, and in full confession of the Orthodox faith, which makes our succession not only valid but living and active in the Church of Christ.

What Rite do you use?

We use the Western Orthodox Rite, centered on the Liturgy of Saint James of Jerusalem in the Use of the Ancient Church of the West. This liturgy is drawn from the earliest forms of Christian worship, the 7th Century Recension of the Divine Liturgy from the Liturgikon, the oldest of all forms of Orthodox written worship, and preserves:

The divine simplicity and biblical harmony at the root of all Apostolic liturgies…

The most ancient prayers of the liturgy, connected directly to the worship of the Temple of Jerusalem and the Synagogue of the Apostles’ own day, the poetic and theological beauty of the Gallican, Celtic, and Old Roman uses, and is translated into the language of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer…

The order and sacramentality of the earliest Christian communities…

The doctrinal fidelity and ascetical depth of the Orthodox Tradition…

We also observe the Western calendar with a Julian Paschalion, the Apostolic and patristic fasting cycles, traditional hours of prayer, and robust catechetical training for all our faithful.

Why aren't you in communion with the Eastern Orthodox Patriarchates?

We affirm the full Orthodox Faith and share deep theological, liturgical, and sacramental continuity with the Eastern Orthodox Churches, both in lineage and in practice. We maintain the same Apostolic Creed, celebrate the same Eucharist, and uphold the same Ecumenical Councils. However, full recognition by all Patriarchates has not yet been achieved due to a variety of historical, ecclesiastical, and practical reasons. 

These include:

Jurisdictional and administrative complexities, including the canonical rigidity of some modern Eastern hierarchies and the desire to own foreign lands as a “tax base” for the ancient patriarchates. 

Ethnophyletism and a strong incentive to exclude “foreigners” from ecclesiastical hierarchy. 

Misunderstandings regarding the Western Rite, often seen as foreign or suspect despite its ancient and Orthodox roots in the undivided Church.

Inflexibility concerning certain legitimate variations in Church discipline and pastoral practice, especially around the issue of married bishops.

One significant issue is our affirmation of the ancient and apostolic practice of the married episcopacy. In the early Church, it was both normal and normative for bishops to be married men. St. Peter the Apostle, the chief of the Apostles, was himself married. Many bishops of the early Church Fathers, both East and West, were husbands and fathers. The canons of the early Ecumenical Councils never forbade married men from becoming bishops.

The Eastern Orthodox Church, since the 6th-7th centuries, adopted the disciplinary custom of selecting bishops only from among monastics; a practice rooted in Byzantine imperial reforms and the Codex Justinianus, rather than apostolic decree. While this custom has served the East in many ways, it is not a universal dogma nor a requirement for apostolic validity.

We affirm that married bishops are both valid and traditional, and we maintain this practice in fidelity to the early Church. This issue has sometimes led Eastern Orthodox churches to view our episcopacy with suspicion, not for lack of apostolic succession or heretical teaching, but due to differences in discipline and pastoral formation.

We pray for the eventual healing of such misunderstandings and for the East to rediscover and honor the breadth of her own ancient traditions. Unity will come not through forced conformity, but through honest, conciliar dialogue and mutual respect for legitimate diversity within the one Orthodox faith.

What makes you different from other Churches?

We are:

Fully Orthodox in doctrine, sacramental life, and apostolic succession…

Fully Western in liturgy, culture, and spiritual formation…

Missionary-focused, engaging unreached and post-Christian peoples with the full Gospel…

Historically grounded, theologically literate, and pastorally accessible…

United through federation and synodality, not self-appointed or independent…

In a time of confusion, spiritual exile, and theological compromise, we offer a faithful remnant witnessof the ancient Church: orthodox in doctrine, sacramental in life, monastic in spirit, and apostolic in mission.

What do you believe?

Our faith includes:

The Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost…

The Incarnation, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and glorious Return of Christ…

The authority of Holy Scripture, interpreted through the consensus of the Church Fathers…

The Seven Sacraments, as instruments of divine grace…

The intercession of the Mother of God and the Communion of Saints…

The reality of spiritual warfare, divine healing, and transformation in Christ…

The visible Church, as the Body of Christ, guided by bishops in Apostolic Succession…

We affirm the Creed, the Ecumenical Councils, and the teachings of both the Eastern and Western Fathers.

How can I learn more or become involved?

You are welcome to:

Attend Divine Liturgy at one of our parishes or missions…

Read our blog, watch our video series, or listen to our teachings…

Meet with a priest to ask questions or begin catechesis…

Join our growing missionary movement, grounded in prayer, sacraments, Scripture, and holiness…

We offer pastoral care, theological education, and a spiritual home for those seeking truth in Christ.

What is your vision for the future?

We seek to:

Restore the Western Orthodox tradition for a new generation…

Evangelize among both the pre-Christian in traditionally unevangelized lands, the post-Christian in rapidly secularizing societies, and the unchurched…

Form parishes, monasteries, schools, and theological institutes…

Raise up priests, missionaries, and wise lay leaders…

Stand in Apostolic Truth, offering a bridge between East and West, history and mission…

We believe Christ is calling a remnant to return to the fullness of the Apostolic Faith, in its earliest apostolic and orthodox faithfulness, and we are answering that call in obedience and love as a sacrifice to the Lord. 

“Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.”- Jeremiah 6:16

Come walk the ancient path with us. The Church is alive. Christ is risen. The West shall be renewed.