One Communion, Many Members
The Holy Communion of Churches (HCOC) is a communion of Christian provinces, archdioceses, dioceses, churches, and ministries bound together by a shared faith in Jesus Christ, a common sacramental life, and a mutual commitment to the Great Commission.
We exist to unite the Body of Christ across denominational and cultural lines — connecting clergy and laity through worship, events, formation, and community. Every member church retains its unique identity and charism while standing in covenant relationship with the whole communion.
Sacramental
Rooted in the historic sacraments of the Church
Spirit-Filled
Welcoming the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit
Biblical
Grounded in the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God
Relational
A family of ministries, not a bureaucracy
What is Apostolic Succession?
Apostolic Succession is the unbroken line of episcopal ordination that traces back through history to the original Apostles of Jesus Christ. It is transmitted by the laying on of hands — each bishop consecrated by other bishops whose own consecration reaches back, generation by generation, to the Apostles themselves.
Historical Continuity
The faith we receive is the faith handed down "once for all to the saints" (Jude 1:3). Our ordinations stand in the living tradition of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
Valid Orders
Our deacons, elders, and bishops are ordained within this succession, giving our clergy sacramental standing in the historic episcopate of the Church universal.
Guardians of Faith
Succession is not pedigree — it is responsibility. Our bishops guard sound doctrine, shepherd the flock, and ordain the next generation of faithful ministers.
What is the Convergence Movement?
The Convergence Movement seeks to bring together the three great streams of the Christian tradition into one flowing river of faith — liturgy, Word, and Spirit. The Holy Communion of Churches is a convergence communion: fully sacramental, fully evangelical, and fully charismatic.
The Sacramental Stream
The historic liturgy, the sacraments, the Church calendar, and reverent worship handed down from the ancient faith of the apostles and the Church Fathers.
The Evangelical Stream
The authority of Scripture, personal conversion and new birth in Christ, and the urgency of evangelism — sharing the Gospel with every nation.
The Charismatic Stream
The present power of the Holy Spirit — His gifts, healing, prophetic ministry, and vibrant praise flowing in the life of the Church today.
Our Place in the Story of Convergence
The Convergence Movement — also called the Ancient-Future Faith — rose in the late twentieth century as Christians across the evangelical, charismatic, and liturgical traditions found one another again. The Holy Communion of Churches, historically known as the Holy Christian Orthodox Church, was born in that generation as a founding member of the movement — and we carry it forward today.
1973
The New Covenant Apostolic Order
Campus Crusade missionary Peter E. Gillquist establishes a network of house churches across America seeking to restore the faith of the early Church — and finds it in the writings of the Church Fathers.
1977
The Chicago Call
The National Conference of Evangelicals for Historic Christianity, led by Robert E. Webber, issues "The Chicago Call" — summoning evangelicals back to the Church’s historic roots, creeds, sacraments, and unity.
1979
The Evangelical Orthodox Church
Converging evangelicals organize the Evangelical Orthodox Church, embracing liturgical worship, apostolic succession, and the historic episcopacy.
1984
Three Streams, One River
Charisma magazine publishes Richard Lovelace’s landmark article "The Three Streams, One River?" — naming the flow of Catholics, Evangelicals, and Pentecostals toward one another.
1985
Ancient-Future Faith
Robert Webber’s "Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail" documents evangelicals drawn to the liturgical Church — and the Convergence Movement takes its name and shape.
Today
The Holy Communion of Churches
From our years as the Holy Christian Orthodox Church — founding the Mother Church work that continues at The Christian Cathedral in Springfield, Massachusetts — HCOC stands in the unbroken line of convergence: one communion holding together the sacramental, evangelical, and charismatic streams for a new generation.
"There is one body and one Spirit… one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all." — Ephesians 4:4–6
The Patriarch
His Eminence, Archbishop Timothy Paul
Archbishop Timothy Paul serves as Patriarch of the Holy Communion of Churches. As chief shepherd of the communion, he provides apostolic oversight, convenes the bishops, ordains clergy into the historic succession, and gives spiritual covering and fatherly guidance to every province, diocese, church, and ministry within the communion.