The Apostolic Pastoral Congress or Apostolic Pastoral Congress of Great Britain, is a collegiate collective of

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

bishops, pastors and other clergy in the

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and No ...

. The Apostolic Pastoral Congress forms part of the

Convergence Movement The Convergence Movement, also known as the Ancient-Future Faith movement, is a Protestant Christian movement that began during the Fourth Great Awakening (1960–1980) in the United States. Largely a result of the ecumenical movement and its fo ...

, and its bishops claim

apostolic succession Apostolic succession is the method whereby the ministry of the Christian Church is held to be derived from the apostles by a continuous succession, which has usually been associated with a claim that the succession is through a series of bisho ...

. The Apostolic Pastoral Congress is a member of Churches Together in England. The organisation is also a member of

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) is an ecumenical organisation. The members include most of the major churches in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. CTBI is registered at Companies House with number 05661787. Its office is in Cen ...

and the Evangelical Alliance of Great Britain. The President of the organisation is Bishop Moses Owusu-Sekyere. Bishop Moses was appointed to the role in October 2021, in succession to Archbishop Doyé Agama. Bishop Moses is a trustee of Churches Together in England. Archbishop Agama served as a trustee of Churches Together in England from March 2010-November 2018. He is a past co-president of

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...

Churches Together, and he was the moderator of the Forum of Churches Together in England between 2012 and 2015. The Apostolic Pastoral Congress is listed in the UK Directory of Black & Multicultural Churches. However, the movement also includes several Asian churches and small numbers of white British churches as well. On 4 November 2021, Churches Together in England announced that APC's Bishop Mike Royal is to be CTE's next general secretary, when the present post-holder retires in 2022.

History

The Apostolic Pastoral Congress was formed (initially under the name "Apostolic Pastoral Association") during the first decade of the 21st century. It started in northern England and now has country-wide membership. The Apostolic Pastoral Congress remains particularly active in Greater Manchester and the surrounding areas, and has its administrative office at Manchester. In 2013, Bishop Doye Agama, who was at that time the presiding prelate of the Apostolic Pastoral Congress, was elevated to the status of

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

, at a ceremony held in

Southwark Cathedral Southwark Cathedral ( ) or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge. It is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark ...

London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It re ...

in central London, England.The APC Southwark Cathedral Ordinal booklet 19 October 2013 ''A Joint Service of Celebration, Ordination & Licensing of Recognised Ministers hosted by the Apostolic Pastoral Congress and Awards by the Order of St Hadrian of Canterbury'' (51 pages).

Doctrine

The Apostolic Pastoral Congress is High Church

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestantism, Protestant Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian movement evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

in its

soteriology Soteriology (; el, σωτηρία ' "salvation" from σωτήρ ' "savior, preserver" and λόγος ' "study" or "word") is the study of religious doctrines of salvation. Salvation theory occupies a place of special significance in many religion ...

, and

sacrament A sacrament is a Christian rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of the rea ...

al in theology and practice; regarding its relation to Convergence, it is also broad church. Members of the congress use adapted forms of ancient church

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

whenever sacraments are expressed, but at other times allow more open styles of Pentecostal worship. As such, it may be identified as being part of the

. The congress also promotes knowledge of and respect for the ancient Christian Church of the

first millennium File:1st millennium montage.png, From top left, clockwise: Depiction of Jesus, the central figure in Christianity; The Colosseum, a landmark of the once-mighty Roman Empire; Kaaba, the Great Mosque of Mecca, the holiest site of Islam; Chess, ...

in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isl ...

, and for the ancient Christian Church worldwide.Agama, DT ''Ancient Prayers for Today'' 2011 Chakam Limited . Congress policy is to preach and practice

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

by full immersion in water, following confession of faith in Jesus Christ and a personal infilling of the

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

, evidenced by what it perceives the biblical gifts (see

spiritual gift A spiritual gift or charism (plural: charisms or charismata; in Greek singular: χάρισμα ''charisma'', plural: χαρίσματα ''charismata'') is an extraordinary power given by the Holy Spirit."Spiritual gifts". ''A Dictionary of the ...

) and

fruit of the Holy Spirit The Fruit of the Holy Spirit (sometimes, incorrectly, referred to as the Fruits of the Holy Spirit) is a biblical term that sums up nine attributes of a person or community living in accord with the Holy Spirit, according to chapter 5 of the Epi ...

. The Apostolic Pastoral Congress is dedicated to promoting holy living which its members believe the right result of salvation in Christ. There is particular emphasis upon the spiritual heritage deriving from early monastic communities such as those at Whithorn (

Candida Casa Candida Casa was the name given to the church established by St Ninian in Whithorn, Galloway, southern Scotland, in the mid fifth century AD. The name derives from la, casa (meaning hut) and / (meaning shining or glittering white), referring pos ...

) (see St

Ninian Ninian is a Christian saint, first mentioned in the 8th century as being an early missionary among the Pictish peoples of what is now Scotland. For this reason he is known as the Apostle to the Southern Picts, and there are numerous dedicatio ...

of Whithorn) in Galloway, Scotland,

Iona Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: �iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though ther ...

and

Lindisfarne Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD; it was an important ...

and from the seventh century north African (

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–19 ...

) scholar-monk Hadrian of Canterbury (Adrian of Canterbury) (Hadrian the African) (c.635 - 710) and Antony of Egypt.

References

{{reflist

External links

Website of the Apostolic Pastoral Congress
Christian organisations based in the United Kingdom Christian denominations in England Christianity in Manchester Organisations based in Manchester Pentecostal denominations in the United Kingdom Religious organisations based in England Holiness movement Convergence Movement