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In the Catholic Church, the "Marks of the Church" are what's in the Nicene creed. That she is one, holy, catholic and apostolic. I've seen that the Westminster Catechism has different marks spelled out.

What does every Major branch of Christianity whose has "Marks of the Church" claim those marks to be?

This is a , so every answerer who attempts to answer this question should include, within reason, every mark of every church.

Peter Turner
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  • Related: https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/26986/6071 – curiousdannii Feb 24 '18 at 02:15
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    Maybe close the older one as a dupe of this? The two answers on it are not overview answers. – curiousdannii Feb 24 '18 at 02:23
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    What are "marks of the Church"? The tag wiki is empty. – Christopher King Feb 24 '18 at 18:49
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    I closed the old one as a duplicate. But it would really help clarify things if this question made it clear that only reasonably comprehensive overview/chrestomathy answers are acceptable... we don't want piecemeal "my denomination says..." type answers. – Nathaniel is protesting Feb 25 '18 at 03:15
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    @KorvinStarmast Ok - edited, I'm trying to do something a little different with respect to overview questions and scope them in a way that can be more easily answered - so we can weed out answers that are definitely not-an-answer more easily. – Peter Turner Feb 25 '18 at 18:18
  • @PyRulez The Four Marks of the Church is a term describing four distinctive adjectives* — "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic" — of traditional Christian ecclesiology as expressed in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed* There are other ways to express what makes the Church distinct and unique, which each confession may express somewhat differently. – KorvinStarmast Feb 25 '18 at 20:36
  • What, do you want the answer to the question "What are the Marks of the Church?" according to each denomination, or just what marks each church? – Christopher King Feb 27 '18 at 13:01
  • @py what does each denomination consider their marks to be. (not what distinguishes them, if that's what you're getting at) – Peter Turner Feb 27 '18 at 14:09
  • cf. St. Robert Bellarmine's On the Marks of the Church – Geremia Mar 25 '18 at 00:28

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Every mark of every church is potentially a tall order. I'll count the major branches as Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Reformed.

Lutherans say that "The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered" (Augsburg Confession, Article VII).

Roman Catholics say that "'This is the sole Church of Christ, which in the Creed we profess to be one, holy, catholic and apostolic.' These four characteristics, inseparably linked with each other, indicate essential features of the Church and her mission. The Church does not possess them of herself; it is Christ who, through the Holy Spirit, makes his Church one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, and it is he who calls her to realize each of these qualities." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 811).

Reformed say that "The true church can be recognized if it has the following marks: The church engages in the pure preaching of the gospel; it makes use of the pure administration of the sacraments as Christ instituted them; it practices church discipline for correcting faults" (Belgic Confession, Article 29).

The Eastern Orthodox also use the Nicene formula "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic." I haven't fully explored the difference between EO and RC usage of the word "catholic."

Anglicans have historically said that "The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men, in the which the pure word of God is preached and the sacraments be duly ministered according to Christ's ordinance in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same" (Articles of Religion, XIX).

Aaron Grahn
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  • Welcome to the site, this is a great first answer and totally gets the spirit of the question (which is a bit esoteric to this site)! I hope you stick around! – Peter Turner Mar 24 '18 at 22:21
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    I suspect that "catholic" in both EO and RC means what is has always meant, "universal": eucharistic communion, doctrinal unity and the like. The situation we experienced before the Tragedy of 1054 "...that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose..." & "...one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all..." & "...there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female..." & "...are one in Christ Jesus." (Reunification by 2054!) – elemtilas Mar 25 '18 at 01:56