Bishops



The Celtic Anabaptist Communion is seeking bishops --
experienced ministers in all parts of the country who
are interested in helping in missionary outreach, church
planting, and ordaining new ministers. We are also seeking
such candidates in other countries.

This will be a missionary ministry -- as indeed every
ministry should be -- seeking to help expand the Kingdom of God,
spread the Gospel, and build participation and fellowship in the
Celtic Anabaptist Communion.

The CAC seeks to bridge gaps and foster unity in the Spirit. We desire to reach out to the unchurched, the isolated, the rejected, the despised, the disenfranchised, and all those who are hurting, lonely, and weary; we seek to be a haven for those who have none. All ministers in the CAC -- ordained and unordained, licensed and unlicensed -- should have this goal. This kind of outreach ministry is and should be a high priority.

This ministerial office is thus not one of aggrandizement nor self-aggrandizement; the only thing that will be increased, made greater, or elevated is your level of servanthood. So, if you have delusions or desires of grandeur, power, or rank, please do not look here. We seek to imitate Jesus Christ, not some earthly lord.

The bishopric in the CAC is a high calling -- but a high calling to a life of servanthood; thus, a person holding this office in the CAC is called not to be served, but to serve, and to be a pastor to pastors.

Special note: The CAC will maintain the bishopric, but, as stated elsewhere on this site, the CAC believes that pastors, lay ministers, and indeed all Christians, being priests, have the right of ordination. Also, the CAC in its organization and ministry is not territorial but relational in nature, as was the ancient Celtic Church. Considering this, there may be more than one bishop in any given area.

To qualify for the bishopric in the CAC, it is normally expected that a candidate have a fairly extensive ministry background. Also, a person normally should have served as pastor in the CAC for a period of at least one year. If a pastor coming from another Communion or Jurisdiction feels called to the bishopric, he/she would normally be expected to serve as pastor in the CAC for at least six months.

Bishops coming from other Communions who wish to hold the office in the CAC will be considered on an individual basis; if everything is satisfactory, they may be received, or incardinated, into the CAC.