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Invitation to Membership  
Bishops with their churches who are considering Conference membership or exploring the nature of Old Catholicism may elect one of several ways of initiating a relationship to the Conference.

1. Bilateral Conversation Partner, a relationship that establishes ongoing communication with the Conference toward the aim of learning more about Conference membership and Old Catholicism as understood by the Union of Utrecht today.

2. Intercommunion based on the 1931 Bonn Agreement with the Anglican Communion. (This relationship is appropriate for those churches who are not Old Catholic but share similar beliefs and practices.) This Agreement may include provisions for common missional endeavors.

3. Old Catholic Communion (among Old Catholic churches only) based on a)the Bonn Agreement, b) the historical affirmations and agreements of the Union of Utrecht, c) the Preamble of the Statute of Union of the iBC, or the Unity document of the Conference, or similar declarations making the equivalent affirmations and d) a shared commitment to an inclusive church and ministry. This Communion Agreement is subject to the limitations of the Order document of the Conference of Old Catholic Bishops regarding the consecration of new bishops.

4.. Old Catholic Concordat based on the Communion agreement detailed above, plus mutually agreed upon principles and shared obligations to each other in terms of cooperative ministry and mission of the Churches.
Conference Membership:
A. Full membership is by way of the applying bishop and local church synod joining with existing Conference members in affirming the Unity and Order documents which are foundational to the Conference.

B. The applying local church and bishop join us in affirming the goal of a local church as consisting of at least three functioning parishes or missions per bishop with parishes or missions having clearly defined lay memberships

C. The applying bishop and local church agree to accept that only one bishop per three parishes may join the Conference. Exceptions to the three parish rule per bishop are considered on an individual basis. Retired bishops may participate but without vote.

D. Jurisdictions composed of more than one diocese may elect to join either as a Jurisdiction or as individual dioceses.
Such election does not preclude a later decision to opt for individual dioceses being represented by each of their bishops with privilege of vote. Those admitted as jurisdictions are to be represented by one bishop and one vote.

E. The applying bishop and local church synod must agree to and adhere to the Old Catholic understanding of the ecclesiology of the church and the view of apostolic succession, as outlined in the Unity Statement of 2006.

F. Applying bishops and local church synods agree to submit an application providing information with regard to several important areas of church life and polity. Information as to how existing Conference members have responded to these questions will be made available upon request once an application has been received.

 

Below are questions that need to be answered in text form when applying...

  • Does the local church have stability - what is the length of its existence?
  • When was the foundational church founded?
  • When were the subsequent parishes founded?
    • Where are they located?
    • Do they have clearly defined memberships?
    • What is the total lay and clerical membership of the applying Church?
    • Does the local church have a defined sense of geographic boundaries? If so, please describe. Please provide a description of each parish and ministry.
  • Does the local church have a synodal organizational structure with identifiable lay leadership at the synod and parish level?
  • Are all the leaders including the bishop accountable to an elected synodal body? Please describe the govenance structure of the church and provide a copy of the Church's constitution and canons..
  • How many bishops are members of the church?
  • Can the local church certify that its bishops have been elected by the local church, or if the bishop is the founding bishop, has his or her leadership been subsequently confirmed by action of the church's synodal body?
  • Are bishops subject to the Canons of the Local Church and accountable for their life and ministry to the elected Synod of the Church?
  • How many clergy does the local church have?
  • What educational preparation is required for ordination?
  • In what kind of ministries are the clergy engaged?
    Does the Church require background checks of ordained clergy?
  • Has the Church adopted a sexual abuse and harassment policy?
  • If the inquiring local church does not conform to the Old Catholic understanding of the ecclesiology of church, what steps must be taken in order to do so?
  • Is the local church incorporated?
  • Are the officers of the corporation elected by the membership?
  • Is the corporation privately owned by one or a few unchanging members for life?
  • Please give the State location and year of incorporation of the Church
  • Does this church restrict the membership or ordination of qualifed members on the basis of sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, race, ethnicity, marrital status or other irrelevant considerations to satisfactory performance of clerical duties?
  
 

Once an application has been made to the Conference for admittance, the applying bishop must agree to not ordain another bishop outside of his or her jurisdiction without consent of the Conference bishops.

Completed applications are to be sent to the Moderator of the Conference. Once received, an acknowledgement will be sent and an invitation to discuss the application scheduled with the applying bishop or designated representative.

Approval for membership in the Conference requires a 2/3 majority vote of the member bishops. All correspondence concerning the application process must be addressed in writing to the Moderator of the Conference.