The Gold Standard
Article One: The Church
CANON 1 - Be it decreed and known that this Church shall be officially known as “The United Holy Caribbean Apostolic Church”, with the allowed and respectfully shorter identity would be known as “The Caribbean Patriarchate”. The name of this Church cannot be changed by any amendment to the Canon Laws or Constitution by any person, organization, or government outside this Church at any time.
CANON 2 - The Caribbean Patriarchate declares its full autocephalous status (being independent and autonomous), being governed by the members of the Holy Synod, with the Patriarch presiding as the final chair of appeal after the judgment seat of Christ itself. Renouncing of this autocephaly for whatever reason shall only be by full agreement of the Apostles, Bishops, and Presbytery of the Church being orally sanctioned and signed off on by the Senior Apostle and Synod members.
CANON 3 - Though the Caribbean Patriarchate honors national government, which is in accordance with Scripture, it is understood that there will be no union between “Church and State”. As a Church, the Caribbean Patriarchate is to be set apart from all existing governments that are against the purpose and will of the Lord and the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Caribbean Patriarchate and all churches and/or ministries under its jurisdiction are officially governed by Theocracy, with Jehovah God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as its supreme head, the Bible as its supreme law book, and the Holy Synod lead by the Senior Apostle as the chosen leaders. Any and all laws of the land, be it local, state, national, or international, that come into direct or indirect conflict with the doctrines, Constitution, and/or Canon Laws of the Caribbean Patriarchate, based upon the Scriptures of the Bible, will be considered heresy and unlawful within the bounds of this Church.
CANON 4 - The emblem of the Church shall be in the following form: a black and white lion’s head. The Greater Seal of the Church shall be: the eastern styled purple mantle of an archbishop. Two small crosses sit on either side of the mantle. On top of the mantle sits an eastern styled episcopal mitre. On the left of the mitre is a twin snake headed episcopal crozier, and on the right of the mitre is a cross. Inside of the mantle is a black shield with the white lion’s head on it sitting on a black, white, and red background. On top of the shield is a double-barred archiepiscopal cross. To the left of the cross is a western styled mitre; to the right of the cross is a western bishop’s crozier.
CANON 5 - Where more than one person gathers regularly for worship, the Apostle/Bishop of said Church will dedicate the Church and agree a title for it. All the services of the Church can be held in any appropriate place, at the discretion of the Minister and/or lay people involved, with the permission of their Bishop or Apostle. It is necessary that places set aside for the use of a Church, oratories, and private chapels be dedicated and blessed. An Oratory or a Private Chapel means a place that is set aside for divine worship, for the convenience of one or more individuals. Oratories and Private Chapels may be used for other church and secular purposes when not in use for worship provided such use is of a respectable and Godly nature according with the holiness of the place. If a church regularly uses a place for their worship then such a place can be set aside and can be named after the church that uses it. For Ministry establishment and Missionary purposes, fully established House Churches and Cell Groups are acceptable and properly considered and respected as Churches, for the Lord said “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in the midst”.
CANON 6 - Sacred places are those which are assigned to divine worship or to the burial of the faithful by the dedication or blessing provided for this purpose. The dedication and blessing of a place belongs to an Apostle or Bishop, but may be delegated to another appropriate clergyman if necessary.
CANON 7 - Sacred places are violated by acts done in them which are gravely injurious and give scandal when, in the judgment of a Bishop, these acts are so serious and so contrary to the holiness of the place that the harm needs to be repaired by means of a penitential rite. Sacred places lose their dedication or blessing if they have been in great measure destroyed, or if they have been permanently made over to secular usage, whether by decree of a Bishop or simply in fact.
CANON 8 - A document is to be drawn up to record the dedication or blessing of a place and retained by the cleric in charge.
CANON 9 - There shall be no impediment preventing the Church using any building belonging to another Christian group/Church with the consent of the ordinary authority of that place and the consent of the Caribbean Apostolic Church Bishop in charge. Likewise, we shall extend the same towards other Christian Churches when such is to God’s glory. It is preferred that when such is done, ecumenical dialogue be engaged in such places.
CANON 10 - The agreed upon Creeds of this Church shall be the Nicene Creed (or the Nicene-Constantinople Creed), the Apostle’s Creed, and the Caribbean Patriarchate Creed for a detailed understanding of this Church and her faith. The Nicene Creed states:
“We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, Begotten of the Father before all ages, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, Begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made:
Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man;
And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures;
And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father;
And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke by the Prophets;
And we believe in one, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. We acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins.
We look for the Resurrection of the dead, And the Life of the age to come. Amen.”
The Apostle’s Creed states:
“I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.”
The Caribbean Patriarchate’s own Liturgical Creed states: “We Believe in one God, JEHOVAH (YHWH) the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible, who is infinite in power, holy in nature, attributes and purposes, as well as omniscient and omnipresent. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the second person of the Blessed Trinity; the Son of God, the Only-begotten, Begotten of the Father before all ages, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, Begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made: Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man; And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; that His is the only saving name, and whatsoever we do in word or in deed must all be in the name of Jesus to the honor of God the Father, And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end. We Believe in the Holy Ghost, the third person of the Blessed Trinity; the Lord, Comforter and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father through the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who speaks by the Apostles and Prophets. We Believe in holy sanctified living, divine healing, blessings, prosperity, and communion in one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of God which is Theocratic under the sovereign authority of God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and is separate from all secular governmental entities past, present, and future. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins into the name of God the Father, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit; we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. We Believe that God is continually restoring truth and light to His Church; that we place no limit on revelation and that all must be substantiated according to the Scriptures and Sacred Tradition, Amen.”
CANON 11 - We acknowledge that, those conditions which the Scriptures required of an individual at the occasion of his/her entrance into the Universal body of Christ, as outlined in Acts 2:38-42, and most specifically one desiring membership within a local union with this Church, shall be required to profess belief in the fundamentals of the Christian faith contained in the “Basis for the Covenant of Discipleship” of the Constitution and a full agreement with the content and context of the Nicene Creed, Apostle’s Creed, and the Holy Caribbean Patriarchate Creed. The Basis for the Covenant of Discipleship contains four fundamental beliefs of the Christian faith which, when professed, qualifies an individual for membership in the Holy Caribbean Patriarchate. This profession may be to the local Apostle/Bishop, or the local church leader at a conveniently appointed time. The age of an applicant should be such that, he or she is fully capable of understanding and fulfilling the Basis for the Covenant of Discipleship at the discretion of the Presbytery.
CANON 12 – Membership within the United Holy Caribbean Apostolic Church may be terminated in the following ways:
A. By Transfer - Any member in good standing with our Church is automatically in good standing with the brethren in communion with the Church. A transfer may be granted if by necessity. The other church must walk in accordance to God’s word and have basic Christian belief similar to and in communion with the Church. for said request to be granted. Upon this request a letter attached with a resume from the Pastor of the other church must be submitted. That Pastor must submit in his letter reasons for the affiliation of said member and must be presented the same date as the members transfer request. This letter of transfer must be submitted at least (1) one month prior to the date of execution. If all paperwork has been established, the transfer will take place upon approval from the Church. The local church Presbytery or those designated by the Bishop will do an extensive background check of the church that member wishes to transfer to. If paperwork and background checks are satisfactory in accordance to our Christian principles, transfer may be granted in good conscience. Any minister leaving in bad standing will have their credentials immediately revoked and will be regarded as deposed from office and excommunicated from ministerial fellowship until proper reconciliation is made. Any minister leaving in good standing may leave with our endorsement of their ministerial history and their Holy Orders in tacked. All questions any future ministries request concerning the history of said minister will have a full account of history, including incident of revoked credentials. Transfers will not be honored if the change is requested merely by preference. If in the future someone of our Church should want to join another Church based upon “preferences”, denying his own Religion and Ceremonies, let him not be accepted, since he is degrading the Ceremonies of the one Church of God, since, being already in one Church, we shall have one Holy Ghost who is present in all.
B. By Request - Any member who requests termination of membership for whatever reason will be granted that request. If there are unresolved problems between the requesting member and the Church, full efforts are to be made by the local Clergy, and if necessary, in a local Synod, where both parties may dispute their case to resolve any points at issue prior to the granting of the request. All requests made by clergy must be made in writing to their Diocesan Bishop or Apostle in writing and presented at least (2) two weeks in advance prior to date of execution. All issues must be presented for termination in the letter in detail. Any minister leaving this Church by excommunication will have their credentials immediately revoked. All questions any future ministries request concerning the history of said minister will have a full account of history, including incident of revoked license.
C. By Disciplinary Action - Should any member of this Church be found to be flagrantly negligent in living the Christian life, the Church reserves the right to administer Scriptural forms of church discipline, as outlined in Matthew 18:15-17 through the Clergy and if necessary, the Apostolic Council. Should faithful efforts by the Council render no promise of reform or manifest no spirit of repentance on the part of the member(s) in question, membership may be terminated upon unanimous recommendation of the Apostolic Council. A member removed from fellowship by disciplinary action may be reinstated only by means of the normal admission procedure, or by a turnover in decision made by the Apostle or Bishop, Apostolic Council, the Metropolitan, or the Senior Apostle. If the situation calls for greater attention, all appeals within this Church may be made to the Senior Apostle (provided that all other councils and resources have been exhausted), upon which the Senior Apostle will confer with the Holy Synod. If requested by defendant or any Apostle or Bishop within the Church, an outside Minister from an approved fellowship may be sought after for a witness or counsel only on the matter, however, the Senior Apostle reserves the right to final decision on the matter. The Apostolic Council members shall maintain standing operating procedures that specify the process for exercising church discipline. This document shall be available for review and use by any church member. Any minister leaving in bad standings with this organization will have their license immediately revoked, and officially be deemed excommunicated. All questions any future ministries request concerning the history of said minister will have a full account of history, including incident of revoked license and excommunication. Secular Court rulings do not automatically sway the judgment of and have no instant authority within the Lord’s Church.
D. By Inactivity - If a member has not participated in any of the church worship services for a period of six months, his/her membership may be terminated, unless the inactivity is due to health or other reasons acceptable to the local church Presbytery. Restoration will be approved by the local Pastor.
CANON 13 - The Holy Caribbean Patriarchate’s Churches will not be changed over to the Churches of our brethren in full communion do to unresolved issues or mere preference, and the same would apply to the Churches in communion changing over to our Church. We deem it true that those who we are in full communion with are one, for our God is one.
CANON 14 - The Church will prayerfully consider providing Apostolic covering to any Christian Fellowships, Associations, Churches, Ministries, and/or Para-church organizations from any denomination and location. The Church reserves the right to reject all requests for ministry fellowship and/or Apostolic covering requested by outside Christian Fellowships, Associations, Churches, and/or Para-church ministries/organizations or governmental/business mergers with non-religious entities. All non-Christian faith-based organizations, except for Jewish ministries, will automatically be rejected upon request; however, no Christian Fellowship, Association, Church, Ministry, and/or Para-church ministry/organization request will be discriminated against due to financial status, size, or cultural differences. Upon receiving a request presented to an Apostle or Bishop of this Church, the Holy Synod will begin processing said request. During that time period, the Church will educate the leaders of said Fellowship, Association, Church, and/or Para-church ministry/organization on our doctrine and ministry format in order to make the transition efficient and move expeditiously. Once they have under gone close examination by the Church’s Holy Synod, including having successfully passed a thorough background check, the ministry and/or Christian Church will then be either placed under an existing district/episcopal jurisdiction and Bishop (be it the Senior Apostle or someone designated by him), or the Holy Synod will start a new district/jurisdiction using that ministry and/or Christian Church. The Church reserves the right to add our own affirmed Presbyters to the newly acquired ministry or Christian Church in order to guard against heresy, and aid in educating all ministers at the discretion of the Apostle/Bishop. Unless deemed necessary by the Apostle/Bishop, the Presbyters will not take over the ministry or Christian Church as its leader, but be its aid, serving the Senior Pastor or ministry leader. Our Presbyters will work side by side in full communion with the existing Clergy of said church. All ministries or Churches coming under the documented official leadership of the Patriarchate will take on our Canon Laws, Constitution, and doctrine effective immediately. Reformatting of the newly acquired ministry or Christian Church and processing of request all together should take no less than sixty (60) days. All candidates and applicants will be examined on a case-by-case basis, with the understanding that no two Ministries are alike