American Council of Christian Churches
Encyclopedia
The American Council of Christian Churches (ACCC) was founded in 1941 under the leadership of Carl McIntire
. McIntire and others created a fundamentalist organization set up in opposition to the Federal Council of Churches (now National Council of Churches
). The ACCC motto is Jude 3: Earnestly contending for the Faith.
Membership in the American Council of Christian Churches is available to denominations and individual Christians, who are admitted by a 3/4 majority vote. Agreement with the purposes and doctrinal statement are required and membership is specifically denied to those who have affiliations with
The ACCC has remained small in comparison to the National Association of Evangelicals
and the National Council of Churches
. This is due in part to its strong separatist stance, and in part because separatist denominations will often not participate in "cross-denominational" organizations.
Dr. Ralph Colas currently serves as Executive Secretary. Offices are in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
. The ACCC is the national equivalent of the International Council of Christian Churches.
In July 2007, the leadership of the ACCC issued a statement criticizing a recent declaration by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
on the meaning of the phrase subsistit in which re-emphasized the role of the Catholic Church as the subsisting Church of Christ.
Carl McIntire
Carl McIntire was a founder of, and minister in, the Bible Presbyterian Church, founder and long president of the and the American Council of Christian Churches, and a popular religious radio broadcaster, who proudly identified himself as a fundamentalist.-Youth and education:Born in Ypsilanti,...
. McIntire and others created a fundamentalist organization set up in opposition to the Federal Council of Churches (now National Council of Churches
National Council of Churches
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA is an ecumenical partnership of 37 Christian faith groups in the United States. Its member denominations, churches, conventions, and archdioceses include Mainline Protestant, Orthodox, African American, Evangelical, and historic peace...
). The ACCC motto is Jude 3: Earnestly contending for the Faith.
Membership in the American Council of Christian Churches is available to denominations and individual Christians, who are admitted by a 3/4 majority vote. Agreement with the purposes and doctrinal statement are required and membership is specifically denied to those who have affiliations with
- the World Council of ChurchesWorld Council of ChurchesThe World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
(WCC) or any of its affiliates, such as the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.National Council of ChurchesThe National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA is an ecumenical partnership of 37 Christian faith groups in the United States. Its member denominations, churches, conventions, and archdioceses include Mainline Protestant, Orthodox, African American, Evangelical, and historic peace...
(NCC), the World Evangelical Fellowship (WEF) or any of its affiliates, such as the National Association of EvangelicalsNational Association of EvangelicalsThe National Association of Evangelicals is a fellowship of member denominations, churches, organizations, and individuals. Its goal is to honor God by connecting and representing evangelicals in the United States. Today it works in four main areas: Church & Faith Partners, Government Relations,...
(NAE), the modern Charismatic Movement, or the Ecumenical Movement ...
The ACCC has remained small in comparison to the National Association of Evangelicals
National Association of Evangelicals
The National Association of Evangelicals is a fellowship of member denominations, churches, organizations, and individuals. Its goal is to honor God by connecting and representing evangelicals in the United States. Today it works in four main areas: Church & Faith Partners, Government Relations,...
and the National Council of Churches
National Council of Churches
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA is an ecumenical partnership of 37 Christian faith groups in the United States. Its member denominations, churches, conventions, and archdioceses include Mainline Protestant, Orthodox, African American, Evangelical, and historic peace...
. This is due in part to its strong separatist stance, and in part because separatist denominations will often not participate in "cross-denominational" organizations.
Dr. Ralph Colas currently serves as Executive Secretary. Offices are in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
. The ACCC is the national equivalent of the International Council of Christian Churches.
In July 2007, the leadership of the ACCC issued a statement criticizing a recent declaration by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition , and after 1904 called the Supreme...
on the meaning of the phrase subsistit in which re-emphasized the role of the Catholic Church as the subsisting Church of Christ.
Members - January 2004
- Bible Presbyterian ChurchBible Presbyterian ChurchThe Bible Presbyterian Church is an American Protestant denomination.-History:The Bible Presbyterian Church was formed in 1937, predominantly through the efforts of such conservative Presbyterian clergymen as Carl McIntire, J. Oliver Buswell and Allen A. MacRae. Francis Schaeffer was the first...
- Evangelical Methodist Church of AmericaEvangelical Methodist ChurchThe Evangelical Methodist Church is a Christian denomination headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The denomination currently has churches in the United States, Mexico, Burma/Myanmar, Canada, Europe, and Africa. Congregations are located in 23 U.S. states, and they have a presence in 20 other...
- Fellowship of Fundamental Bible ChurchesFellowship of Fundamental Bible ChurchesThe Fellowship of Fundamental Bible Churches is a fellowship of independent autonomous fundamentalist churches established in 1939. It is considered only a fellowship of like-minded churches, rather than a denomination. Local congregations in the fellowship have no financial obligations to the...
- Free Presbyterian Church of North AmericaFree Presbyterian Church of North AmericaThe Free Presbyterian Church of North America or FPCNA is a Presbyterian denomination in the United States and Canada with mission works in Liberia, Jamaica, and Kenya...
- Fundamental Methodist Church
- Independent Baptist Fellowship of North AmericaIndependent Baptist Fellowship of North AmericaThe Independent Baptist Fellowship of North America is a separatist fundamentalist independent Baptist fellowship for pastors and laymembers...
- Independent Churches Affiliated