The Convergence Movement, also known as the Ancient-Future Faith, whose foundation is primarily attributed to Robert E. Webber in 1985, is an ecumenical Christian movement. Developed as an effort among evangelical, charismatic and Pentecostal, and liturgical Christians and denominations blending their forms of worship, the movement has been defined for its predominant use of Anglicanism's Book of Common Prayer; and use from additional liturgical sources common to Lutheranism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Catholicism have also been employed.
Christian denominations, organizations and individuals within the movement have identified themselves as Ancient Faith or Ancient Church, Ancient-Future, Convergence, Charismatic Orthodox, evangelical Episcopal, paleo-orthodox, Pentecostal Catholic or Pentecostal Orthodox, and Liturgical Pentecostal. Denominations in the Convergence Movement have also been referred as some form of broader, or new Anglicanism or Episcopalianism.
The pioneers of the Convergence Movement were seeking to restore a primitive form of Christianity in contrast with the teachings of the Restoration Movement. The Ancient-Future Faith was inspired by the spiritual pilgrimages of Protestant writers like Thomas Howard, Robert E. Webber, Peter E. Gillquist, and ancient Christian writers including the Church Fathers and their communities. These men—along with theologians, scripture scholars, and pastors in a number of Protestant denominational traditions leading to the movement's foundation—were calling Christians back to what they saw as their roots in the early Church prior to the East–West Schism and rise of the state church of the Roman Empire.Melton, Gordon J. Encyclopedia of American Religions. 2003. pp. 629–630. "In the years after World War I, negotiations began to create a broad union that would include the Anglican and ... the "convergence movement," the term referring to the "convergence" of various streams of renewal that shared an understanding of the church as one Body with a variety of diverse but contributing parts. Following the lead of British bishop Lesslie Newbigin, the convergence movement affirmed the threefold essence of the church as Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox/Pentecostal. The church is Catholic as it relates to the emphases of "incarnation and creation," Protestant with an emphasis on "biblical proclamation and conversion," and Orthodox/Pentecostal in relation to "the mystical and the Holy Spirit."Vinson, Synan. Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition: Charismatic Movements in the Twentieth Century. 1997. p294 "By 1990, like minded pastors were banding together in what they called a "convergence movement" designed to bring the three streams together in a new and powerful spiritual configuration. Even more striking were the cases of charismatic ..."
Background In 1973, Campus Crusade for Christ missionary Peter E. Gillquist (1938–2012) of Chicago established a network of house churches throughout the United States of America—aiming to restore a primitive form of Christianity, which was called the New Covenant Apostolic Order. Studying Christian history, Gillquist and his colleagues found sources for this restoration in the writings of the early Church Fathers. This led the New Covenant Apostolic Order to practice a more liturgical form of worship than in their previous evangelical Protestant background.Hopkins, Joseph (April 21, 1978). "Schism in the Order". Christianity Today. Vol. 22 no. 14. p. 45.
In 1977, "The Chicago Call" was issued by the National Conference of Evangelicals for Historic Christianity, meeting in Warrenville, Illinois. Led by Robert E. Webber (Assoc. Professor of Theology at Wheaton College), along with Peter Gillquist, Thomas Howard, Richard Holt, Donald Bloesch, Jan Dennis, Lane Dennis, and Victor Oliver, the conference discussed the need for evangelical Protestants to rediscover and re-attach to the Christian Church's historic roots. The conference issued several documents which together are known as "The Chicago Call." Components of the document include: "A Call to Historic Roots and Continuity; A Call to Biblical Fidelity; A Call to Creedal Identity; A Call to Holistic Salvation; A Call to Sacramental Integrity; A Call to Spirituality; A Call to Church Authority; and A Call to Church Unity."
In 1979, the Evangelical Orthodox Church was organized.Walker, Gordon (September 1983). "Odyssey to Orthodoxy". Again. Vol. 6 no. 3. p. 10. The belief of needing apostolic succession and the historic episcopacy led most members of Evangelical Orthodoxy to join the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America in 1987."Evangelical Orthodox Join Antiochian Jurisdiction". Theosis. Vol. 9 no. 9. September 1986. p. 8. Others later joined the Orthodox Church in America.
In 1984 Charisma magazine—one of the most influential magazines of the Charismatic Movement—published an article by Richard Lovelace entitled, "The Three Streams, One River?" (Sept 1984). Lovelace approvingly noted the trend of Catholics, Evangelicals, and Charismatic and Pentecostal Christians moving closer together.
Robert Webber's 1985 book—Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail: Why Evangelicals are Attracted to the Liturgical Church—documented the stories of six evangelical Protestants who, for various reasons, had transitioned to the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States. Publication of this book stirred up a great deal of interest in the evangelical Protestant press, generating numerous reviews in Christianity Today and other widely read evangelical publications.
Development In June 1992, the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church was established as a part of the Convergence Movement following the episcopal ordination of Randy Adler by Herman Adrian Spruit of the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch—an Independent Catholic jurisdiction embracing religious pluralism. By 1997, Adler and the clergy of the Charismatic Episcopal Church were conditionally ordained by bishops from the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church.Edward Jarvis, God, Land & Freedom: the true story of ICAB, Apocryphile Press, Berkeley CA, 2018, p 168 By 2007, former Charismatic Episcopal Archbishop Randolph Sly joined the Catholic Church and was ordained into the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, broadening recognition of the Convergence Movement among the ancient liturgical Christian denominations.
In 1995, the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches was organized.Yong, Amos. Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh. 2005. "The Charismatic Episcopal Church (1992) and the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches (1995) are examples of organized expressions of the Convergence Movement (from the 1970s), which has sought to blend charismatic, evangelical ..." In October 1995, approximately 300 individuals gathered from multiple denominational backgrounds; various bishops from Anglican, independent Eastern Orthodox and Old Catholic churches assisted in the episcopal ordination of the denomination's first two bishops, and the ordination of 25 pastors and seven deacons. Later, the Evangelical Episcopal Communion would schism with the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches.
In 1999, Timothy Paul Baymon was initially elevated into the episcopacy by Peter Paul Brennan, Carl Jimenez, James Lagona and Joseph Grenier; and in December 2000, he would receive a conditional ordination by Herman R. Cannady Sr. Baymon had established the Holy Communion of Churches as a Convergence Movement denomination, where he was also elevated as their archbishop in 2000; and by 2015, he would then be enthroned as patriarch.
In 2005, the Christian Life Network of Churches and Ministries was established by Thomas Henry Jr., before eventually reorganizing itself in 2011 through the principles of the Convergence Movement as the Apostolic Communion of Churches. Under Archbishop Henry, the Apostolic Communion of Churches formalized intercommunion with a province of the Evangelical Episcopal Communion (Missio Mosaic), and the Anglican Diocese of Kibondo in Tanzania.
In 2011, Evangelical Episcopal Bishop Derek Jones was received by the Convocation of Anglicans in North America into the Anglican Church in North America. By March 2012—under the leadership of Quintin Moore—the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches entered full communion with his denomination, Christian Communion International, as the denomination's United States province.
From 2008–2014, the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches held informal ecumenical dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church through Bishop Tony Palmer. During an audience with Pope Francis, Palmer and Bishop Emilio Alvarez represented this denomination; Alvarez was the official translator for the meeting. Palmer continued to serve in papal audiences until his death, befriending Pope Francis.
Palmer's death was initially disclosed by Archbishop Charles Hill of Ambassadors for Christ Ministries of America, whom he also befriended and was a member of the same communion. Hill served as "Apostle Primate Patriarch Archbishop" within the Patriarchate in the World of Jesus Christ—an independent Eastern Orthodox group. Archbishop Hill would later lead a Charismatic Liberal Catholic denomination named the Ancient Church Global, claiming descent from the Knights Templar and self-proclaiming themselves the sole source of Independent, Old and Liberal Catholicism.
This denomination led by Hill upon their departure from the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches also uniquely claimed to hold apostolic succession and continuity with Ancient Egyptian polytheistic religious practices; and their additional claims to succession and the historic episcopate stemmed from various wandering bishops within Independent and Old Catholicism, the American Orthodox Catholic Church, Anglicanism, and Gnosticism. By May 2023, a religious university founded by Hill for their Charismatic denomination conferred an honorary degree upon Liberian politician Matthew Zarzar.
In 2019, the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches schismed, and the Continuing Evangelical Episcopal Communion (later reconstituted as the Confessing Anglican Church) was founded. Alvarez also left the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches and organized the Union of Charismatic Orthodox Churches. By October 2020, he was elected to lead the denomination as its primate and in 2021 was installed as archbishop and primate for the denomination. In December 2020, the leadership of the Union of Charismatic Orthodox Churches met with Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (Ecumenical Patriarchate). Alvarez and the Convergence Movement were featured by Religion News Service, after a trend of young Christians returning to traditional churches.
In 2019, the Apostolic Communion of Anglican Churches—founded in 2005 through the principles of the Convergence Movement—received the former Anglican Church in North America priest Jack Lumanog. Joining this denomination, Lumanog was declared to have no ecclesiastical status through any province of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans following his election and ordination to the episcopacy by Archbishop Darel Chase. Chase also ordained a claimant to the Roman papacy, and organized the National Bible College Association accreditation mill which accredited their self-established Metropolitan Christian University and Midwestern School of Divinity for their churches.