Why are you recommending only some parishes of the Protestant National Churches?

Because our Churches are going through a crisis. In principle, the duty of the Church is to preach the Word of God and to administer the Sacraments rightly, but this can no longer be taken for granted in our Protestant National Churches. We make an effort to find and report parishes where you can receive good spiritual nourishment.

What are the criteria for recommending a parish?

Our team of scouts is constantly searching for parishes where the following serious departures from Christian orthodoxy are NOT found:

• Willful neglect of Scripture for the sake of a socio-political agenda
• Denial of the binding authority of Scripture
• Open affirmation of sexual immorality
• Universalism / Syncretism with other religions
• Denial of the virgin birth or the bodily resurrection of Jesus
• Denial of the Trinity or of the two natures of Christ

If I find a parish that meets this criteria, how can I report it?

Just fill the form on this link. Within some days (perhaps a week) our website managers will update the map and it should be shown. Please make sure to introduce the coordinates properly (decimal numbers, not degrees, point as decimal separator).

Is the consent of the pastor necessary for reporting a parish?

No. We take responsibility for recommending these churches, just as any person can recommend a hotel or a restaurant in other online services. If a pastor wishes his church to be removed from the map, we are ready to do so upon a formal request. On the other hand, a pastor may also request us to ‘endorse’ his congregation.

What is an ‘endorsed’ parish?

In this case, it is a parish that we have a formal connection to, where we know that the pastor fully supports our 95 thesis.

Can parishes from independent denominations be reported?

Given that we cooperate with independent denominations (i.e. confessional Protestant denominations apart from the National Church), some of our scouts report parishes that belong to those denominations. These are marked in a different category, because it is not our aim at Crossbearer to restore these healthy denominations. We still show them, because it can be helpful for people looking for a spiritual home. If you can, we encourage you to join the national Church, but here we also show you some other options.

Do you have a stance on women ordination?

Crossbearer does not take an official stand on women ordination; therefore, parishes led by a female pastor may be reported, as long as the mentioned requirements are met. The information about the pastor is shown, so that you may decide whether you can join this church with a good conscience.