Apostolic Mark

The Church is apostolic because of Christ's choice of the Twelve Apostles as the foundation for the Church. Twelve is symbolic of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, or God's chosen people. Every single bishop's lineage can be traced back to the Twelve.  Each Apostle was entrusted with the responsibility to teach, sanctify, and govern the Church.

The Church is describe as Apostolic in three ways, Apostolic Foundation, Apostolic Faith, and Apostolic Succesion. Throughout the Churches history, each bishop was ordained by a previous bishop, and this goes on through to the Apostles. The Apostles were the foundation of the Church, without the Apostles handing on their responsibilities, the Church would not be what it is today. Though bishops are well read on their subject matter, they are not perfect. The Holy Spirit guides and transmits the teachings of the Apostles through the bishops. The succession of the Apostles is carried on through the bishops, making our Church and apostle based Church.