Catholic
Global communion centred on the Bishop of Rome; sacramental worship, wide canon, strong social teaching.
How it developed
- STEP 1
Early Jewish followers of Jesus
The first Christians were Jewish, worshipping in synagogues and homes while proclaiming Jesus as Messiah.
- STEP 2
The early Church
Communities spread through the Roman world, shared resources, and faced periods of persecution.
- STEP 3
Church councils
Gatherings of bishops worked out shared language about Christ and the Trinity, producing creeds still used today.
- STEP 4
Formation of biblical canons
Lists of recognised books developed gradually and were not identical everywhere — a key reason canons still differ.
- STEP 5
Eastern and Western Christianity
Language, politics and practice slowly diverged between the Greek-speaking East and Latin-speaking West.
- STEP 6
The Great Schism (1054)
A long estrangement became formal division between Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
- STEP 7
The Protestant Reformation (16th century)
Reform movements challenged church authority and practice, producing many new traditions.
- STEP 8
Modern ecumenical cooperation
Many traditions now cooperate on worship, study, disaster relief and social care while retaining real differences.
The main traditions
Eastern Orthodox
Ancient liturgy, icons, conciliar governance, deep continuity with the early Greek-speaking church.
Oriental Orthodox
Includes Coptic, Armenian, Syriac and Ethiopian churches, distinct since the fifth century.
Anglican
Reformed and catholic in self-understanding; prayer-book worship; wide internal variety.
Lutheran
Rooted in the Reformation; emphasises grace, Scripture and word-and-sacrament worship.
Reformed / Presbyterian
Emphasis on God's sovereignty, preaching, and governance by elders.
Anabaptist
Believers' baptism, simplicity, community, and historically strong peace commitments.
Methodist / Wesleyan
Emphasis on grace, personal holiness, small groups and social service.
Baptist
Believers' baptism, congregational governance and local church autonomy.
Pentecostal and charismatic
Emphasis on the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts and expressive worship.
Independent churches
Congregations without formal denominational ties; enormous variety in practice and accountability.
Indigenous Christian communities
Churches led by Indigenous people, often holding faith alongside cultural renewal and truth-telling about colonial harm.
Black Christian traditions
Rich traditions of worship, preaching, endurance and justice organising across many denominations.
Monastic traditions
Communities of prayer, work, hospitality and study, found in Catholic, Orthodox and some Protestant settings.
Where they differ
Biblical canon
Protestant Bibles usually have 66 books; Catholic Bibles include the Deuterocanonical books; Orthodox canons may be broader.
Church authority
Ranges from papal authority, to councils of bishops, to elders, to fully congregational decision-making.
Sacraments
Catholic and Orthodox recognise seven; many Protestants recognise two (baptism and communion).
Communion
Understandings range from real presence to memorial; frequency and who may receive also differ.
Baptism
Infant baptism in many traditions; believers' baptism in others; immersion, pouring or sprinkling.
Saints
Catholic and Orthodox ask saints to pray for them; most Protestants honour them as examples only.
Mary
Deep devotion in Catholic and Orthodox traditions; respectful but more limited emphasis in most Protestant churches.
Icons
Central to Orthodox worship; varied use elsewhere; some traditions avoid images entirely.
Liturgy
From fixed ancient liturgies to informal contemporary services.
Clergy
Differences in ordination, celibacy requirements and who may be ordained.
Salvation language
Emphases differ between grace received by faith, sacramental life, and transformation over time.
Spiritual gifts
Some traditions expect gifts such as prophecy and healing today; others understand them differently.
An important caveatThere is significant diversity within every major Christian tradition. These summaries are introductions, not definitions of every individual believer.