^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Christian flags

The Christian Flag

On this page:

Accelerated Christian Education (ACE)
American Coptic Association
Anglican Catholic Church
Armenian Apostolic Church
Brethren in Christ Church
Byzantine Catholic Church, Inc.
Churches of God General Conference
Ecumenical Catholic Church
Evangelical Covenant Church
Evangelical Free Church of America
Evangelical Methodist Church
Evangelical Presbyterian Church
Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches
International Church of the Foursquare Gospel
National Association of Congregational Christian Churches
Vineyard Churches

Accelerated Christian Education (ACE)

The organization Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) has its own flag. It's blue and white with an eagle and a Bible on it.
Martin Karner, 20 August 2003

American Coptic Association

The American Coptic Association is an advocacy group founded by Americans of Coptic background to promote the rights of Egyptian Christians the United States. It is associated with the Coptic Church, one of the most ancient of Christian churches. Existing almost from the time of Jesus Himself this church has a remarkable tradition of art and literature unique to that particular form of Christianity. An example of the Church Symbol (it is much more than simply a logo) can be found on the website of the American Coptic Association http://www.amcoptic.com/index2.htm; I have already inquired whether the Coptic Church itself, in either or both of its forms, has a tradition of flags and banners, as well as the American Coptic Association, and if it would be possible to see some examples of these.
Ron Lahav, 15 February 2005

The church website itself can be found at http://www.coptic.org/north_am.htm.
Ned Smith, 15 February 2005

Evidence that the church does indeed have a flag can be found in an online biography of Pope Shenouda III, the head of the Coptic Church. The biography states "In the United States, the mayor of Jersey City hoisted the Coptic Church flag side by side with the American flag at City Hall during the Papal visit." The bio is posted at the websites of several Coptic parishes, http://st-takla.org/Pope-1.html for example. I have so far been unable to find an image or description of the flag.
Ned Smith, 7 March 2005

Anglican Catholic Church

by Jesús Manuel Aceves, 14 November 1998

At anglicancatholic.org.uk is an image of a variant form of the flag at [identification given on this page]. This variant has the church's arms [St. George's cross with crossed key and crozier argent in canton azure] in a shield placed in the white canton of a St. George's flag rather than the white crossed crozier and key in a blue canton of a St. George's flag. Perhaps the two variants reflect UK vs. US usage?
Ned Smith, 7 November 2004

Armenian Apostolic Church

Outside the Armenian chapel at the Tomb of Mary in the Kidron Valley in Jerusalem, I saw a white flag with a dark blue border and a cross on the center. I couldn't get a good look at the cross but it appeared to be the so-called Cross of St. James, apparently a common emblem in the Armenian church, outlined in red and with the Armenian initials for "Saint James" (which, as I recall it, resemble a U and a 3) in blue on the center. I couldn't see the design well enough to sketch it, and it's probably too complicated for my drawing skills without a scan to work from, so the verbal description will have to do. I didn't see this flag at any of the other Armenian sites I went by, only the Armenian national flag.
Joe McMillan, 14 April 2000

Brethren in Christ Church

The Brethren in Christ Church has not officially adopted a distinctive flag to represent our denomination. At this point in time, our main identity symbol remains the logo that our church adopted as our symbol in 1973. And while it is at use in many applications in our churches and offices, including on many banners, it is not officially incorporated into a flag.

The main elements of the emblem are the cross, the dove, and the towel and basin, each chosen to represent a key component at the heart of our church's faith. The cross obviously represents the death of Christ and the salvation that act represents for those of the Christian faith. The dove for us has a dual meaning. The dove represents the Holy Spirit, who guides and empowers our daily walk as Christians, enabling us to live a new life of holiness and obedience to God. For the Brethren in Christ, a church with roots in the Anabaptist family of believers, the dove also stands as a reminder of our call to be peacemakers. The towel and basin stand as testament to the example of Christ in sacrificial service to others. A part of our symbol, Christ's act of washing his disciples' feet is still re-enacted in several of our major gatherings to this day.
Ron Ross, 10 January 2005

Byzantine Catholic Church, Inc.

[Editorial note: The Byzantine Catholic Church Inc. is not part of the Byzantine Catholic Church In America]

An image of the Byzantine Catholic Church, Inc. [Independent Jurisdiction] church flag is shown at http://community.webshots.com/photo/959848/2182746FQvaFLlGbX
The BCCI is a small church affiliated with neither the Papacy nor with the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and should not be confused with any of Byzantine Rite eastern Catholic churches in communion with Rome.
At the BCCI's homepage is a note that the church seal and flag are copyrighted property of the jurisdiction, and cannot be used without written permission. {See http://members.tripod.com/~Mark1x1/ ).
I know nothing further about this church, nor whether the flag is actually in use.
Ned Smith, 6 September 2004

The Byzantine Catholic Church (Independent Jurisdiction) is an American denomination which appears to exist on the borderland between Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.
Ron Lahav, 27 January 2006

This church most certainly does not date back to the fall of Constaninople - it was incorporated in 1964, see http://netministries.org/see/churches/ch02254.
Ned Smith, 27 January 2006

Churches of God General Conference

The Churches of God General Conference is a small evangelical denomination based in the Midwestern United States, and whose origins lie in the German immigration to the US during the first half of the 19th century. Its logo can be found at http://www.cggc.org/index.html, but no flag has been identified.
Ron Lahav, 11 February 2005

Ecumenical Catholic Church

located by Chris Kretowicz, 19 December 2002

This denomination is known in California and New York.
Chris Kretowicz, 19 December 2002

Evangelical Covenant Church

The web site of The Evangelical Covenant Church, which is located at http://www.covchurch/org/cov/home/contacts.html contains the church logo on its 'Contacts' page. This church was founded by Swedish immigrants to the US during the mid-19th century, but has become a multi-ethnic religious community with churches throughout the US and elsewhere. They have been strongly committed to health, and the famous Covenant Hospital in Chicago is still run by the church. I have written to inquire about a possible church flag. A series of black and white church logos can be seen at http://www.covchurch.org/cov/resources/download.html.
Ron Lahav, 17 February 2005

Evangelical Free Church of America

The Evangelical Free Church of America is a small evangelical Protestant group with an extremely loose infrastructure. Their colorful logo can be found at http://www.efca.org/about/index.html. A representative of church states it does not have a flag.
Ron Lahav, 17 February 2005

Evangelical Methodist Church

The Evangelical Methodist Church, whose URL is http://www.emchurch.org is a small offshoot from the mainstream Methodist churches in the USA. It was founded as far back as 1946 by individuals who felt that these mainstream churches had abandoned the original principles of Methodism as preached by the Wesleys and others and which had adopted socially and theologically liberal and humanistic values in their place.

The church seal appears in two forms: in a larger version in the introduction to their web site, and in a smaller and slightly different format at the top of each subsequent page thereafter. The version in the introduction is quite striking, as is the introduction itself, which features music and moving images. The seal is coloured in different tones of black, white, and gray, and is in the form of a large circle with an outer ring and a central image. The outer ring contains the words 'THE EVANGELICAL' in slate gray block letters at the top, and 'METHODIST CHURCH' similarly written at the bottom. To the left of the seal the letters 'EMC', in a large block format coloured slate gray and fimbriated white, extend from the outside of the seal, through the outer ring, and well into the central image itself. The central image consists of a rotating globe impaled by a large cross in white and shadowed black. To the right of the base of the cross is a large open Bible, also in white and black.
Ron Lahav, 21 February 2005

Evangelical Presbyterian Church

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church was founded in 1981 in the US by members of so-called 'mainstream' American Presbyterian bodies in protest at the perceived theological, social, and political liberalism of these denominations. The web site of the EPC is http://www.epc.org. It features the very striking church seal, which consists of a large circular format divided into two concentric circles. The outer ring is considerably narrower than the inner one, and contains at the top the following phrases written in blue lower case lettering with a space between each phrase: In Essentials Unity; In Non-Essentials Liberty; In All Things Charity. At the bottom of this outer ring is what I take to be the church motto, 'Truth Is Love', set off in quotation marks. All of these phrases appear to be quotations, but I don't know the sources.

The central image of the seal is in light blue, dark blue, and white. In the middle of this image is a stylized globe showing lines of latitude and longitude in white; superimposed upon this is a large cross (sorry, but I don't know the name for this form of cross!), which actually consists of two slightly bowed double lines with a thin white space between, the whole upon a light blue and white field. Beneath the dexter arm of the cross is a white dove volant, the right wing of the dove obscured by the trunk of the cross itself. At the foot of the cross, to the left, is an open book, while above the book are the words Evangelical Presbyterian Church in three lines of text. To the right of the foot of the cross are the letters EPC, written in dark blue in a very large block form in dark blue. I have of course contacted the church authorities about the possible existence of a distinctive church flag.
Ron Lahav, 20 February 2005

Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches

The Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches is a small evangelical denomination centered around Grace College and Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana USA. They are extremely active not only in international missions but also in youth missionary work in urban areas around the US. They have a church logo, as depicted at http://www.fogbc.org/welcome. The logo consists of a white rectangle bordered black. In the center of this rectangle is a smaller rectangle in bright yellow containing a representation in white of 'The Old Rugged Cross'. Superimposed on the cross in very large black block lettering are the letters 'FGBC' in two rows, one above the other. Beneath this smaller rectangle is the church motto, written in smaller black block lettering: 'KNOWING JESUS . . . MAKING HIM KNOWN'.
Ron Lahav, 24 February 2005

International Church of the Foursquare Gospel

by António Martins, 27 July 1999

There was a Pentecostal church founded in Los Angeles by Canadian-born evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, called the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. This flag was located at a Brazilian site, a branch of the church. Translated from the site:

THE FOURSQUARE GOSPEL is compared to a jewel of unusual beauty and uses the symbolism in different colors:

Violet stands for the resplendent purple of the coming of the king (Jesus Christ).
Light blue stands for the divine cure.
Yellow stands for the sparkling gold of the baptism in the Holy Ghost.
Red stands for bright scarlet of salvation of the soul.

Missing from the explanation is the black canton charged with a red cross coupee on a white rectangle (vertical arms extending to the black background), over all a small black square with a thick sans serif "4" on it. I guess this is the logo of this International Church of the Foursquare Gospel.
António Martins, 27 July 1999

The flag is used in all of the 76 autonomous national Foursquare Gospel church organizations worldwide. When a church can afford to buy or make one, it is displayed in the sanctuary of the church/chapel.

Concerning the black canton: In this I am making an educated guess only..... the founder of the denomination was a Canadian, from a Salvation Army background. Black was the common 19th Century color for clergy and religious. Foursquare actually had black uniforms for its pastors [male and female] up until the 1970's [last I heard, a few national churches still use part of the uniform]. Why, black doesn't show dirt; and black doesn't make a competitive fashion statement. Perhaps the
black canton represents the ordained ministry.

Not guessing now: Charged with a red cross: the historical Christian symbol for Christ's sacrificial death.

Small black square with "4": "Foursquare" was a common term in Canada in the 19th Century, denoting solidity and stability, trustworthiness. The "4" within a square symbolises the four cardinal doctrines of the denomination: "Foursquare Gospel = that Christ Jesus is the Saviour, Healer, Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, and Soon Coming King." On printed materials the square is usually white with a black 4. Alternately, the four liturgical symbols [Cross, Dove, Eucharist Cup, and Crown] for the cardinal Christological doctrine is placed in a square with no "4". Either is now commonplace as a Foursquare Gospel logo.
Rev. Bruce Redner, 17 November 2005

National Association of Congregational Christian Churches

The National Association of Congregational Christian Churches, whose home page can be found at http://www.naccc.org is the rump organization which remained when most of the old Congregationalist Churches joined with several other denominations to form the United Church of Christ. The Congregationalists are the direct descendants of the English Puritans of the 16th and 17th Centuries, and the first of these came to New England originally aboard the Mayflower in 1620. They have often been called 'The Conscience of New England', and they were one of the first American churches to espouse radical social reform. This included such things as communal organization, a dedication to education (the Massachusetts General Court passed an ordinance in the mid 17th Century requiring every township to set aside a plot of land for the construction of a school '. . . in order that That Old Deluder Satan might gain no footing in this New World and be thus defeated.'. The Congregationalists also founded the first institution of higher education in the English speaking colonies, Harvard College). At a later period they were the backbone of the Abolitionist movement, and after the American Civil War they set up a large number of universities and colleges for the newly emancipated slaves. Set against this is of course the hothouse atmosphere which created the mass hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials.

The NACCC refused to join the church merger because they felt that their grand old traditions would be seriously diluted if not destroyed. Reflecting their arrival on board the Mayflower, the logo of the church consists of a reproduction of that ship. I have contacted the church administration to inquire about a possible church flag.
Ron Lahav, 14 February 2005

Vineyard Churches

The Vineyard Churches Association of South Africa report that there is no flag for the local Association nor internationally. They do make use of banners hung inside churches with biblical verses on them but this is not a universal nor a standardized usage.
Andries Burgers, 24 January 2005