The Great Tradition represents that evangelical, apostolic, and catholic core of Christian faith and practice which came largely to fruition from 100-500 AD. Its rich legacy and treasures represent the Church’s confession of what the Church has always believed, the worship that the ancient, undivided Church celebrated and embodied, and the mission that it embraced and undertook.

The Great Tradition can never be used as a substitute for Scriptures, (i.e., the authoritative source of all Christian faith, the Scriptures). Likewise, the Great Tradition cannot displace the living presence of Christ in the Church through the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, it remains authoritative and revitalizing for the people of God, providing God’s people through time a clear confession of the substance of our faith. The Great Tradition has been embraced and affirmed as authoritative by Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant theologians, those ancient and modern, as it has produced the seminal documents, doctrines, confessions, and practices of the Church (e.g., the canon of Scriptures, the doctrines of the Trinity, the deity of Christ, etc.).

A deep passion of the Institute is to retrieve the depth and Christ-centered focus on the Great Tradition, the forms and patterns of worship and ministry to be gleaned from the ancient Church. Urban churches, in order to bear witness to Christ and advance his Kingdom, must be spiritually mature and theologically rich. These resources offer practical advice in helping new Christians grow, and growing Christians reproduce.

Going Forward by Looking Back: Toward an Evangelical Retrieval of the Great Tradition
Of Whose Spirit Are We? A Primer on Why We Seek to Retrieve the Great Tradition for the City Church
Traditions: The perils, promise, and perspectives underlying the role of tradition for Christian discipleship and mission.
A Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future
Worship and the Cosmic Drama