Unity of the Church

The oneness of the Church — a divine gift, not an achievement; expressed in the one Eucharist, one faith, one baptism.

Already partially defined under this theme. The unity (henotes) of the Church is one of the four marks confessed in the Creed. Orthodox theology understands this unity not as an institutional arrangement to be achieved but as a divine gift already given: the Church is one because Christ is one, the Holy Spirit is one, the Eucharist is one, the baptism is one (Ephesians 4:4-6). Schism does not divide the Church — it places some people outside the unity that already exists.