The doctrine of apostolic succession—central to the Anglican-Catholic Church’s identity with
the Church founded by Jesus in the first century—involves there being an unbroken line of
bishops from the beginning of Christian history to the present.
Christ conferred upon his apostles the original task of shepherding the earthly Church in his
absence. As the Church grew, the apostles themselves appointed different kinds of ministers to
assist them.
Among the apostles there were two groups. The first consisted of the Twelve, who witnessed the
whole of Christ’s earthly ministry from his Baptism to his Ascension (Acts 1:21-26). The second
group of apostles, including Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14:14), was not bound by this condition.
Thus Paul had seen and been commissioned as an apostle by the risen Christ (1 Cor. 9:1, Gal.
1:1), though he had not been a disciple of Jesus during his earthly ministry (Acts 9, 1 Cor. 15:8).
Christ could have continued to appear to individuals and appoint them as apostles throughout
the Church age. However, he chose not to do so, and so the apostles passed from the scene. The
chain of apostolic succession, of course, started with the apostles themselves, and continues with
the bishops, the successors of the apostles.
Due to bishops’ role as the successors of the apostles, possession of a valid episcopacy is
necessary for a church to claim apostolic succession. Apostolic succession thus involves the
bishops serving as successors to the apostles, not serving as apostles. The bishops are not simply
a continuation of the office of apostle; they received the governance of the Church when that
office ceased.