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ONE GOD - MANY NAMES / ONE SON - MANY PATHS / ONE TRUTH - MANY FAITHS

The Church of Interfaith Christians, USA

International Headquarters

 

The Church of Interfaith Christians was founded by Dr. Ernest A. Steadman, (1947-2009) in August of 2002.  Dr. Steadman's book Pathway to the Stars (originally written in 1982 and republished in 2001) serves as the basic text for new members.  In the beginning the church was chartered under the Universal Life Church and ministers received their ordinations from ULC.  That very quickly changed and Dr. Steadman and others separated the COIC from the ULC organization establishing our own Charters and ordinations, with ordinations awarded only to those who met strict education and moral requirements along with a quorum vote of previously ordained ministers. Unlike the Universal Life Church, we follow Christ, but like Universalists we welcome and and encourage fellowship with all other faiths.  Although the name Dr. Steadman gave this new faith is Interfaith Christians, in practice, we are Inclusive Christians, all relatively new terms within Christianity, yet growing in acceptance daily.

By October 8, 2004 the church was recognized on the world scene as an independent, new denomination of Christianity.  The COIC was recognized as a new denomination by the University of California and Professor J. Gordon Melton who wrote about it in the eighth edition of The Encyclopedia of American Religions published in  2009.  The church is also published in the Encyclopedia of World Faiths.  Dr. Steadman's book Pathway to the Stars was adopted for distribution by both National Libraries of the United Kingdom (UK) and Russia.

By the time of Dr. Steadman's death in 2009 the church had grown to 234 ordained ministers and ministries in the US, Africa, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, India and even a few in Turkey.  In addition we have 16 Brick and Mortar Churches in Nigeria, 1 in Burkina-Faso with another 11 Churches in Liberia, West Africa adding more than 60 ordained ministers to the above total and another 30 actively being trained as missionaries to be sent into the Northern part of Nigeria where there is so much conflict between Muslims and Christians  We also have a number of affiliate ministers of the church that have crossed over from their previous denominations of  Baptist, Church of God, Lutheran, Presbyterian and Quaker to become ordained as Interfaith Christian Ministers.

Along with the Church of Interfaith Christians Dr. Steadman established an Interfaith Christian Accreditation Association, a United Fellowship of Interfaith Ministers and finally, a secular order called the Knights of Good Works, recognizing the unselfish deeds of others who serve their neighbors. The COIC continues to sponsor churches in Nigeria and West Africa.  We have added a special outreach program Diabetics Speak Out and expanded our Prayer Warriors group adding new forms on the website for prayer requests and calling on Prayer Warriors from all faiths.  Our minister training program is growing so extensive that we are developing an Interfaith Christian Seminary.