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Ad Fontes is a Christian congregation founded in
the spring of 1992. It is independent but
co-operating with the Swedish denomination of
Evangeliska Frikyrkan (earlier known as Nybygget
or Örebromissionen), and regards
itself
as a part of the wider Christian community – in
a local, national and international sense.
The name of Ad Fontes is inspired by a Latin
expression which means ”to the sources”, one of
the catch-phrases of the reformation era and
expresses
of our longing to return to the original
simplicity of the Christian faith, to Christ and
to the Scriptures.
Since its start, Ad Fontes has had a clearly
ecumenical orientation. The members and friends
of the church represent a wide variety of
different Christian traditions and contexts. We
wish to live a simple Christian everyday life
with the help and guidance by the Holy Spirit.
Therefore we jointly seek to encourage and
express a longing for God which draws us closer
to our Father.
Ultimately, we see ourselves as a community of
believers. We believe that God is committed to
people and to relationships rather than to
structures. God has only one church, which we
confess to be a part of. For historical and
practical reasons, this one church is meeting in
different places and under different forms. But
at the heavenly feast, towards which we are
heading, there will be only one celebrating
assembly. This
worldwide
church is just as indivisible as Jesus himself.
Being a new twig on the Christian tree, you have
to be very humble in comparison to other
structures, especially since our aim is to
regain what others have already found in earlier
times. This attitude is expressed already in the
name of Ad Fontes, “to the sources”. More than
once we have warned each other of the common and
insidious temptation to believe that church
history began with your own little group.
Instead, knowledge, wisdom, experience and
inspiration should be sought in all Christian
traditions and contexts, preferably keeping in
mind the Biblical teaching that “all things are
yours” but “you are of Christ” (1 Cor.
3:21, 23). For this reason, Ad Fontes wants to
seek fellowship and co-operation with Christians
of various traditions, as soon as natural
opportunities so allow. |
