The
Four Marks of the Church is a term describing four specific adjectives —
one, holy, catholic and apostolic — indicating four major distinctive marks or distinguishing characteristics of the
Christian Church. The belief that the Church is characterized by these four particular "marks" was first expressed by the
First Council of Constantinople in the year 381 in its revision of the
Nicene Creed, in which it included the statement: "
[We believe] in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church." In
Protestant theology these are sometimes called the
attributes of the Church. They are still professed today in the Nicene Creed, recited in the liturgy of
Catholic,
Orthodox,
Anglican, and many Protestant churches' worship services.