Timeline of Church History

Starting from Pentecost 33AD, the 'Birthday' of Jesus Christ's Church, there was only One Holy Catholic (Universal) and Apostolic (From the Apostles) Church.

Right up to 1054, there was only still ONE Church which was Universal (Catholic) in the Tradition of the Apostles (Apostolic).

Constantine convened the first council of all the Bishops in the World at Nicea in 325 AD and they produced the Creed of what the Church was and what we believed. 

The Church grew and expanded over the next 700 years, to the East & the Orient but still as ONE Holy Catholic & Apostolic Church. 

In 1054, the Great Schism occurred and there were two (2) Churches but essentially the same ONE faith but governed differently, one from the East in Constantinople, the Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church and the existing Holy Catholic & Apostolic Church governed from Rome under the continued leadership of the Bishop of Rome (Pope).  

As both Churches in 1054 (after the Schism) were the same Catholic (Universal Church), the Holy Catholic & Apostolic Church governed from Rome was referred as the Roman Catholic Church to make the distinction from the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church.

Hence the the 'birth' of the name ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. However, very importantly it must be noted that it did not start in 1054 AD and it is the original Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church that started in 33 AD at Pentecost under the leadership of the Apostle Peter (Bishop of Rome 30-64 AD). 

The Church did not start in Rome. The See of Rome was founded by St Peter & St Paul who invested it with Apostolic authority. Peter first landed in Rome around 42 AD and was martyred there in 64 AD. It is from Rome that Peter as Bishop and First of the Apostles, governed the Universal Church, issuing letters to other churches, etc. Therefore 'headquarters' was formed in Rome with Peter's successors, subsequent Popes continuing the tradition of Christ's command to Peter to build his Church.

For the next 500 years, the Church in Rome and the Church in the East were of one Faith but pursued and expanded on different paths. The Church in Rome pursued with the Crusades from 1095-1291 and sacked Constantinople in 1204 with the Papal armies. The Eastern Orthodox Church then faced the Turks in 1453 who conquered Constantinople and turned it into a Muslim state. The Eastern Church expanded to Russia and later the Americas.

The bigger arm of the Holy Catholic Church (of east and west) was the Roman Catholic Church (with its papal armies, vast lands and papal states much of which inherited from Constantine and the work of the Popes, some more kingly than spiritual). 

In 1517, the Reformation took place and the start of breakaway Churches taking part or none of the doctrines of the Church and forming their own religion not in communion with the Church of Rome. 

Today's Protestant Churches are only 500 years old (from the first few breakaways) compared with the 2000 year history of the unbroken line of the Holy Catholic & Apostolic Church. 

List of notable Protestant Churches Year of Formation

1517 - Lutheranism: 1526 - Lutheran Church

1532 - Church of England (Anglican & Episcopal) - with the breakaways:

• 1739 - Methodism
• 1784 - Methodist Episcopal
• 1830 - Methodist Protestant
• 1865 - Salvation Army
• 1880 - Holiness
• 1968 - United Methodist

1536 - Calvinism

1536 - Reformed Churches - with the breakaways:

• 1628 Reformed Church in America

1560 - Presbyterian

• 1858 - Untied Presbyterian Church of North America
• 1920 - North Presbyterian Church in USA
• 1958 - United Presbyterian Church in USA

1560 - Congregationalists

1521 - Anabaptist - with the breakaways: 

• 1536 - Mennonites - with the breakaways:
• 1690 Amish

• 1609 - Baptist - with the breakaways:

• 1845 - Southern Baptist & Northern Baptist
• 1820 - Adventist- withe the breakaway:
• 1850 - Seventh Day Adventist
• 1830 - Disciples of Christ - with the breakaway: 
• 1906 Church of Christ

1901 - Pentecostal

1914 - Assemblies of God