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Apostles' Creed vs Nicene Creed: the differences, and which churches say which

By the Canadian Churches team · Checked October 29, 2026

The Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed are the two creeds most Christian churches share. Both follow the same order (God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Church), and many churches say both, at different services. This page compares them using the churches' own texts and notes: the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church of Canada's authorized texts, the Orthodox Church in America and the United Church of Canada.

Apostles' Creed vs Nicene Creed at a glance

Feature	Apostles' Creed	Nicene Creed
Where it comes from	The ancient baptismal creed of the Church of Rome, grown from the three questions put to people being baptized; its present Latin form dates from the eighth century Source	The Councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381); first known in its present form from the Council of Chalcedon (451) Source
Why the name	Not written by the apostles: it is “rightly considered to be a faithful summary of the apostles’ faith” (Catechism 194) Source	From the Council of Nicaea; its authority comes from the first two ecumenical councils (Catechism 195) Source
Speaks as	“I believe”: a personal profession at baptism Source	“We believe”: the faith of the whole Church, as a council stated it Source
Length	18 lines in the ecumenical English text Source	32 lines in the ecumenical English text Source
On Jesus Christ	“God’s only Son, our Lord”, born, crucified, risen and coming to judge Source	Adds that he is “of one Being with the Father”, the point Nicaea settled against Arius Source
Lines only in this creed	“he descended to the dead”, “the communion of saints”, “the resurrection of the body” Source	“the Lord, the giver of life”, “one holy catholic and apostolic Church”, “one baptism for the forgiveness of sins” Source
“And the Son” (filioque)	Not part of this creed	Catholic text: the Spirit “proceeds from the Father and the Son”. Orthodox text: “proceeds from the Father”. The phrase is a Western addition from Toledo in 589 Source
Where it is said	Baptism, Morning and Evening Prayer, and sometimes in place of the Nicene Creed at the Eucharist Source	The Sunday Mass or Eucharist; the Catechism calls it “common to all the great Churches of both East and West” Source

Quotations are short phrases from the English Language Liturgical Consultation texts authorized by the Anglican Church of Canada (2023) and from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, both linked. Read the full creeds on the churches' own pages.

Which churches say which

Church	Apostles' Creed	Nicene Creed
Catholic Church	Its baptismal creed. At Mass it may be said instead of the Nicene Creed, especially in Lent and Easter Time (Roman Missal, Order of Mass 19) Source	The creed of Sunday Mass, with “and the Son” Source
Orthodox churches	—	The “Symbol of Faith” in the Orthodox Church in America’s common prayers, without “and the Son” Source
Anglican Church of Canada	At baptism and at Morning and Evening Prayer Source	At the Eucharist; its 2023 authorized ecumenical text reads “who proceeds from the Father” Source
United Church of Canada	Acknowledged: the church acknowledges “the creeds of the ancient church, particularly the Apostles’ and Nicene creeds” Source	Acknowledged, as for the Apostles’ Creed; members are not required to hold to any particular creed Source

Practice varies from parish to parish within each church; ask the church you plan to visit.

Which one will I hear on Sunday?

At a Sunday Mass or Divine Liturgy it is almost always the Nicene Creed: the Catechism calls it “common to all the great Churches of both East and West”. Catholic parishes may use the Apostles’ Creed instead, especially in Lent and Easter Time. In the Anglican Church of Canada the Apostles’ Creed belongs to baptism and to Morning and Evening Prayer. Practice differs from church to church, so ask the church you plan to visit; find churches of each tradition on our denominations page.

The “and the Son” difference

The one wording difference that divides churches is the filioque. The Catholic text says the Holy Spirit proceeds “from the Father and the Son”; the Orthodox text says “from the Father”. The English Language Liturgical Consultation prints the words in brackets and leaves each church to decide; the Anglican Church of Canada’s authorized 2023 text leaves them out. Its commentary notes that the two sides “may not be discussing the same thing”.

Questions people ask

+What is the main difference between the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed?

The Apostles' Creed is the shorter, older baptismal creed of the Church of Rome, said in the first person (“I believe”). The Nicene Creed comes from the councils of 325 and 381, is said as “we believe”, and says more about who Jesus is, notably that he is “of one Being with the Father”.

+Did the apostles write the Apostles' Creed?

No. The Anglican Church of Canada's authorized texts explain it got the name because it was taken to represent the apostles' teaching, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church calls it a faithful summary of the apostles' faith. Its present form dates from the eighth century, from older baptismal questions.

+Why do Orthodox and Catholic churches say the Nicene Creed differently?

Catholic churches say the Holy Spirit proceeds “from the Father and the Son” (the filioque), a Western addition first made in Toledo in 589. Orthodox churches say “from the Father”, as in the creed of 381.

+Does the United Church of Canada use the creeds?

The United Church says it acknowledges the teaching of the ancient creeds, particularly the Apostles’ and Nicene creeds, and that members are not required to hold to any particular creed. Ask the congregation what it says in worship.

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Sources

Checked October 29, 2026. Names of other sites and churches belong to their owners; Canadian Churches is not affiliated with them or with any denomination.