使徒统绪，中文一作宗徒传承，是指基督教教会的圣职是从耶稣的十二使徒传承开始代代相传，通常与声称是一系列的主教有关这一系列的主教，起初被视为由一个或多个使徒创建的教座的主教，但现在被理解为一系列的主教（不论来自那个教座）受其他主教祝圣，而施行祝圣的主教也是以同样的方式受祝圣，一直追溯至使徒。

使徒统绪也可以理解成从使徒至今的教义连续性。例如，英国循道宗会议将「真实连续」定为「基督经历的连续，同一灵所赐的团契，属于一主的连续，消息的持续宣告，使命的持续领受……」。

一些人视按手礼为使徒统绪的重要部分，因新约圣经提及个人的使徒传承（例如从保罗到提摩太和提多）。他们也认为早期教会书信，特别是圣纪文书信。纪文特别提到，使徒委派主教为继承人，并指示主教也应照样委派继承人，因此，这样的教会领袖不能无故罢免。此外，提倡主教拥有个人使徒传承的人指出，早教统一的教会(431年前)普遍奉行这规定。

Apostolic succession is the method whereby the ministry of the Christian Church is held to be derived from the apostles by a continuous succession, which has usually been associated with a claim that the succession is through a series of bishops. This series was seen originally as that of the bishops of a particular see founded by one or more of the apostles. According to historian Justo L. González, apostolic succession is generally understood today as meaning a series of bishops, regardless of see, each consecrated by other bishops, themselves consecrated similarly in a succession going back to the apostles. But, according to documentation produced by the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, the "sees (cathedra) plays an important role in inserting the bishop into the heart of ecclesial apostolicity".