Valid but irregular is a term applied in churches

Christian Church

The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...

 which have a concept of Holy Orders

Holy Orders

The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....

 (particularly the Anglican and Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

es) to acts carried out by someone who is able, due to their possession of the appropriate orders, to carry out the act, but does not have the necessary authority to do so. In the Roman Catholic church the term may be synonymous with 'valid but illicit

Valid but illicit

Valid but illicit, also known as valid but illegal, as it pertains to Roman Catholicism, refers to the unauthorized but valid celebration of the sacraments, especially regarding the ordinations of clergy. In the Roman Catholic Church several kinds of people have authority to celebrate the sacraments...

'; however, the Anglican churches, being less centralised, do not usually go so far as to declare acts illicit.

Notable examples of acts declared "valid but irregular" include:

• The ordination of eleven women by bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America in Philadelphia in 1974, before ECUSA permitted women to be ordained.
• The consecration of John Rodgers
  John Rodgers
  John Rodgers may refer to:*John Rodgers , Colonel during the Revolutionary War and owner of Rodgers Tavern, Perryville, Maryland...
  
   and Chuck Murphy in Singapore in 2000, by the Anglican churches of Rwanda and South East Asia, to serve as missionary bishops in the United States.
• The ordination of Andy Fenton, Richard Perkins and Loots Lambrechts in November 2005 at Christ Church, Surbiton
  Surbiton
  Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
  
  , London
  London
  London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
  
  , by Bishop Martin Morrison of the Church of England in South Africa
  Church of England in South Africa
  The Church of England in South Africa was constituted in 1938 as a federation of churches. It is an Anglican church but it is not a member of the Anglican Communion. However, it relates closely to the Sydney Diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia, to which it is similar in that it sees itself...
  
  . Bishop Morrison was brought in by Rev Richard Coekin, minister of Dundonald Church in Wimbledon
  Wimbledon, London
  Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
  
  , due to a dispute with the then Bishop of Southwark, Rt Rev Tom Butler, over matters related to homosexuality
  Homosexuality
  Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
  
  . Rev Coekin subsequently had his licence to preach revoked by Bishop Butler, but he was reinstated following an appeal to the Archbishop of Canterbury
  Archbishop of Canterbury
  The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
  
  .
• The consecration of William Murdoch and Bill Atwood in August 2007 at All Saints Cathedral, Nairobi
  Nairobi
  Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
  
   by the then Archbishop of Kenya
  Anglican Church of Kenya
  The Anglican Church of Kenya is part of the Anglican Communion, and includes 30 dioceses. The Primate of the Church is the Archbishop of Kenya.-Official name:...
  
   Benjamin Nzimbi. The two men were from America and the intention was that they would serve as bishops for conservative Anglicans disillusioned by the liberal direction of The Episcopal Church.
• The ordination of three men from London in Kenya in May 2011. The men, who have not been named as of 21 July 2011, are part of a church-planting group led by the same Rev Richard Coekin referred to above. Again, the reasons for this irregular approach were the views on homosexuality of the current Bishop of Southwark, Christopher Chessun. The men will be linked with the Anglican Mission in England, which was launched shortly after the ordinations and seeks to promote tradition Christian doctrine. The events were criticised in a statement by Lambeth Palace.