The Anglican tradition is a way to follow Jesus Christ. The teachings, rites, and traditions are meant to guide the Christian in their walk with Jesus Christ, and to advance the Kingdom of God throughout the world. Some of these elements of the way are: Scripture, sacraments, historic episcopate, the creeds, the first four councils of the undivided church, the Book of Common Prayer, and the 39 Articles of Faith.
"Anglicanism is not the only way to be Christian, but it is a reliable way of being Christian." ~ Archbishop Robert Duncan
Anglicans believe Holy Scripture to be “God’s Word written” by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to faithful prophets and apostles. The Old and New Testaments within the Bible contain all “things necessary for salvation, and to be the final authority for Christian faith and life”( The Constitution of the Anglican Church in North America, Article 1).
We believe there are two sacraments ordained by Christ Jesus: Baptism and Holy Communion (also known as the Lord’s Supper, or Holy Eucharist). These are considered “Sacraments of the Gospel” as they are generally regarded as necessary for the Christian faith.
There are five other sacraments called “Sacraments of the Church”: Confirmation, Ordination, Marriage, Absolution, and Anointing of the Sick. These are not ordained by Christ but became practices within the Early Church as useful in the life of Christian faith.
Anglican believe in the historic episcopate of the one holy catholic apostolic Church. The word “episcopal” means “governed by bishops.” The historic episcopate is a collective body of bishops of the whole Church who have been ordained through valid apostolic succession. Many bishops can trace their ordination in history beginning with who the Apostles ordained, and to each subsequent bishop thereafter, until three bishops laid hands on them in ordination. This is called an episcopal genealogy. Bishop Mark Engel, who is our current bishop, traces his apostolic succession through 164 bishops beginning with St. Peter.
The Church confesses and believes three creeds from history: the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. These creeds are foundational to our faith, should be known and studied, and can be proved through the study of Holy Scripture. See the included creeds at the end.
During the 4th through 8th centuries the Church held 7 ecumenical councils to bring orthodox unity. These councils were held before the Church was divided east and west in the 11th century. These are considered to be the 7 councils of the undivided Church. We affirm the teaching of the first four councils and the Christological clarifications of the fifth, sixth and seventh councils, in so far as they are agreeable to the Holy Scriptures.
The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) was developed during the English Reformation to bring together a standardized form of worship for all churches in England. This book has been updated at various times, and in various contexts, and translated wherever Anglicans worshiped. Our church follows the Book of Common Prayer 2019. Within the BCP are liturgies and prayers for personal and corporate use, for pastoral rites including baptisms, weddings, and funerals, and the ordinal for ordination services. It also includes the church calendar and lectionary for worship services. Click here to learn more about the Book of Common Prayer.
During the English Reformation a document was created to express the Anglican response to various doctrinal issues that were discussed during that time. This document is called the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion and was developed in 1571. We receive these articles as principles for our Anglican Way, understanding them contextually to their time in history, with subsequent amendments. (See BCP 2019, p. 772-790)
When we say we are Evangelical, we do not mean a political position in American politics. It means we are Christians who believe the Bible is the Word of God and it has unique authority in our lives. We teach the whole Bible and how it applies to our lives. We believe in God’s love for the whole world, expressed in Jesus Christ. This is the “gospel,” or the “good news” we share with the world. Below are listed four characteristics of the Evangelical movement around the world.
When we say we are orthodox we are not saying we are Greek Orthodox. Like Roman Catholics, the Greek Orthodox are a separate tradition within the Church. The word “orthodox” however, does come from the Greek language. It means “right doctrine.” We are orthodox in that we believe and teach historic doctrines of the faith as set forth by the Ancient Church in the first five centuries. We often look to the whole of the Christian tradition throughout history for guidance on many things, but always using Scripture as the canon by which all doctrine and beliefs are measured.
When we say we are “one holy catholic apostolic Church” we are not saying we are Roman Catholic centered around a pope. We are saying we are part of the historic universal church.
The catechism says, “The Church is called catholic (according to the whole) because it keeps the whole faith it has received from the Lord, in continuity with the whole Church, in all times and places.” Our catholic practices are traditional, sacramental, and our polity (form of governance) is episcopal (governed by bishops who are ordained by apostolic succession), making us part of the “one holy catholic apostolic Church.”
When we say we are Charismatic we are saying we believe the supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit as seen in Scripture may be experienced by Christians today. We believe that the Holy Spirit is active in believers, empowering them to live holy and righteous lives, bestowing various gifts for evangelism and building up the Church. By the Holy Spirit we can have intimacy with Christ Jesus, feeling the overflowing love and grace He has for us as individuals, and for the Church.