what does "Anglican" mean?
Ancient, Catholic and English
A common myth says that King Henry VIII started the Anglican Church in AD 1534 because he wanted a divorce. This is simply not true. Documents from the early church confirm that Christianity in Britain was well-established by the time of the Council of Arles in 314 A.D., to which the Church in Britain sent bishops. And St. Augustine of Canterbury wrote in 597 A.D. to Pope Gregory, after landing on British soil, that the British Church already had its own ancient order, government and liturgy. Historical evidence proves that Christianity came to Britain very early - most likely during the first century or by the end of the second. This is the beginning of our history.
This English branch of Christ's Catholic Church gradually came under the government of the Roman See during the Middle Ages but then regained the responsibility of regulating her own affairs during the necessary corrections which occurred at the time of the English Reformation in the 16th century. As the English, through trade and settlement, moved throughout the world from the 16th century on, the English Church went with them. Thus the Anglican Communion is that branch of Christ's Catholic Church which was established early on in England and now spans the globe, numbering over 80 million souls.
The Anglican church in the American colonies became a separate ecclesial body along with the birth of the United States. Anglicans used the name “Episcopalian” almost exclusively after the Revolutionary War. However, they noted that this new Episcopal Church “is far from intending to depart from the Church of England in any essential point of doctrine, discipline, or worship; or further than local circumstances allow” (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 11) .
The word “episcopal” comes from the Greek word episcope (“overseer”) that the New Testament uses for the office of a bishop who oversees a local church. The word “church” comes from the Greek word ekklesia (“assembly”) that the New Testament uses for God’s people gathered into an assembled congregation. So the term “episcopal church” means a church overseen by bishops, according to the New Testament model.
There are seven provinces of the Anglican Communion in which Anglicans are sometimes referred to as “Episcopalians.” Our provincial jurisdiction, the Anglican Church in North America, typically uses the term “Anglican” to distinguish us from the Episcopal Church in the United States.
Are you Catholic or Protestant?
One of the blessings we have through historical accident is the way our church has embraced the best features of both Catholicism and Protestantism. The goal of the Church of England was to maintain continuity with its past, but also to be a truly reformed Catholic Church.
As noted by Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells in England (d. 1711), “We profess the holy Catholic and Apostolic Faith professed by the whole Church before the disunion of East and West; more particularly, as professed by the Church of England.”
Some of the things we gained from our Reformation heritage are: common worship in the vernacular (the language of the people), the primacy of Scripture, an emphasis on personal Bible study and evangelism, a stress on salvation by God’s grace, and the discipline of a married clergy.
Some of the things we retained from our Catholic heritage are: apostolic orders of ministry (bishops, priests, and deacons), the monastic life (monks and nuns), ancient liturgical forms in our worship, the seven biblical sacraments of the Church, and a reverence for sacred Tradition and the early Church Fathers.
Prayer Book People
The Book of Common Prayer is unique to Anglicans. Anglicans use prayer books to follow a rule of life that begins with daily morning and evening prayer. Morning and evening prayer are simple prayer services intended for the family to pray at home, and include scripture readings and prayers for every day of the year. We also practice fasting, confession, almsgiving, and other catholic traditions. None of these practices are required. They are simply tools offered by the church to aid believers in their spiritual formation.
What do Anglicans believe?
Anglicans share with other Christians the historic biblical faith of the undivided Church of the first millennium. We believe the doctrines taught in the Bible. You will also find our statements of belief in the Creeds, the writings of the early Church Fathers, the Ecumenical Councils of the Church, the Catechism of the Book of Common Prayer and in our new provincial Catechism, and in the language of our prayers.
In short, we believe in one true God, eternally existing in a Trinity of Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 44:6; John 1:1,14; 15:26). As members of the Universal (or “catholic”) Church established by our Lord Jesus Christ, Anglicans accept the apostolic Tradition to be authoritative in disclosing the fullness of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:16-17) which is expressed in the Creeds.
Since the disobedience of our first parents, human beings have been sinners from birth (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3). This wounding of humanity is what we call original sin. Jesus Christ is the only Son of God—fully human and fully divine—who was born of a pure and holy Virgin, died on the cross for the sins of mankind, rose from the dead on the third day, and will return to the earth in glory (John 1:1-14; Matthew 1:18-25; Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; John 14:1-4).
Salvation is a free gift, merited by Christ, bestowed by God’s grace in the sacrament of holy Baptism, and received by faith animated with love (Ephesians 2:4-10; Titus 3:4-8; James 2:14-26). Holy Baptism gives us a share in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ by incorporating us into his mystical Body (Romans 6:1-4).
The Catholic Church is the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-33) and the mystical Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). The local Church, in a territory called a “diocese,” is governed by godly men called bishops, assisted by the priests and deacons (Titus 1:5ff).
In her sacramental worship, the Church offers herself in union with the perfect offering of Christ through the holy Sacrifice of the Altar, and in the Eucharist, receives divine life in the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ under the forms of bread and wine (Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 11:26-29; John 6:51-58).
The purpose of the Church on earth is to glorify God by our worship, by our service, by loving our neighbors, and by fulfilling the last command of Jesus to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20) until he returns to earth in glory.
What binds Anglicans together?
Anglicans are Christians who belong to churches throughout the world that maintain a fellowship in what is called the Anglican Communion. “Anglican” is a Latin term which means “relating to England.” With the spread of the British colonies, Anglicanism evolved into a world-wide communion of churches. We are joined by a common heritage and a faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Various editions of the Book of Common Prayer are used for worship in Anglican churches.
Among other “instruments of unity” are the Archbishop of Canterbury (the spiritual head of the college of bishops) and his Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops held every ten years. The primates of the communion (chief provincial bishops) meet on a more frequent basis. And ministries around the globe are coordinated through organizations like the Anglican Consultative Council and the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCon).
A common myth says that King Henry VIII started the Anglican Church in AD 1534 because he wanted a divorce. This is simply not true. Documents from the early church confirm that Christianity in Britain was well-established by the time of the Council of Arles in 314 A.D., to which the Church in Britain sent bishops. And St. Augustine of Canterbury wrote in 597 A.D. to Pope Gregory, after landing on British soil, that the British Church already had its own ancient order, government and liturgy. Historical evidence proves that Christianity came to Britain very early - most likely during the first century or by the end of the second. This is the beginning of our history.
This English branch of Christ's Catholic Church gradually came under the government of the Roman See during the Middle Ages but then regained the responsibility of regulating her own affairs during the necessary corrections which occurred at the time of the English Reformation in the 16th century. As the English, through trade and settlement, moved throughout the world from the 16th century on, the English Church went with them. Thus the Anglican Communion is that branch of Christ's Catholic Church which was established early on in England and now spans the globe, numbering over 80 million souls.
The Anglican church in the American colonies became a separate ecclesial body along with the birth of the United States. Anglicans used the name “Episcopalian” almost exclusively after the Revolutionary War. However, they noted that this new Episcopal Church “is far from intending to depart from the Church of England in any essential point of doctrine, discipline, or worship; or further than local circumstances allow” (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 11) .
The word “episcopal” comes from the Greek word episcope (“overseer”) that the New Testament uses for the office of a bishop who oversees a local church. The word “church” comes from the Greek word ekklesia (“assembly”) that the New Testament uses for God’s people gathered into an assembled congregation. So the term “episcopal church” means a church overseen by bishops, according to the New Testament model.
There are seven provinces of the Anglican Communion in which Anglicans are sometimes referred to as “Episcopalians.” Our provincial jurisdiction, the Anglican Church in North America, typically uses the term “Anglican” to distinguish us from the Episcopal Church in the United States.
Are you Catholic or Protestant?
One of the blessings we have through historical accident is the way our church has embraced the best features of both Catholicism and Protestantism. The goal of the Church of England was to maintain continuity with its past, but also to be a truly reformed Catholic Church.
As noted by Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells in England (d. 1711), “We profess the holy Catholic and Apostolic Faith professed by the whole Church before the disunion of East and West; more particularly, as professed by the Church of England.”
Some of the things we gained from our Reformation heritage are: common worship in the vernacular (the language of the people), the primacy of Scripture, an emphasis on personal Bible study and evangelism, a stress on salvation by God’s grace, and the discipline of a married clergy.
Some of the things we retained from our Catholic heritage are: apostolic orders of ministry (bishops, priests, and deacons), the monastic life (monks and nuns), ancient liturgical forms in our worship, the seven biblical sacraments of the Church, and a reverence for sacred Tradition and the early Church Fathers.
Prayer Book People
The Book of Common Prayer is unique to Anglicans. Anglicans use prayer books to follow a rule of life that begins with daily morning and evening prayer. Morning and evening prayer are simple prayer services intended for the family to pray at home, and include scripture readings and prayers for every day of the year. We also practice fasting, confession, almsgiving, and other catholic traditions. None of these practices are required. They are simply tools offered by the church to aid believers in their spiritual formation.
What do Anglicans believe?
Anglicans share with other Christians the historic biblical faith of the undivided Church of the first millennium. We believe the doctrines taught in the Bible. You will also find our statements of belief in the Creeds, the writings of the early Church Fathers, the Ecumenical Councils of the Church, the Catechism of the Book of Common Prayer and in our new provincial Catechism, and in the language of our prayers.
In short, we believe in one true God, eternally existing in a Trinity of Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 44:6; John 1:1,14; 15:26). As members of the Universal (or “catholic”) Church established by our Lord Jesus Christ, Anglicans accept the apostolic Tradition to be authoritative in disclosing the fullness of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:16-17) which is expressed in the Creeds.
Since the disobedience of our first parents, human beings have been sinners from birth (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3). This wounding of humanity is what we call original sin. Jesus Christ is the only Son of God—fully human and fully divine—who was born of a pure and holy Virgin, died on the cross for the sins of mankind, rose from the dead on the third day, and will return to the earth in glory (John 1:1-14; Matthew 1:18-25; Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; John 14:1-4).
Salvation is a free gift, merited by Christ, bestowed by God’s grace in the sacrament of holy Baptism, and received by faith animated with love (Ephesians 2:4-10; Titus 3:4-8; James 2:14-26). Holy Baptism gives us a share in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ by incorporating us into his mystical Body (Romans 6:1-4).
The Catholic Church is the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-33) and the mystical Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). The local Church, in a territory called a “diocese,” is governed by godly men called bishops, assisted by the priests and deacons (Titus 1:5ff).
In her sacramental worship, the Church offers herself in union with the perfect offering of Christ through the holy Sacrifice of the Altar, and in the Eucharist, receives divine life in the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ under the forms of bread and wine (Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 11:26-29; John 6:51-58).
The purpose of the Church on earth is to glorify God by our worship, by our service, by loving our neighbors, and by fulfilling the last command of Jesus to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20) until he returns to earth in glory.
What binds Anglicans together?
Anglicans are Christians who belong to churches throughout the world that maintain a fellowship in what is called the Anglican Communion. “Anglican” is a Latin term which means “relating to England.” With the spread of the British colonies, Anglicanism evolved into a world-wide communion of churches. We are joined by a common heritage and a faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Various editions of the Book of Common Prayer are used for worship in Anglican churches.
Among other “instruments of unity” are the Archbishop of Canterbury (the spiritual head of the college of bishops) and his Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops held every ten years. The primates of the communion (chief provincial bishops) meet on a more frequent basis. And ministries around the globe are coordinated through organizations like the Anglican Consultative Council and the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCon).
