The Episcopal Church

The Episcopal Church is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion – churches around the world that trace their roots to the Church of England and maintain a “communion” with it.

Like all Anglican churches, the Episcopal Church is distinguished by the following characteristics:

Reformed, Yet Catholic
It stands solidly in the Reformed tradition, yet considers itself just as directly descended from the Early Church as the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox churches. It adheres to the ancient creeds and councils, retains the threefold ministry of bishop, priest and deacon, and celebrates all the Sacraments. At the same time, it affirms the importance of human reason, individual judgment, and the ministry of all baptized persons.

The Book of Common Prayer
Unique to Anglicanism, this is the collection of worship services that all worshipers in an Anglican church follow. The present prayer book in the Episcopal Church was published in 1979. The prayer book explains Christianity, describes the main beliefs of the Church, outlines the requirements for the sacraments, and provides the main guidelines of the Episcopal way of life.

Scripture, Tradition, and Reason
Episcopalians acknowledge the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God, completely sufficient to our reconciliation with God. Tradition connects all generations of believers together and gives us a starting point for our own understanding of Scripture. Reason helps us to sort out our own understanding of Scripture and Tradition as they relate to our lives today.