About the Episcopal Church

What is the Episcopal Church?

The Episcopal Church began as the American Colonial branch of the Church of England. It's now an autonomous province of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Anglican Communion has spread well beyond its English roots, with about 70-80 million members in countries circling the globe. We are a branch of Christianity, guided by our bishops, and served by our priests and deacons who support the work and witness of the majority of our ministers, the baptized members of our church.

The word "Episcopal" comes from the Greek word episkopos, which means "overseer" or bishop. The Episcopal Church has over 7400 congregations in 109 dioceses plus three regional areas in 16 countries with 2.2 million members. We have members in the United States, as well as in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, Micronesia, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, Venezuela, the Virgin Islands, and the Convocation of Churches in Europe.

Our Beliefs

With Anglicans around the globe, most Episcopalians hold the traditional faith of Christians through the ages, as revealed in Holy Scripture and in Holy Tradition. The clearest and most concise statements of what we believe (our "doctrine") are found in the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. These ancient statements of faith are accepted by billions of Christians around the world today. Beyond that, the best place to learn what Episcopalians believe is the Bible, which is the source of our theology, and the Book of Common Prayer (BCP). The BCP is not only the guide to our conduct of worship, but it is also articulates our theology. The Creeds, the Catechism (also called "An Outline of the Faith"), the collects, and our liturgy constitute a summary of the particular doctrines and discipline of the Episcopal Church.

When it comes to the details, Anglicanism is "doctrinally sparse." If you take a look at our catechism in the BCP, you'll find that it's relatively concise, compared to that of some other branches of Christianity. Anglicanism allows for great freedom and diversity in Christian thought and interpretation. In the modern Episcopal Church, you'll find Evangelicals who teach Reformed (Calvinist) doctrine, and Anglo-Catholics, whose beliefs are more aligned with those of the Roman Catholic Church. You'll find progressive Christians, who openly challenge Christian traditions, and orthodox Christians who teach "that which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all." The combination of sparse doctrine and freedom in thought has led to theological innovations not accepted by all Episcopalians, all Anglicans, or all branches of Christianity. As a result, we've vigorously argued with each other for centuries over various issues for which some other branches of Christianity offer concrete answers. Yet, we do our best not to let such disagreements separate us from the Main Thing, which is coming to God through Jesus Christ, in worship, prayer, and in other aspects of our daily lives.

Our Worship

Episcopalians have different worship styles. Some are contemporary and very informal. Others offer very formal services with ancient and elaborate ceremonial traditions. In this diversity, our worship finds its center in the Book of Common Prayer. Created from medieval liturgies at the time of the Reformation, our prayer book is filled with the beautiful language of well thought out and oft-prayed prayers that have sustained believers through the centuries.

The principal service on Sunday is Holy Eucharist (also called Holy Communion, or Mass), which is offered each week to help focus our worship on Christ's presence in our midst. We follow the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), a pattern of readings for each Sunday, which has us reading through much of the Bible in our common worship in a three-year cycle. Preaching and teaching the Word of Scripture are crucial features of Anglicanism.

Episcopalians acknowledge two sacraments established in the Gospels, and recognize other sacramental rites. The two great sacraments are Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist. The rites of confirmation, ordination, holy matrimony, reconciliation of a penitent, and unction developed in the Holy Tradition.

Ministry

We believe that God calls all people to be ministers to serve Him, His Church and the community in which they live. Our catechism views the laity as ministers, who represent Christ and His Church, bearing witness to Him wherever they may be, and, according to the gifts given them, carry on Christ's work of reconciliation in the world, taking their place in the life, worship, and governance of the Church. Bishops have the ministry of oversight, serving as the chief pastor of the diocese. Priests offer sacramental ministry within the church, pastoring a given congregation or ministry. Deacons have a servant ministry focused on taking the church to the world and bringing the needs of the world to the church.

More about the history of the Episcopal Church in Georgia can be found here.