Essential Information | Scripture, Tradition, & Reason

Like all Christ-centered denominations, the Episcopal Church strives to help each individual develop a close and personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Our core belief is rooted in the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary. He lived on earth without sin and he died for the sins of man. He will come again to judge the living and the dead and His kingdom will have no end. In addition, we believe in the rite of baptism for the washing of sins and the outward sign of the inner confession of Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

We acknowledge and respect the values of other Christ-centered denominations and do not consider one more important or correct than the other. Instead, we hold fast to the Episcopalian form of worship because of the beauty and consistency of the teaching and worship. In each Episcopal Church:

• Holy Communion is offered each Sunday
• All churches follow the same prayer guides found in the Book of Common Prayer
• Sermons are based on Bible texts
• Specific rites such as Baptism and Confirmation are offered to young Christians to fortify their faith at a young age
• The congregation follows service forms and prays from texts that don’t change greatly from week to week during a season of the year. This sameness from week to week gives worship a rhythm that becomes comforting and familiar to the worshipers

Additionally, the Episcopal Church welcomes all who wish to fellowship with us. All baptized Christians, no matter age or denomination, are welcome to “receive communion.” Episcopalians invite all baptized people to receive, not because we take the Eucharist lightly, but because we take our baptism so seriously. Visitors who are not baptized Christians are welcome to come forward during the Communion to receive a blessing from the presider.

«Back to the top.

Essentials

The Episcopal Church is made up of between two and three million worshipers in about 7500 congregations across the United States and related dioceses outside the US. Having its roots in the Church of England, the Episcopal Church, is also an Anglican Church and is therefore is distinguished by the following characteristics:

1. Protestant, Yet Catholic: Anglicanism stands squarely in the Reformed tradition, yet considers itself just as directly descended from the Early Church as the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox churches. Episcopalians celebrate the “Mass” in ways similar to the Roman Catholic tradition, yet do not recognize a single authority, such as the Pope of Rome.
2. Worship in one’s first language: Episcopalians believe that Christians should be able to worship God and read the Bible in their first language, which for most Episcopalians, is English, rather than Latin or Greek, the two earlier, “official” languages of Christianity. The Book of Common Prayer, which serves as a supplement to the Bible in our worship, has been translated into many languages, so that all Episcopalians may worship God in their native tongue.
3. The Book of Common Prayer: Unique to Anglicanism, the Book of Common Prayer is the collection of worship services that all worshipers in an Anglican church follow. It is called “common prayer” because we all pray it together, around the world. It's purpose is to provide, in one place, the core of the instructions and rites for Anglican Christians to worship together. The prayer book explains Christianity, describes the main beliefs of the Church, outlines the requirements for the sacraments, and in general serves as the main guidelines of the Episcopal life.

«Back to the top.

Scripture, Tradition, and Reason

While Christians universally acknowledge the Bible (or the Holy Scriptures) as the Word of God and completely sufficient to our reconciliation to God, what the Bible says must always speak to us in our own time and place. The Church, as a worshiping body of faithful people, has for two thousand years amassed experience of God and of loving Jesus, and what they have said to us through the centuries about the Bible is critical to our understanding it in our own context. The traditions of the Church in interpreting Scripture connect all generations of believers together and give us a starting point for our own understanding.

Episcopalians believe that every Christian must build an understanding and relationship with God’s Word in the Bible, and to do that, God has given us intelligence and our own experience, which we refer to as “Reason.” Based on the text of the Bible itself, and what Christians have taught us about it through the ages, we then must sort out our own understanding of it as it relates to our own lives.

«Back to the top.