As Anglicans
Our Anglican Identity
The Anglican Church is one of the three historic churches in the catholic tradition (along with the Church of Rome and the Eastern Church). Anglicanism is the result of the Church of England’s revitalization and transformation by the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. This “Reformed Catholic” tradition has been passed down through the Church of England, and received by autonomous churches (called "Provinces") all over the globe. Though these churches are diverse in many ways, there are certain core beliefs and practices held in common.
Perhaps the simplest summary of Anglican identity is known as the "Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral." It holds that there are four foundational affirmations that unite Anglicans.
The Scriptures
The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as containing all things necessary to salvation and being the rule and ultimate standard of faith.
The Creeds
The Apostles' Creed as the Baptismal Symbol and the Nicene Creed as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith.
The Sacraments
The two Sacraments ordained by Christ himself – Baptism and the Supper of the Lord – ministered with unfailing use of Christ's words of Institution, and of the elements ordained by him.
The Episcopate
The historic Episcopate locally adapted in the methods of its administration to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God into the Unity of His Church.
In addition to these four affirmations, Anglican worship is guided by The Book of Common Prayer (2019), and Anglican belief is guided by the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (1571).
Our (Very Brief) History
The Anglican Church traces its roots back to the second or third century, when Christian missionaries first brought the gospel to the British Isles. So, when Pope Gregory sent missionaries to evangelize Britain at the end of the sixth century, they arrived to find a thoroughly orthodox, yet localized form of Christianity. Soon after, this English church decided to place themselves under the authority of the Church of Rome.
In the 16th century the English church became independent from the Church of Rome once again. And it was during this time that key leaders in the Church in England began to embrace and promote many of the ideas of the Protestant Reformation that was taking place on the continent – namely the doctrines of justification by grace through faith alone, and the ultimate authority of Scripture. However, the English Reformers (unlike those on the continent) sought to preserve the ceremonies and rituals of the Church, along with the unbroken line of apostolic succession. And this reality contributes to the distinct character of Anglicanism – a church that is fully protestant and truly catholic.
Just as the English language spread with the British Empire, so did Anglican Christianity. When Anglicans resettled in new lands, they brought the Gospel with them. And when the empire declined and the British left, these churches remained, sharing the Gospel with subsequent generations of Anglican Christians all over the world. Consequently, Anglicans represent the third largest body of Christians in the world today, with some 85 million members in 165 countries. While Anglicans speak many languages and come from many different races and cultures, we make up one body whose aim is to follow our Lord Jesus Christ through the living tradition we’ve received from those who came before us.
Our Global Communion
As the Anglican Church became a global family, the demographics shifted dramatically. (In fact, the “average” Anglican today is a young woman from Sub-Saharan Africa.) So, while Christians from Britain, the United States, Canada, and Australia continue to play an important role, today Anglican churches in the ‘Global South’ are leading the way forward. When moral compromise, doctrinal error, and the collapse of biblical witness in parts of the Anglican communion had reached a certain level, the leaders of the majority of the world’s Anglicans felt it was necessary to take a united stand for truth. This resulted in a crowd of more than one thousand witnesses – including Primates, Archbishops, Bishops, clergy and lay leaders – gathered in Jerusalem for the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), a movement of authentic Anglicans standing together to retain and restore the Bible to the heart of the Anglican Communion.
The Anglican Church in North America is part of GAFCON, and therfore united with the overwhelming majority of provinces in the worldwide Anglican Communion. GAFCON works to guard and proclaim the unchanging, transforming Gospel through biblically faithful preaching and teaching which frees our churches to make disciples by clear and certain witness to Jesus Christ in all the world. It is a movement founded on the Bible, bound together by the Jerusalem Statement and Declaration of 2008, and led by a Primates Council, made up of representatives from the majority of the world’s Anglican churches.