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Episcopal Church
| The Episcopal Church is the American version of the Church of England. We have the same beliefs and practices. All the churches in any country that have a similar relationship with the Church of England are known as 'Anglican.' Together, they make up the 'Anglican Communion.' The relationship between them is one of affection and shared history, but not of different jurisdiction. All national Anglican churches are self-governing, but recognize the spiritual leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Chief Bishop of the Church of England.
Contrary to popular belief, the Church of England was not 'founded' by King Henry VIII. Rather, it is neither more nor less than the ancient native Catholic Church of the English people. For about 900 years, it was in union with the Roman Catholic Church. During the reign of King Henry the relationship was broken for a variety of reasons, some worthy and some mostly political and partly religious.
Since then, we have developed our own beliefs in the Anglican style and tradition. We teach the apostolic faith of the Scriptures, the creeds, and the early Christian councils. We have the traditional ordained ministry of bishops, priests, and deacons, and we celebrate all the sacraments. We are fully Catholic and apostolic in every sense (being part of the Universal Christian Church). At the same time, we have a rich tradition of preaching and congregational singing which gives us an important point of contact with protestant Christians. We pray for the day when all denominational barriers will disolve and there will be just one undivided Church of Jesus Christ.
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