The Anglican Way

The Anglican Church is a Christian denomination founded on traditions of the early Christians passed down through Apostolic Succession.  We believe the Bible is the Holy, inerrant, inspired Word of God.  The Anglican Church is sacramental and liturgical where the celebration of the Eucharist is the central focus of our worship.  This is where we receive the body and blood of Christ and in turn we are strengthened to become the body of Christ within the world.  We believe the Nicene Creed as the authoritative summary of the Christian Faith, together with the Apostles' Creed and the Creed of St. Athanasius to be "thoroughly received and believed" in the sense they have always been in the Catholic Church.  A personal relationship with Christ is required and received through the sacraments, worship, praise and prayer.   

As a liturgical Church, our worship services are quiet, spiritual and reverend for the purpose of worshiping our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  In our worship we use the King James Bible, the 1928 Book of Common Prayer and the 1940 Hymnal.   

The “Church” is the name for Christ and His people.  That means wherever Jesus Christ is, the Church is there.  It also means wherever the Church is, Jesus is there too.  He has promised us, “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28:20)”; “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20)”.  

When a Christian dies, they remain a member of Christ’s Church.  When Christ comes again and establishes His kingdom, all those in the Church will join him in that kingdom in heaven.  The Church, then lives in three different ways:

  1. The Church Militant: includes all members of the Church on earth.  The term militant refers to making war against temptations and evil and struggle to be good followers of Christ
  2. The Church Expectant: includes members of the Church who have died and await heaven and God’s kingdom.
  3. The Church Triumphant: includes Church members who are with Jesus in heaven.

     

The Church serves four purposes:

  1. Liturgical purpose: the Church is to lead the whole creation in worshiping God.
  2. Missionary purpose: the Church must preach the Gospel, because people cannot worship God until they know Him.
  3. Teaching purpose: the Church teaches people what to believe and do.
  4. Pastoral purpose: the Church gives means of grace to include: sacraments, preaching, Bible study, prayer and fellowship.  Everyone shares this duty to work and pray.

 

The Church has four qualities:

  1. One: there is only one Church which includes all Christian denominations.  A person does not join a Church, God Himself makes you a member at your baptism.
  2. Holy: this means to be “apart”.  God is holy because He is apart from the world, because He made it.  The Church is Holy because the Holy Spirt lives in it.
  3. Catholic:  means to be universal.  This means the Church contains all types of people and has all things necessary for salvation: prayer, the sacraments, the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.  God wants all people to be with Him, that is why He wants them in Church.
  4. Apostolic: means “like the apostles” or “connected to the apostles”.  The Church worships and spreads the Gospel like the apostles.  The Holy Spirit connects the Church to the apostles who laid hands on bishops who in turn laid hands on other bishops and so on.  Every bishop within the Apostolic Succession and every confirmed Christian is a direct link to Christ.