HomeWhat it Means to be Anglican
( Ang-gli-kuhns rather than Angel-i-cans)
As Anglicans, we are rooted in the apostolic faith and practice. We celebrate the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as commanded by Jesus and we uphold the historic order of Bishops in the administration of the church’s life and mission.
We are united in what we believe—the truth of our Christian witness as taught by Jesus and His apostles (ergo Apostolic faith). We uphold the four Ecumenical Councils and the historic Creeds (Nicene and Apostolic) as expressing the rule of faith of the only holy catholic (universal) and apostolic church.
As Anglicans we uphold the Thirty-nine Articles as containing the true doctrine of the Church agreeing with God’s Word and as authoritative for Anglicans today.
What it Looks Like to be an Anglican
While we, as Anglicans, are rooted in historic faith and practice, we seek to display a refreshing diversity that expresses our faith in ways that attempts to engage all our senses to help us connect, with the help of the Holy Spirit, our hearts and minds. What does that mean? It means that sometimes you might see our pastors wearing traditional robes during a service with an organ, choir and hymns, but it also means that you may see a contemporary approach to worship and our pastors in “Hawaiian shirts” and tennis shoes leading worship with guitars and drums. As Anglicans we may worship in beautiful church buildings with stained glass and polished pews, or in a storefront, school cafeteria or even a cinema.
The heart of Anglicanism is found in the three streams of the Scripture, the Spirit and the Sacred. These three streams flow from one river—Jesus Christ and His Gospel. Scripture reveals truth, guides our lives and is authoritative for us and the Church; the Holy Spirit works in us and in the world demonstrating God’s power; and the Sacred illustrates the holy aspect of our faith including our forms of worship and sacraments.