“We don’t quiz you on your beliefs before worshiping with you.”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
“We have a faith not afraid to reason and reason not ashamed to adore.”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
“The Prayer Book bids us to come to God’s table for strength and renewal, not for solace and pardon only.”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
“When asked if he was saved, an archbishop replied, ‘I have been saved, I am being saved, and I hope to be saved.’ That understanding of faith, hope, and humility reinforces me as an Episcopalian.”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
“Where a woman’s place is in the House of Bishops.”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
“Asking questions about our faith is expected. In the Episcopal Church, God doesn’t get upset if I wonder why some things are as they are. And God doesn’t get upset if I suggest that some things should not continue as they are.”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
“Ours is the perfect church for people who are not perfect.”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
“I love the fact that I can have stimulating conversation and yet disagree with the priest, or even the Bishop, and not get kicked because it is all right to use your mind and not be a rubber stamp for anyone.”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
“We don’t have all the answers, and we welcome others who love the questions.”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
“We leave neither our minds, nor our hearts, nor our bodies at the church door.”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
“We find our unity in shared worship, not in enforced agreement.”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
“God loves you, and there’s not a thing you can do to change that.”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
“Being an intelligent, strong woman is not a drawback in the Episcopal Church.”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
“Where God’s unconditional love for all of us is celebrated every day.”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
“In the Episcopal Church doubt is so okay that we name some parishes ‘St. Thomas.’”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
“We welcome the faithful, the seeker, and the doubter.”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
“Because it’s one religion where laughing at our own absurdities is a basic spiritual discipline and we’re invited to rejoice in how much we have still to learn of God instead of how much we know.”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
“The Episcopal Church taught me that Jesus came to challenge, not just comfort: to overturn, not maintain: to love, not judge: to include, not cast aside.”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
“Episcopalians try to love with the heart of Christ, think with the mind of Christ, and act as if we were the body of Christ.”101 Reasons to Be Episcopalian, Louie Crew
The Episcopal Church has a traditional set of beliefs as expressed in the creeds and the 39 Articles, but we know that whenever three or four Episcopalians gather together there will be at least five opinions on any topic.
What that means in practice:
- We do not expect everyone in our church to hold the exact same beliefs.
- We do not demand that others agree with us.
- We acknowledge that what we hold to be true may not be the whole truth.
What Makes Us Episcopalian
Worship Holds Us Together
What holds Episcopalians together as a Christian family of God is worship rather than belief. Conservative or liberal, rich or poor, sure of ourselves or doubtful. We gather to praise God, sing, pray, hear the Scripture, and receive the bread and wine. Our most important moments of worship are Eucharist and Baptism.
Questions More Than Answers
This church does not offer easy answers to life’s most pressing problems. We ask questions more often than we provide answers. We honor 2,000 years of church tradition, but we also believe the Holy Spirit is still active and may still lead us to new understandings of God’s will for the world.
A Liturgical Church
Our worship is formalized. Worship leaders wear vestments; we use candles, art, music, prayer, and sometimes incense. We use different colors for different seasons of the church year. The form is familiar, but within that form, great variety is possible.
Our Heritage
The Episcopal Church is a descendant of the Roman Catholic Church via the Church of England. We are still a member of the world-wide Anglican communion. The Archbishop of Canterbury has influence, but no authority outside England.
The Apostolic Tradition
Our Bishops can trace their consecrations back to the original apostles, through the Anglican Church and before that the Roman Catholic Church. We have four orders of ministers: laity, deacons, priests, and bishops.
How We Are Governed
The Episcopal Church is governed by a General Convention that meets every three years. Its members include both clergy (House of Bishops) and elected lay members (House of Deputies). The Presiding Bishop is chosen from among the bishops at General Convention.
The Book of Common Prayer
You can find an online copy of the Book of Common Prayer at justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/
What to Expect When You Visit
Worship in the Episcopal Church
Sunday is traditionally when Episcopalians gather for worship. The principal weekly worship service is the Holy Eucharist, also known as the Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, or Mass. In most Episcopal churches, worship is accompanied by the singing of hymns, and in some churches, much of the service is sung.
Worship Styles
Episcopalians worship in many different styles, ranging from very formal, ancient, and multi-sensory rites with lots of singing, music, fancy clothes (called vestments), and incense, to informal services with contemporary music. Yet all worship in the Episcopal Church is based in the Book of Common Prayer, which gives worship a familiar feel, no matter where you go.
Liturgy and Ritual
Worship in the Episcopal Church is said to be “liturgical”, meaning that 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.
For the first-time visitor, liturgy may be exhilarating or confusing. Services may involve standing, sitting, kneeling, sung or spoken responses, and other participatory elements. But liturgical worship can be compared with a dance: once you learn the steps, you come to appreciate the rhythm, and it becomes satisfying to dance, again and again, as the music changes.
The Holy Eucharist
In spite of the diversity of worship styles in the Episcopal Church, Holy Eucharist always has the same components and the same shape.
The Liturgy of the Word
We begin by praising God through song and prayer, and then listen to as many as four readings from the Bible: usually one from the Old Testament, a Psalm, something from the Epistles, and (always) a reading from the Gospels. The psalm is usually sung or recited by the congregation.
Next, a sermon interpreting the readings appointed for the day is preached. The congregation then recites the Nicene Creed, written in the fourth century. It is the Church’s statement of what we believe ever since.
The congregation prays together for the Church, the World, and those in need. We pray for the sick, thank God for all the good things in our lives, and finally we pray for the dead. The presider concludes with a prayer that gathers the petitions into a communal offering of intercession.
In certain seasons, the congregation formally confesses their sins before God and one another, a corporate statement of what we have done and what we have left undone, followed by a pronouncement of absolution. The presider assures the congregation that God is always ready to forgive our sins.
The congregation then greets one another with a sign of peace.
The Liturgy of the Table
Next, the priest stands at the table, which has been set with a cup of wine and a plate of bread or wafers, raises his or her hands, and greets the congregation again, saying “The Lord be with you.” The Eucharistic Prayer then begins. The presider tells the story of our faith, from the beginning of Creation, through the choosing of Israel to be God’s people, through our continual turning away from God, and God’s calling us to return. Finally, the presider tells the story of the coming of Jesus Christ, and about the night before his death, on which he instituted the Eucharistic meal as a continual remembrance of him.
The presider blesses the bread and wine, and the congregation recites the Lord’s Prayer. The presider then breaks the bread and offers it to the congregation, as the “gifts of God for the People of God.”
The congregation shares the consecrated bread and the wine. Sometimes the people all come forward to receive the bread and wine; sometimes they pass the elements around in other ways.
All are welcome at the table
All baptized Christians, no matter their 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 Communion to receive a blessing from the presider.
At the end of the Eucharist, the congregation prays once more in thanksgiving, and then is dismissed to continue the life of service to God and to the world.