You Episcopals ... You Think You're So Different

You know, some wonder why it is that the Episcopal Church stands apart from other non-Roman Catholic churches. The answer is a bit complex. 

As Episcopalians, we are a part of a world-wide association of churches called collectively, "The Anglican Communion." We share certain characteristics and modes of worship that are distinctive and share a common communion. This means that—at least in theory—an Anglican should be able to receive communion in any other nation where there is an Anglican presence.

Our uniqueness does not come from being Protestant, because we are and aren't exactly Protestant. Neither does it come from being Catholic, because we are and aren't that! We lie in the middle of that discussion, the product of what has been termed "the middle way." We are very liturgical and in fact, a Roman Catholic visiting one of our services would likely feel at home. At the same time, we are scriptural. This does not, however, mean that we take Scriptures literally; that is a very dangerous and incomplete way to view them. 

The one very unique feature of being Anglican/Episcopalian is our polity. We retain the ancient three-fold ministry of bishops, priests and deacons, but all authority does not rest in our clergy. Rather, we believe strongly in governance by the entire church, not just its leaders. No bishop may claim a superior status over another and no bishop gets to be a bishop unless elected to be one by both clergy and laity. No priest may "rule" over his/her parish; authority is shared between the clergy and the parish council and the same applies all the way up. In this way, all members of the Church are and may be held accountable to the others.

There are other things which mark us as different and we'll discuss these later! In the meantime, why not check us out at St. John's? There's room here for you, your questions and even your doubts! C'mon in... there's room for ya!