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What We Believe
What do Episcopalians believe?
We are a congregation of believers in Jesus Christ as the way to the truth of life. Our theology is always informed by listening to Scriptures, tradition, reason, and experience. Episcopal theology utilizes our intelligence and emotions. Our unity is Christ, not a conformity of opinion. We consider ourselves a combination of historic Catholic and Evangelical reformed.
Peek Through the Window of the Episcopal Church; get an idea of what we're all about.
Isn't America in some kind of post-denominational era?
At this time in history denominational loyalty does not seem to be the norm for many believers. Christians today do not tend to stay in the denomination of their childhood or any one denomination later on. They seem to be choosing the particular church with its staff, programs, and facilities in accord with their felt need at a particular time of their life. Some would say this is the post-modern way of choice and selectivity.
Why are Episcopalians said to be in the middle?
Our particular style of being Christians tend to be traditional as well as creative and adaptive to the needs of today's culture. We want to avoid being merely trendy as well as being so tradition-bound that we cannot recognize the needs of the times.
What about the Bible?
The Episcopal Church has a heritage that takes the Bible seriously, but is not bound by literalism. It must be studied in its historical and cultural context. The Bible is truth, but to pull verses out of its total context is to do it a disservice.
What about Jesus?
Christ Jesus speaks to us today precisely because He has been since before the world began. As God's Word He expresses the interpretive word for us. He helps us to make sense out of what has been, what is, and what is coming to be.
What are Episcopal worship services like?
Our worship is liturgical. ("Liturgy" means the work of all the people.) The clergy are not the central focus -- God is. The heritage of our faith is enshrined in what the Episcopal Church uses: Holy Scriptures, the Book of Common Prayer, the ancient creeds of the undivided Church, the catechism, the hymnal, and the holy writings of each generation. These all permit us the freedom to interpret in the light of new revelation, which is the say that the Holy Spirit is with us in our contemporary search for a faith that makes sense in the world.
Is there Holy Communion at the Episcopal Church?
Yes; our liturgy is based on the biblical sacraments instituted by Jesus: Baptism and Holy Communion. Because God is present through the Sacraments, our worship has a ceremonial, formal, and aesthetic quality. The Sacraments evoke awe and mystery instead of factual explanation.
What about the Holy Spirit?
Through our worship and fellowship we minister through the empowering holy Spirit of God. We believe that life makes God-given sense. We do not seek to deconstruct what we find to be God constructed and God-given. Rather, we seek to discern the difference between what is truly of God's image in us and merely the result of our human attempt to play God.
What does it mean to be a "living sacrament"?
All the world can declare God's presence, meaning, and purpose, and thus be a living sacrament of encounter with our God.
How about the ministries of the people?
A sense of ministry is rightfully the obligation and privilege of every baptized person. We are all ministers, not just the clergy.
How does the Episcopal Church relate to other denominations?
We seek to learn through other denominations and other religions of the world, as well as from those who profess no faith. However, we are neither arbitrary nor indiscriminate in our seeking truth. Rather than claiming to have found absolute truth, we instead pray that we might more and more be a people of truth and live our way into what we hope to be God's way for us -- day by day from here through eternity.
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