What is the Anglican Church? The Anglican Church is a Bible-believing, Christian denomination. As a great place to start, check out this helpful video from a wonderful organization called the Anglican Relief and Development Fund that's doing some fantastic work. It is an excellent introduction to Anglicanism. You'll find some more specifics below.
HISTORY As Anglicans, we are part of a global communion of churches tracing our heritage through the Church of England and back to the early church. As Anglican Christians planted churches around the world, these churches continued a worship tradition that preserved very ancient elements and incorporated important doctrinal reform from the Protestant Reformation. Today there are over 100,000 faithful Anglicans in North America, but the majority of Anglicans are located in the global south, especially in parts of Africa such as Nigeria and Uganda.
WORSHIP Worship is an essential part of Anglican Christianity. Click here to learn more about worship in the Anglican tradition.
BELIEFS As Bible-believing Christians, we hold a bedrock commitment to the Holy Scriptures as God’s word. God, who is the ultimate authority, has provided to his people the Bible—God’s word written. To help guide further understanding of the Bible, Anglicans traditionally uphold the Thirty-Nine Articles (an Anglican list of articles of faith). Additionally, we accept the three great Christian creeds: the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. We celebrate the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist as commanded by Jesus, and we continue the historic order of Bishops, Presbyters (priest, pastor, elder), and Deacons in life and mission of the church.
ANGLICANS TODAY Today the Anglican Communion around the world is experiencing both tremendous stress and tremendous renewal. The stress comes as some countries depart from historic Christian faith and practices and from the orthodox understanding of the Bible. On the other hand, the renewal comes from the explosive growth of Anglican churches in many locations, particularly the “global south.” (For example, there are more than 25 million Anglicans in Nigeria worshipping every week — many more than all Anglicans in the UK, Canada, and the United States combined!) There is also exciting ministry taking place in our own country in the Anglican Church in North America as the church is growing and lives are being transformed.
