Episcopalians believe…
…in following the teachings of Jesus Christ,
whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world.
The Christian life is entirely comprised of discipleship, sacraments, and prayer. Discipleship, which basically means following Jesus, is fundamentally a life of prayer. Jesus' disciples ask him to teach them how to pray, and he teaches them something revolutionary. It's not just a prayer; it's a statement of identity. When we say, "Our Father," we're recognizing and embracing the fact that in Jesus, we have become his siblings, the Father's children. This is something so profound and so unique to Christianity that in two millennia, the Church is still finding new ways to express and unpack this truth of our identity. We believe that, in a manner of speaking, the whole of the Christian life is prayer.
Discipleship and being Christ's siblings wouldn't be possible if it weren't for the Holy Spirit, who gives us the grace and power to be like Jesus and to embrace his Father as our own. This happens principally in the sacraments, like Baptism and Holy Eucharist (communion) in which we are given new life, new identity, and the presence of Christ in our common life together. In fact, Paul tells us that it is Christ's Spirit who lives in us, as we die to ourselves when we are baptized. He even says that the Spirit prays through us, especially when we don't know what to pray.
Our worship combines the beauty and dignity of catholic sacramental worship with the reformers emphasis upon the Bible and the authority of every baptized member to apply the faith as each is guided.
At its heart, however, the faith of the Episcopal Church is really that of the historical church. We look to the Scripures and the Creeds of the undivided Church for our outline of the faith. We honor the role of reason in working out the significance of Christian belief for the whole of life. It is an historic faith thoroughly at home in the 21st century.
For those of confident faith, shaky faith, or no faith at all, our invitation is the same: taste and see that the Lord is good!
Discipleship and being Christ's siblings wouldn't be possible if it weren't for the Holy Spirit, who gives us the grace and power to be like Jesus and to embrace his Father as our own. This happens principally in the sacraments, like Baptism and Holy Eucharist (communion) in which we are given new life, new identity, and the presence of Christ in our common life together. In fact, Paul tells us that it is Christ's Spirit who lives in us, as we die to ourselves when we are baptized. He even says that the Spirit prays through us, especially when we don't know what to pray.
Our worship combines the beauty and dignity of catholic sacramental worship with the reformers emphasis upon the Bible and the authority of every baptized member to apply the faith as each is guided.
At its heart, however, the faith of the Episcopal Church is really that of the historical church. We look to the Scripures and the Creeds of the undivided Church for our outline of the faith. We honor the role of reason in working out the significance of Christian belief for the whole of life. It is an historic faith thoroughly at home in the 21st century.
For those of confident faith, shaky faith, or no faith at all, our invitation is the same: taste and see that the Lord is good!