What is Anglicanism?

What We Believe

Our Core

Our beliefs are based on the Bible and the time-honored creeds of the Church. We believe the Church is meant to change the world, not for the world to change the Church. We uphold orthodox beliefs and traditions, and reject the modernist agenda which has overcome much of Christendom.

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Our Identity
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You may hear us refer to ourselves as an Anglo Catholic, Anglican Catholic, or a Catholic church. You may also hear us reject the label “Protestant” even though many Anglicans will refer to Anglicanism as a Protestant denomination. Some Christians from a Protestant background may have an aversion to the world “Catholic”, closely tying it to the Roman Catholic Church.

The word “Catholic” means Universal. Roman Catholicism claims to be the one true Church, which is why they refer to themeselves as Catholics, since they believe themselves to be the universal Church. While we view our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters as true Christians and part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, we don’t agree with their claim that the defining mark of the true Church is total submission to the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. We believe the primary marks of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church are Apostolic Succession, adherence to the Creeds and Ecumenical Councils of the Church, and the faithful teaching of what has always been believed by the Church.

Apostolic Succession refers to the chain of Bishops which govern the Church, which can trace their lineage back to the original Apostles. This is important for the preservation of orthodox doctrine and especially for valid sacraments. We believe, as the early church believed, that sacraments such as the Eucharist, Confirmation, and Confession require an ordained Priest or Bishop to be valid.

At different times in history, the Church convened to create a Creed or define doctrine through Ecumenical Councils. We adhere to the Nicene Creed, the Apostles Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. We also recognize the 7 Ecumenical Councils of the Church. We find these Creeds and Councils authoritative since the undivided Church at the time convened and agreed on them.

Especially in the modern era, some Churches have abandoned the faith by embracing heretical doctrine. We believe it is important for Christians to hold fast to what has been taught by Christ and his Church, and not to change for the world.

Our tradition, the Anglican Continuum, has valid Apostolic Succession, adheres to the Creeds and Councils, and teaches orthodox doctrine. Because of this, we are Catholic, part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, among other traditions.

We don’t identify as Protestant. Many Anglicans believe our tradition is uniquely Protestant and emerged from the Reformation. Our tradition goes back to the first century, and while the Reformation, as well as other historical events, changed us, it didn’t define us. As Anglo Catholics, we believe that while the Reformation was needed to an extent, it went too far in some areas. Protestantism is overall separated from the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church as described above, and while there are many faithful and genuine Christians among its various traditions, it has failed to form a united front against the evils of the world, and has fallen to it for the most part.

The Anglican Continuum believes that Anglicanism lost many of its sacred traditions because of the Reformation. Anglo Catholics have tried to restore some of these traditions, which is why our theology and liturgy can look similar to Roman Catholicism. We identify as Catholic instead of Protestant not only because of our inclusion in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic church, but because we seek to return some of the traditions Protestantism has rejected or forgotten. 

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Our Liturgy

We use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer as a basis for our worship service, with some of the Missal mixed in. With Jesus Christ and His sacrament of Holy Communion at our core, we worship God and preach the Gospel with beauty and ordered dignity. To learn more about our liturgy, visit the “What to Expect” page or watch a Sunday livestream on our youtube channel. For a more in depth explanation of why we do what we do, visit the “Classes” page and watch our Anglicanism 101 classes. 

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The Sacraments

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The mission of Christ’s Church is the worship of God, the preaching of the Gospel, and the administration of the sacraments. We believe the sacraments are more than symbolic, conveying real grace through supernatural means.

We recognize 7 sacraments:

Baptism

The Eucharist (Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper)

Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession and absolution)

Holy Matrimony

Confirmation

Ordination (Holy Orders or Sacred Ministry)

Anointing of the Sick (Healing or Unction)

However, of those 7, we believe Baptism and the Eucharist are uniquely instituted by Jesus, being generally necessary for salvation. 

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Baptism

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In Holy Baptism, the outward and visible sign is water, in which candidates are baptized “in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). The inward and spiritual grace is death to sin and new birth to righteousness, through union with Christ in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:1-11). Holy Baptism is appropriately administered within the Eucharist as the chief service on Sunday or another holy day. In this way the congregation may welcome the newly baptized into Christ’s Church, and may be reminded of the benefits which they themselves received and the profession which they made in Holy Baptism. The Bishop, when present, is normally the celebrant. Each candidate for Holy Baptism is to be sponsored by one or more baptized persons, who are themselves committed to Christ and intend to support the baptized person through prayer and encouragement in the Christian life.

We believe that baptism is more than merely symbolic, that baptism is normatively necessary for salvation, and in the baptism of infants. We know depending on your tradition that may seem strange since an infant is unable to understand what is happening to them. We believe in the historic position based on the gospel, the church fathers, and the apostles, affirming that while infants cannot make a profession of faith, they are still accepted into Christ’s church through baptism, done so through the faith of the Church expressed through their parents and sponsors which are counted on their behalf. One day, when that child has reached an age of understanding, a personal profession of faith is made through the sacrament of Confirmation.

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The Eucharist

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The Eucharist is normally the principal service of Christian worship on the Lord’s Day, and on other appointed Feasts and Holy Days, and is commonly called Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper. The Eucharistic Rite was first instituted by the words and actions of our Lord Jesus Christ 2000 years ago while leading His twelve disciples through the Jewish ritual of Passover. Jesus would use the occasion of the Passover to explain the reason for His coming to earth, His suffering on the Cross, death, and resurrection. Through this meal, the constructs of Old Testament worship (the sacrificial system, Temple, and Torah-keeping) would be transformed by the worship of the New Covenant, fulfilling the words of Jeremiah, “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah” (Jer 31:31). Both in word and action, Christ instituted a certain ceremonial rite to forever be associated with true worship; worship no longer centered in temples but centered in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Holy Communion is a means of grace given for the remission of sins, covenant renewal, and strengthening of the Christian life. In the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53).

We affirm the historical view held by the early church that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. This is made clear through the apostles, the church fathers, and the words of Jesus himself: “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’” (Matthew 26:26-28). We don’t attempt to legalistically or scientifically explain this miracle, we accept it through faith, and disagree with the modern notion that anything to be believed must be fully and scientifically understood.

We know this can be a lot to take in, but if you’re interested in joining our congregation, we simply encourage you to come to mass, experience the beauty and reverence of our liturgy, engage in fellowship with our welcoming congregation during coffee hour, and bring questions or concerns to our priests, who will be more than happy to speak with you. 

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