What We Believe

Some of the basic beliefs and practices of the Episcopal Church are:

  • The Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and traces its heritage to the beginnings of Christianity.
  • The Episcopal Church has members in The United States as well as Columbia, Ecuador, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Haiti, Honduras, Micronesia, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and the Virgin Islands.
  • As Episcopalians, we are followers of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  • We strive to love our neighbors as ourselves and respect the dignity of every person.
  • Our liturgy retains ancient structure and traditions and is celebrated in many languages.
  • We welcome women and men, married or celibate, straight or gay to be ordained as bishops, priests and deacons.
  • We believe in the confession of sins, the forgiveness of sins and in life everlasting.
  • Lay people (unordained) exercise a vital role in the governance and ministry of the church.
  • Holy Communion may be received by all baptized Christians, regardless of denomination, not just Episcopalians.
  • We uphold the Bible and worship with the Book of Common Prayer.
  • We affirm that committed relationships are lifelong and monogamous.
  • Episcopalians recognize that there is grace after divorce and do not deny the sacraments to those who have been divorced.
  • We affirm that issues such as birth control are matters of personal informed conscience.
  • We celebrate our unity in Christ while honoring our differences, always putting the work of love before uniformity of opinion. All are welcome to find a spiritual home in the Episcopal Church.