The Anglican Church
Some might consider the Anglican church as the “stealth” church. We have been around since 1534, when Henry the 8th split with the Roman Catholic Church and established the Church of England. So, at this point, we are 489 years young.
In this country, the Anglican Church is better known as the Episcopal church (“The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America” and “The Episcopal Church”), renamed from Anglican shortly after the end of the Revolutionary War.
THE BASICS
ORIGINS OF THE NAME
The name “Anglican” is traced back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Europe. The tribal name was spelled “Engles” or “Angles” and the tribe’s speech was the precursor to the English language. Their island became known as England, and their Christians were known as Anglicans.
Alongside, the Episcopalians, various small groups under the Anglican name existed. The ACNA was founded in 2009 by former members of the Episcopal Church in the United States and the Anglican Church of Canada who were dissatisfied with liberal doctrinal and social teachings in their former churches, which they considered contradictory to traditional Anglican belief.
Headquartered in Ambridge, PA, the church reported 974 congregations and 122,450 members in 2021. The first archbishop of the ACNA was Robert Duncan, who was succeeded by Foley Beach in 2014.
WORSHIP
Anglican worship is diverse, and it is best understood by visiting and attending a local congregation. What is common to all is an inheritance of worship that recognizes the supremacy of the Bible and often finds expression through the Prayer Book. To understand what and how Anglicans pray is to understand what they believe. The Prayer Book, described as the Scriptures arranged for worship, provides helpful resources for everything from personal daily devotions to large public gatherings of worship. It includes prayers for every season of life.
