Church of the Holy Cross, Episcopal

History of Our Church

The Episcopal Church is made up of between two and three million worshipers in about 7500 congregations across the United States and a few related dioceses outside the US.

The Episcopal Church is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, the churches around the world that trace their roots to the Church of England, and maintain a "communion" with it; hence the name "Anglican."

What Makes Us Anglican?

The Episcopal Church, having its roots in the Church of England, is also an Anglican Church. Like all Anglican churches, the Episcopal Church is distinguished by its standing in both Protestant and Catholic traditions, its insistance that people be able to worship in their first language, their use of a Book of Common Prayer, and their reliance on Scripture, Tradition, and Reason in interpreting God's Word.

The Book of Common Prayer

The Book of Common Prayer is unique to Anglicanism. This is the collection of rites that all worshipers in an Anglican church follow. "Common Prayer" describes our practice of praying corporately as we worship together. The first Prayer Book was written by Thomas Cranmer in 1549, during the Reformation of the Church in England. It has undergone revision over time, but its original purpose has remained the same: To provide in one place the core of the instructions and rites for Anglican Christians to worship together. Each Province in the Anglican Communion has its own Book of Common Prayer. The prayer book currently in use in the Episcopal Church was published in 1979.

The "Three Legged Stool"

Scripture: While Christians universally acknowledge the Bible as the Word of God and completely sufficient to our reconciliation to God, what the Bible says must always speak to us in our own time and place.

Tradition: The Church, as a worshiping body of faithful people, has for two thousand years amassed experience of God and of following Jesus. What theologians have said to us through the centuries about the Bible and about our identity as the Body of Christ is critical to our understanding within the context of our own lives. The traditions of the Church in interpreting Scripture connect all generations of believers and give us a ground for our understanding.

Reason: Episcopalians believe that every Christian must build an understanding and relationship with God's Word, and to do that, God has given us intelligence and our own experience. Studying Scripture's text and applying the knowledge of scholars, we then must find the intersection of understanding and faith with our own lives.

Information from episcopalchurch.org.