We Episcopalians believe in a loving, liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As constituent members of the Anglican Communion in the United States, we are descendants of and partners with the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church, and are part of the third largest group of Christians in the world.

We believe in following the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world.

We have a legacy of inclusion, aspiring to tell and exemplify God’s love for every human being; women and men serve as bishops, priests, and deacons in our church. Laypeople and clergy cooperate as leaders at all levels of our church. Leadership is a gift from God, and can be expressed by all people in our church, regardless of sexual identity or orientation.

We believe that God loves you – no exceptions.

What is Episcopalian?

If you’re looking for a faith that doesn’t operate only in a constructed world of black and white expectations – where you can explore the truth on your own and in community – then the Episcopal style of the Christian faith might be for you.

What it means to be Episcopalian is to follow a faith that is relevant to the world of today.

Because the God we worship is the God of all truth, we do not separate our religious selves from the rest of life.

Episcopal is to be involved in the world we live in, while rising above it in hope and service.

Episcopalians embrace the insights of modern science and psychology.

As God seeks to include all his children in the community called the Kingdom of God, so Episcopalians try to do the same.

Episcopalians can come from different spiritual experiences, yet find common ground in following Jesus. We will find ourselves in different places on our spiritual journey, together.

Most of all, being Episcopal is to be connected to God through Jesus Christ, who has called each of us by name.

Episcopalians depend on three sources of authority: Scripture, Tradition, and a third: Reason.

The insights of science and history, personal experience and background all are part of Reason. In the interaction of these three resources, Episcopalians find their answers through conversation and dialogue, insisting not on uniformity or obedience, but community—together we will discern the truth.

Episcopalians recognize that we follow Jesus Christ on his Way, which means we grow together. Episcopalians are not afraid of being wrong, believing that the Holy Spirit will in time lead us into all truth.

Worship in the Episcopal Church

An emphasis on participation, not conformity, leads us to the next marker of what it means to be Episcopalian: Worship, Episcopal style.

PARTICIPATION

In worship we encounter the sacred, that mysterious reality that tells us we are not alone.

Episcopalians use the Book of Common Prayer in worship, the word “common” meaning belonging to all. So the entire community is invited to participate in music, words and silence, using bodies and minds to worship God.

Again, the community tries to include many, so in the Episcopal Church you will find a variety of personal acts of piety and worship styles. Yet the structure of the service remains the same. To learn more about the logic and structure of Episcopal worship, read What We Do on Sundays.

HONORING TRADITION

For the same reason of inclusion, Episcopal worship honors tradition. The worship service includes the voices and insights of Christians throughout history. We did not invent this faith, so we find ourselves, 21st Century believers, in community and conversation with those believers who came before. Prayers and hymns in the Episcopal Church present the riches of all the centuries of Christian faith for us to use today.

Being Episcopal means to be connected.

In fact the word Episcopal means ‘bishop’, a subtle reminder that as individual believers we are nonetheless connected with Christians, both in heaven and on earth. We connect out of mutual support in faith, not because we are completely in agreement or because we are completely perfect, or complete in any way.

We invite you to join us in our journey,

http://www.trinityescondido.org/what-is-episcopalian/

The Episcopal Church is sometimes called a “bridge” church, because of our strong affinities with both Roman Catholic and other Protestant churches and our respect for all faith traditions. Our worship consists of music, prayers, readings from Scripture and a sermon, followed by what we call the celebration of Holy Communion, a sacred act of remembering and re-living Jesus’ last meal with his disciples. Our worship is traditional in many ways, and quite innovative in others. It’s that combination of tradition and innovation that gives the Episcopal Church its distinct feel. We love to explore the deeper questions of life and faith, in the context of that deeper grounding.

The Episcopal Church celebrates diversity. We are young and old, male and female, gay and straight, single, married, divorced and widowed, Anglo, African American, Latino, African, Asian, CEO and unemployed, student and teacher, rich and poor. We worship together, study and ask questions as we move more deeply into the mystery of God.

There are no prerequisites in the Episcopal Church … Everyone is welcome.

Some things to know about Episcopalians:

We are Christians, followers of Jesus, who we believe to be the Son of God.

We walk the “middle way” between Protestant and catholic traditions. We often talk about the Episcopal Church as following the “via media” or middle way in our theology and discussions because we believe that, whether or not we agree on a particular topic, we all are children beloved by God and we can have thoughtful and respectful discussions.

We are people of the Book. The Bible is our sacred text and story. But we also acknowledge that the Bible is an ancient human document, full of all the contradictions and inconsistencies of humanity. We seek in Scripture spiritual inspiration, historical grounding for our faith, the teachings of Jesus and of the Hebrew prophets before him, and guidance for our own life of prayer and service.

We are people of community and of communion. For Episcopalians, our gathering in community and our common prayers are priceless. We don’t need to agree with one another about matters of faith, but we are called to pray together, with and for one another. We believe, as Jesus taught, that when two or three of us are gathered, He is in our midst, and we need the diversity of human community to embody God’s dream.

We are people of deep questioning and curiosity. We love the rituals of worship, and the open-mindedness of spiritual exploration.

We are committed to reaching out, beyond the Church, to seek and serve Christ in all persons. We strive to live by the example of Jesus Christ, welcoming the stranger and the outcast, helping our neighbors and offering love and forgiveness. We want our communities to be better because The Episcopal Church is here.

https://www.allsaintsconcord.org/what-is-an-epis/