Where did the Episcopal Church come from?
The Episcopal Church traces its history through the Church of England to the Roman Catholic Church, and back to the ancient church of the apostles. In the 16th century, the Church of England broke away from the Roman Catholic Church, for reasons as much political as religious. At this same time, the Protestant Reformation was taking shape on the European continent. The Church of England sought to develop a "middle way" between Roman Catholicism on the one hand, and more extreme forms of Protestantism on the other. What resulted is a church that in many ways is more "protestant" in its beliefs, theology and administration, but more "catholic" in its worship and spirituality. As the British Empire colonized much of the world, the Church of England was planted in each of the colonies. After the American Revolution, the Church of England in the new United States became independent, and became known as the Protestant Episcopal Church, now more commonly known simply as The Episcopal Church.
What does the Episcopal Church believe?
Our beliefs are those which are shared by most Christian churches. We believe in one God as the creator of all that is, and we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. We believe that Jesus was born from the Virgin Mary, who conceived him by the Holy Spirit. We revere the teachings of Jesus preserved for us in the holy gospels of the New Testament, and seek to follow the example of his teaching and life as we walk our spiritual path. We believe that Jesus was crucified upon the cross, that he died, and in three days, he rose from the dead. In Holy Baptism, we are united to Jesus in his death and resurrection, and the way of Christian salvation is opened to us. With God's help, we are able to receive this gift of salvation: by confession of our sins and repentance (seeking God's forgiveness and seeking to change our lives); by studying and meditation upon the Word of God in the Bible; by participating in the sacraments of the Church, particularly the Holy Eucharist (Communion); and by loving service to God and our fellow human beings. The basic beliefs of the Episcopal Church are confessed in the historical Christian creeds: the Nicene Creed, the Apostles' Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. The Catechism, or Outline of the Faith in the back of the Book of Common Prayer, also sets forth the Episcopal Church's basic understanding of the Christian faith. The Episcopal Church believes that it is one branch of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church of Christ, to which we believe all Roman Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants belong.
What is the Book of Common Prayer?
The Episcopal Church is probably most known for its Book of Common Prayer. The first of these books was written by a bishop of the Church of England, Thomas Cranmer, who served as Archbishop of Canterbury in the 16th century, and published the first Book of Common Prayer in 1549. It is basically a book of worship, and was originally intended to present the most important services of the Christian church in a much simplified form, a reaction to the very complicated services that had developed in the Roman Catholic Church by that time. Since 1549, there have been several revisions of the Prayer Book in the Church of England, and the independent churches founded by the Church of England. The Episcopal Church currently uses the 1979 edition of the Book of Common Prayer for virtually all of our services. The Prayer Book is a distinctive part of our heritage, and has influenced the worship of Protestant churches in English-speaking countries. Much of the content of the Prayer Book is taken from the Bible, and the services have their roots in the ancient tradition of Christian worship. The Episcopal Church has always considered the Book of Common Prayer to be a focus of unity in the church, though there have been those who have dissented from various revisions of the Prayer Book over the years. It is "common" in the sense that it is the shared prayer of the whole church, and it is the Prayer Book which allows Episcopalians to feel comfortable worshipping in an Episcopal church anywhere in the world. Episcopalians have historically allowed a diversity of interpretations of the Christian faith, but have insisted on adherence to the common worship of the church as set forth in the Prayer Book. We assume that if you are able to worship according to the Book of Common Prayer, then you believe those things that are essential in Christianity.
What is the regular Sunday service like?
At Christ Church, and in most Episcopal churches, the regular Sunday service is a celebration of the Holy Eucharist, or Holy Communion. Services in the Episcopal Church tend to place a high value on the use of music, both sung by the choir and congregation, and use a moderate level of ritual, believing that this helps to create a atmosphere which nurtures prayer and worship, and helps communicate a sense of God's presence among us. Some Episcopal churches use very few ritual elements in their services, while others are more "high church", that is, their services include many more ritual elements. Christ Church is in the middle between these two. While many churches these days attempt to create worship environments which mirror other non-church environments, using spaces arranged very much like auditoriums, video screens and effects, and popular music, most Episcopal churches prefer to make a definite separation between the secular world outside the church's walls, and the sacred space of Christian worship. The use of special robes for the clergy and other participants, the various postures of standing, sitting and kneeling, and other ritual actions, as well as the unique way in which churches have traditionally been built, all help to create a unique space in which to encounter God.
The first part of the service of Holy Eucharist includes hymns, prayers, readings from the Bible and a sermon. The second part of the service takes place at the altar, and involves the blessing and then the distribution of bread and wine. All baptized Christians are invited to receive Communion in the Episcopal Church. Those who are not baptized, or do not wish to receive, may come forward to the altar rail at Communion time with those receiving Communion, and receive a blessing. The Episcopal Church believes that once the bread and wine have been blessed or consecrated by the Holy Spirit, Christ becomes present in the bread and wine. That presence is perceived by faith. The Episcopal Church does not believe that the bread and wine physically change into the Body and Blood of Christ, though it must be noted that there are some Episcopalians who hold this belief.
Those who are unfamiliar with more traditional Christian worship sometimes find that it is at first somewhat difficult to keep track of the service, and people may sometimes feel uncertain about what to do. People sitting near you will be happy to help you, and you shouldn't worry: no one is checking to see if you are "doing it right"! As you continue worshipping with us, you will find that it becomes easier, and soon you will be able to participate very naturally in the service.
Every congregation or parish of the Episcopal Church is governed by a Rector and Vestry. The Rector is the priest in charge of the congregation, and he or she is primarily responsible for the spiritual life of the parish. The Vestry is composed of several elected lay persons from the parish, who are usually elected to a 3 year term of office by the Annual Meeting of the congregation. The Vestry is primarily responsible for the secular or business affairs of the parish. In practice, the Rector and Vestry form a kind of leadership community, who together make decisions about the life of the congregation. In most parishes, there are also a variety of committees that take responsibility for various areas of the church's life. A larger parish might also have several paid staff members, who are accountable to the Rector.
Each parish is part of a region, called a diocese. Christ Church belongs to the Diocese of Los Angeles, based in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles. Each diocese has a bishop, who is a priest elected by the clergy and lay representatives from each parish, and then approved by a majority of the other dioceses of the Episcopal Church. Once elected, other bishops come and ordain the priest as a bishop, and he or she remains a bishop for life, though a bishop must resign his or her position as head of a diocese at the age of 72. In practice, bishops usually retire much earlier. The bishop is for us a symbol of the unity of the church, and of the continuity of the church's tradition and belief through history. In the Episcopal Church, bishops have limited authority over the parishes in their diocese. When a parish finds a new priest, the bishop must approve the choice. The bishop also visits each parish annually, and as part of that visit, administers the rite of Confirmation. Bishops have a great deal of involvement with the clergy of their diocese, helping to provide pastoral and spiritual support, and also becoming involved if there is a disciplinary problem. The bishop also presides over the staff of the diocese, and over its primary councils. It is also the bishop's responsibility to ordain new clergy. The name "episcopal" comes from a Greek word meaning "bishop."
The national Episcopal Church is governed by a General Convention, which includes all the bishops of the church, and elected clergy and lay representatives from each diocese. The General Convention meets every three years, and an Executive Council makes decisions between conventions. The General Convention also elects a Presiding Bishop every 9 years, who is the spiritual head of the church, and who also oversees the national church's administration. The Presiding Bishop also speaks publicly on behalf of the church, and represents the church nationally and internationally. The Episcopal Church does not have anything like a pope.
The Episcopal Church is part of the world-wide Anglican Communion, composed of all churches tracing their roots back to the Church of England. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the spiritual head of the communion, since he is the senior bishop in England. He has, however, no authority over the various independent churches. The bishops of all Anglican churches gather every 10 years for conversation, and the primates or chief bishops of the Anglican churches gather annually for discussions. Each church is, however, self-governing.
What does the church believe about the Bible?
The Episcopal Church believes that the Bible is the Word of God. It is necessary, however, to explain what we mean when we say, "Word of God." We do not believe that the Bible was dictated by God, or in any way written directly by God. The Bible was written by human authors who were inspired by their encounters with God, inspired by the Spirit of God, to write the Holy Scriptures. The Bible occupies a unique place in the life of the Church, because it teaches us about God, God's purposes in human history, and about Jesus Christ and the life of the early church. We believe the Holy Spirit still speaks to us through the ancient biblical words. Our reflections about God, our questions about our life with God, must always begin with the Bible. However, while the Bible is able to communicate values and truths that are eternal, it also contains much that is limited to the particular historical time in which or about which various books were written. For example, the Bible for the most part endorses slavery, which modern Jews and Christians now find immoral. Likewise, the Bible requires the observance of certain rules and regulations which many Jews and all Christians no longer feel bound by. Many of the debates in the church today revolve around the question of the authority of the Bible, and over what is eternal truth and what is limited to a particular time and place. Episcopalians believe that the Bible must be interpreted to be understood, and we believe that the Bible should be interpreted according to the tradition of the church (what Christians have believed through the ages) and according to reason (the human capacity to think things out in light of their life experiences). Richard Hooker, the first truly Anglican theologian, said that Christians must rely on a three-stranded cord of Scripture, tradition and reason in approaching modern questions of faith. The Episcopal Church believes that nothing can be required of anyone for salvation unless it can be supported from Scripture. The Bible is read extensively in public worship and in private, and almost all Episcopal churches offer some form of Bible study.
