Anglican Communion is one of the largest Christian denominations in the world. The Communion is made up of 46 self-governing regional or national churches. They include the Church of England and the churches that developed from it, such as the Episcopal Church in the United States, the Anglican Church of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Australia. The Anglican Communion has about 85 million members in more than 165 countries.
Beliefs and worship.
Anglicans base their faith primarily on the Bible. They emphasize the importance of human reason in interpreting the Bible. They turn for guidance to the ways in which earlier Christians, especially in the ancient church, interpreted the Bible and conducted worship. Anglicans uphold the beliefs expressed in the Apostles’ and Nicene creeds (statements of faith) of the ancient Christian church.
Anglican worship is anchored in the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist (also called Holy Communion) and is guided by the Book of Common Prayer. Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer first produced this book in 1549, during the religious movement known as the Protestant Reformation. Anglicanism combines elements of both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
Organization.
The Anglican clergy consists of bishops, priests, and deacons. Anglicans consider the archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the Church of England, to be the symbolic head of the Anglican Communion. The Communion was one of the first major Christian denominations to ordain women as priests and bishops.
The leadership provided by the archbishop and by three international gatherings of church leaders make up the four Instruments of Communion that bring the Anglican Communion together. The three meetings are (1) the Lambeth Conference; (2) the Anglican Consultative Council; and (3) the Primates Meetings. The Lambeth Conference is a meeting of all Anglican bishops. They consult one another, but they do not make official rules for one another’s churches. The conference meets every 10 years. The Anglican Consultative Council meets every two or three years. The council includes bishops, other clergy, and laity (regular church members). It works to promote cooperation and the exchange of information between churches. The Primates Meetings bring together the primates (head bishops) of each regional or national church in the Communion.
Christian unity.
Anglicans have played a major role in developing the modern ecumenical movement, which seeks unity among Christian churches. Several archbishops of Canterbury played a key role in founding international ecumenical bodies, such as the World Council of Churches. The Anglican Communion has close ties with several Protestant churches, including Lutheran, Congregational, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Reformed churches. It also has formal relationships with the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.
History.
In the 1500’s, the Christian Church in England asserted its independence from the Church in Rome, becoming a peer (equal) church in its own right. In the 1700’s and 1800’s, Anglicanism spread rapidly to other countries with the growth of the British colonial empire. In the late 1900’s and early 2000’s, the Anglican Communion entered into difficult debates about human sexuality. These debates led to larger, unresolved questions about the nature of church authority and organization.
Historically, the arts have held a special place in Anglicanism. The Book of Common Prayer and the King James Bible and such Anglican writers as John Donne, George Herbert, and Jeremy Taylor helped shape the English language. Anglicans also have produced many beautiful works of architecture, church music, painting, sculpture, and stained glass.
