What Is The Episcopal Church?

Rooted in Scripture, shaped by tradition, guided by reason, and committed to welcoming all people.

A Tradition of Faith, Thought, and Welcome

Get to Know Us

We are the American branch of the Worldwide Anglican Communion, and the third largest mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. We’ve always embraced “The Middle Way;” we are moderate. We’ve also valued our differences in worship styles, and we are home to all different kinds of people.

The Three-Legged Stool

We often describe our beliefs as “The Three Legged Stool,” Scripture, Tradition and Reason, each leg of the stool carrying equal importance for us. Scripture and Tradition have always been important, and we value our God-given reason equally with Scripture and Tradition. That means we are constantly learning, and what we learn about the world and ourselves helps us understand God’s creation better.

Living Our Faith Together

Scripture

We read the Bible every Sunday and follow the teachings of Jesus.

Prayer & Grace

We confess our sins together, ask God's forgiveness, and ask God's help in starting over.

Church Family

We place a high value on our relationships with one another in our “Church Family,” and that family is always welcoming new people.

Episcopalian

An Episcopalian is a person who has been baptized (in any church) and who confirms the promises made at baptism in The Episcopal Church.

A Tradition That Continues to Grow

These milestones reflect the Episcopal Church's continuing commitment to faithfully follow Christ while welcoming people from many different backgrounds into the life of the Church.