A Faith Centered on Jesus Christ
Episcopalians are Christians. We believe in one God, known as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. At the center of our faith is Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection we believe reconciled the world to God. These convictions are expressed most clearly in two ancient statements of faith, the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. Both name the core beliefs we share with Christians across the centuries.
Scripture, Tradition, and Reason
The Bible is the foundation of Episcopal faith and teaching. We believe Scripture contains all things necessary for salvation. We also read it thoughtfully rather than rigidly. Understanding grows through three sources that work together: Scripture, the tradition of the church, and human reason. This balance is often pictured as a three-legged stool, since each leg is needed for the whole to stand. It leaves the church room for firm conviction and open inquiry at the same time.
Worship and the Book of Common Prayer
Shared worship holds the community together. The Book of Common Prayer shapes nearly every Episcopal service, from Sunday Eucharist to weddings, funerals, and daily prayer. Congregations across the country use the same words, which gives Episcopal worship a common shape even as music and style vary from place to place. The prayer book allows different forms and usages while keeping the substance of the faith whole. Services tend to be reverent and well ordered, built around Scripture, prayer, song, and Holy Communion.
The Sacraments
We believe God’s grace reaches people through the sacraments. A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. Two hold central place because Christ himself gave them. Baptism marks a person’s entry into the body of Christ and the life of the church. The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion, stands at the heart of Sunday worship, where bread and wine are received as the body and blood of Christ. The church honors five other sacramental rites as well: confirmation, ordination, marriage, reconciliation, and anointing of the sick.
Belief Lived in the World
For Episcopalians, belief is meant to be lived. In the promises of baptism, we commit to continue in the teaching and fellowship of the church, to resist evil, to share the good news, to seek and serve Christ in all people, and to strive for justice and peace. Known as the Baptismal Covenant, these promises shape how we understand our daily duty to God and neighbor.
A Welcoming Church
The Episcopal Church is known for a long commitment to welcome. People of many backgrounds, genders, and sexual orientations serve at every level, as lay leaders, deacons, priests, and bishops. Women and openly LGBTQ people are ordained. The church holds that faithful Christians can disagree on hard questions and still belong to one community.
How the Church Is Led
Authority in the Episcopal Church is shared rather than held by clergy alone. Laypeople and clergy make decisions together. Local congregations elect leaders and help govern their own life, bishops provide oversight, and representatives from across the church meet regularly to guide the whole body. This reflects a belief that the entire people of God carry responsibility for the church.