Anglicanism is a Protestant Christian tradition that emerged from the practices, liturgy and identity of the Church of England following the Protestant Reformation of the 16^th century. It is the third-largest Protestant denomination in the world. The Anglican Church has a rich tradition of making disciples around the world and now includes some 85 million members in more than 165 countries.

Also called the Anglican Communion, the Anglican Church is made up of 40 global member provinces. The provinces are subdivided into dioceses, and the dioceses into parishes. All of the provinces are autonomous, free to make decisions in their own ways. C4SO belongs to the province of The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA).

Whether you are new to Anglicanism or just need a refresher, we invite you to learn more about the fundamental Anglican beliefs and practices that C4SO embraces.

C4SO holds firmly to a holistic balance of the Foundation Stones of Anglicanism.

Scriptural

Anglicans uphold the Bible as God’s word revealed, the narrative of salvation history. We understand our lives and ministry within the narrative of God’s saving grace and deliverance.

Historic

Anglicans are rooted in the sacred tradition of the 1st century church expressed in what we believe and how we practice our faith through word, liturgy and the Sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist, as well as other sacramental rites. We also recognize the historic episcopate, with our Holy Orders following the pattern of apostolic succession in the undivided Church.

Spirit-led

Anglicans recognize that as believers in Christ, we receive the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit who guides and equips us, transforming us day by day so that we better reflect Christ in our lives through word and deed.

Incarnational

In response to Christ’s Great Commandment and Great Commission, Anglicans live as Kingdom people who both proclaim and live out what Jesus taught and modeled.  We engage culture, focus on the needs of others before our own, and act as God’s cooperative partners to pursue deliverance, justice and mercy for all people.

Integrated

Anglicans are united and connected not only “with the great cloud of witnesses” throughout Church history, but also with Christ followers around the world. Anglicanism is part of a global Christian faith, or, as expressed in the Nicene Creed: “the one holy catholic and apostolic church.”

Consistent with the Anglican Church in North America, C4SO upholds the following faith statements:

1. We confess the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments to be the inspired Word of God, containing all things necessary for salvation, and to be the final authority and unchangeable standard for Christian faith and life.
2. We confess Baptism and the Supper of the Lord to be Sacraments ordained by Christ Himself in the Gospel, and thus to be ministered with unfailing use of His words of institution and of the elements ordained by Him.
3. We confess the godly historic Episcopate, locally adapted, as an inherent part of the apostolic faith and practice, and therefore integral to the fullness and unity of the Body of Christ.
4. We confess as proved by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture the historic faith of the undivided church as declared in the three Catholic Creeds: the Apostles’, the Nicene, and the Athanasian.
5. Concerning the seven Councils of the undivided Church, we affirm the teaching of the first four Councils and the Christological clarifications of the fifth, sixth and seventh Councils, in so far as they are agreeable to the Holy Scriptures.
6. We receive The Book of Common Prayer as set forth by the Church of England in 1662, together with the Ordinal attached to the same, as a standard for Anglican doctrine and discipline, and, with the Books which preceded it, as the standard for the Anglican tradition of worship.
7. We receive the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion of 1571, taken in their literal and grammatical sense, as expressing the Anglican response to certain doctrinal issues controverted at that time, and as expressing fundamental principles of authentic Anglican belief.

Liturgy (literally “the work of the people”) is simply an order of worship within the Anglican tradition. One of the richest aspects of Anglican liturgy is its holistic character as well as its rhythm of ebb and flow. Scripture demonstrates that God initiates, creates, and designs liturgy in worship just as he initiates prayer. We respond to God through liturgical worship with our very beings—every part of us glorifying him. As we stand, sit, kneel, sing, recite, raise our hands, listen and pray, we are formed and shaped by the liturgical elements of worship.

The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) is the worship book used within the Anglican expression of faith. This book contains liturgies (orders of services), personal devotional material, ancient creeds, communal prayers and the lectionary—a plan for reading the Bible which incorporates selections from the Old Testament, a Psalm, and the New Testament for use throughout the liturgical year. Published most authoritatively in 1662, The Book of Common Prayer has been updated through the centuries and revised for use in various parts of the world. All versions allow Anglicans to worship using the same form, connecting with one another as we concentrate on the same texts and engage the church seasons together. We believe in the transformational power of this tradition: As we worship, so we believe.

Our participation in the sacrament of Eucharist is also central to our worship because it strengthens and inspires us to go into our mission fields following the dismissal. The liturgy calls us to continue and extend our active participation in liturgical worship as an incarnational presence in the world, serving God, engaging others and extending the love of Christ through the power of the Spirit. In C4SO, we have the opportunity to contextualize Anglican liturgy and make Anglicanism accessible, inviting others into the richness of a sacramental, liturgical way of life.

Anglicanism represents a “big tent,” featuring various approaches to worship music styles and preferences for “high,” “broad,” or “low” church liturgy. All forms, however, move from the Liturgy of the Word to the Liturgy of the Table.  This movement is full of beauty. It is experiential, interactive and appeals to the senses visually and through sound and sometimes smell—inviting a response. Each piece builds upon another as the proclamation, prayers, reconciliation and celebration of the Eucharist unfold. This “symphony” reaches its crescendo with the retelling of the narrative of Jesus’ sacrificial death and our being united with him in that moment. While different words may be used (Old English to contemporary), specific practices, symbols and sacramental elements mark Anglican worship services.  Even if the service is not a Celebration of the Eucharist, there remains a rhythm within morning and evening prayer.

The Anglican Communion is comprised of 42 (as of 2022) member provinces in more than 165 countries around the world. The Anglican Church has a rich tradition of making disciples and now includes some 85 million members worldwide. Within the Anglican Communion, Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) is a group of Anglicans that represents a huge number of the world’s Anglican Christians. Another key group within the Communion is the Global South Anglicans (GSA), a gathering of the non-Western parts of the Communion.

C4SO is a diocese of The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), one of 40 global member Provinces in the Anglican Communion. ACNA unites Anglicans in more than 1,000 congregations across the United States, Canada and Mexico into a single Church. On April 16, 2009, ACNA was recognized as a province of the global Anglican Communion by the Primates of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans. The Most Rev. Steve Wood is the Archbishop of ACNA.

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Todd Hunter is the founding bishop of The Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others and founder of The Center for Formation, Justice and Peace. He is past President of Alpha USA, former National Director for the Association of Vineyard Churches, retired founding pastor of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Costa Mesa, CA, and author of Christianity Beyond Belief: Following Jesus for the Sake of Others, Giving Church Another Chance, The Outsider Interviews, The Accidental Anglican, Our Favorite Sins, Our Character at Work, Deep Peace and What Jesus Intended. He writes a weekly newsletter, The Gospel of the Kingdom.