What do we believe as the Episcopal Church?

  • As Episcopalians, we are followers of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and believe that God has revealed Godself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  • We strive to love our neighbors as Christ loved others, and to demonstrate respect for the dignity of every person.
  • The Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and traces its heritage to the beginnings of Christianity.
  • Our liturgy retains ancient structure and tradition, but points us to the Living God in our midst today.
  • We welcome persons of any gender or sexual orientation access to the orders of ministry in the church: either as laity, or the orders of bishops, priests, and deacons.
  • We believe in amendment of life, the forgiveness of sin, and life everlasting through our Savior Jesus Christ.
  • Lay people exercise a vital role in the governance and ministry of our Church.
  • Holy Communion may be received by all wishing to participate at the Lord’s Table, not only members of the Episcopal Church.
  • We uphold the Bible as authoritative for discipleship and worship as directed by the Book of Common Prayer.
  • We affirm that committed relationships are lifelong. Episcopalians also recognize that there is grace after divorce and do not deny the sacraments to those who have been divorced.
  • We celebrate our unity in Christ while honoring our differences, always putting the work of love before uniformity of opinion.
  • All are welcome to find a spiritual home in the Episcopal Church. We believe that God created persons of differing sexual orientations and genders, and that humanity in its spectrum of diversity should be respected and affirmed.
  • We believe that Christians have a moral obligation to be in conversation with the scientific and academic community as new truth is discovered, new art created, and new efforts at stewardship are undertaken for the benefit of our world.
  • Sunday is traditionally when Episcopalians gather for worship. The principal weekly worship service is the Holy Eucharist, also known as: the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion. In most Episcopal churches and at St. Andrew’s, worship is accompanied by the singing of hymns.