History of the Episcopal Church
The Episcopal Church today is made up of approximately 1.5 million worshippers in over 6,300 congregations across the United States and elsewhere, including Europe, South America, and the Caribbean. We organize ourselves into geographic groupings of congregations called dioceses. Haiti is the largest of our 110 dioceses. We Episcopalians also call ourselves Anglicans, to describe our roots in the Church of England.
Our congregations range from thousands gathering to worship in venerable cathedrals to small groups worshipping in storefronts. We pray with and for each other. We welcome all who come looking for God and a community of love. We work together to make our congregations strong for those who will come after us.
The church’s complete name, the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America, describes our work together. We make Christ’s mission our own by working in and sponsoring such ministries as food pantries, homeless shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, mission trips, parish nursing programs, vacation bible schools, church camps, retreat centers, and after-school mentoring programs.
What We Believe
Our ways of worshipping are as varied as our ways of doing mission. Some of us always use incense; others never do. Some of us sing only from The Hymnal 1982; others use music from many sources. Most of us have Holy Eucharist every Sunday, while some have Eucharist less often.
The Book of Common Prayer grounds us all. It explains Christianity, describes the main beliefs of the Episcopal Church, outlines the requirements for the sacraments, gives the patterns of our worship together and serves as the main guideline of the Episcopal life. Just as we hold these prayers and rites in common, we also hold some common beliefs. We look back to the beginnings of the Christian church for statements of those beliefs and we find the Apostles’ Creed (formed in the very early years of the church) and the Nicene Creed (written during fourth-century gatherings of church leaders). Both creeds describe the God whom we experience in three ways: as the one who creates us, the one who redeems us, and the one who continually guides us toward holiness.
We sometimes interpret the Bible differently, yet we find common ground in our belief that Holy Scripture is the Word of God. Using the text of the Bible itself and the tradition of what Christians have taught us about it through the ages, Episcopalians believe we must come to an understanding of it as it relates to our own lives. To do this work we use our reason—that is, our God-given intelligence and our experiences. Some people refer to our three-legged stool of Scripture, tradition, and reason.
History
The Episcopal Church began in England in the 1500s, during the reign of King Henry VIII. The old story goes that the Church began because Henry wanted a divorce, but the truth is more complicated. Through prior centuries of war and turmoil, the church in Rome worked to preserve European civilization. It enforced rules of conduct, appointed rulers, and controlled the economy. A monk named Martin Luther and others protested what they saw as the church’s excesses and interference with people’s faith.
Henry didn’t like Luther’s reform movement, but he wanted more control of the church in England. He, like many political leaders of his time, wanted his people’s undivided loyalty, and he had other uses for the English money that supported the church in Rome. Henry broke from Rome, and England suffered as Roman Catholics and Protestants battled for control of the church and the government.
Henry’s daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, devised religious and political arrangements, including the third version of The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) in 1559, that left the English church with both Roman Catholic and Protestant characteristics. Walking this middle way between the traditions makes us a sacramental church that promotes thoughtful debate about what God is calling us to do and to be as followers of Christ.
Thus we began with a question: Could a church change its loyalties in this world and still be loyal to Jesus? The Reformation’s answer was yes. It showed that we learn more about God when we ask our questions and listen for answers in prayer and in the words of others in our communities. We began in disagreement and our history tells us that the church survives disagreements when it stays focused on the importance of coming together to give thanks to God and to do God’s reconciling work.
Diocese of Long Island
Our diocese is comprised of Kings (Brooklyn,) Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties. The Cathedral of the Incarnation is located in Garden City. We are shepherded by the Right Reverend Lawrence C. Provenzano, Bishop of the Diocese of Long Island.
General Episcopal Church
The Episcopal Church USA, having its roots in the Church of England, is also an Anglican Church. Our Presiding Bishop is Michael Curry. Like all Anglican churches, the Episcopal Church is distinguished by its standing in both Protestant and Catholic traditions, its insistence that people be able to worship in their first language, its use of the Book of Common Prayer, and its reliance on scripture, tradition, and reason in interpreting God’s Word.
“Episcopal” means “bishop” in Greek, and the Episcopal Church is governed in part by its bishops. The Episcopal Church meets in General Convention every three years. The last triennial gathering, our 80th, was held in Baltimore, MD, in July of 2022.
Our congregations range from thousands gathering to worship in venerable cathedrals to small groups worshipping in storefronts. We pray with and for each other. We welcome all who come looking for God and a community of love. We work together to make our congregations strong for those who will come after us.
The church’s complete name, the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America, describes our work together. We make Christ’s mission our own by working in and sponsoring such ministries as food pantries, homeless shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, mission trips, parish nursing programs, vacation bible schools, church camps, retreat centers, and after-school mentoring programs.
What We Believe
Our ways of worshipping are as varied as our ways of doing mission. Some of us always use incense; others never do. Some of us sing only from The Hymnal 1982; others use music from many sources. Most of us have Holy Eucharist every Sunday, while some have Eucharist less often.
The Book of Common Prayer grounds us all. It explains Christianity, describes the main beliefs of the Episcopal Church, outlines the requirements for the sacraments, gives the patterns of our worship together and serves as the main guideline of the Episcopal life. Just as we hold these prayers and rites in common, we also hold some common beliefs. We look back to the beginnings of the Christian church for statements of those beliefs and we find the Apostles’ Creed (formed in the very early years of the church) and the Nicene Creed (written during fourth-century gatherings of church leaders). Both creeds describe the God whom we experience in three ways: as the one who creates us, the one who redeems us, and the one who continually guides us toward holiness.
We sometimes interpret the Bible differently, yet we find common ground in our belief that Holy Scripture is the Word of God. Using the text of the Bible itself and the tradition of what Christians have taught us about it through the ages, Episcopalians believe we must come to an understanding of it as it relates to our own lives. To do this work we use our reason—that is, our God-given intelligence and our experiences. Some people refer to our three-legged stool of Scripture, tradition, and reason.
History
The Episcopal Church began in England in the 1500s, during the reign of King Henry VIII. The old story goes that the Church began because Henry wanted a divorce, but the truth is more complicated. Through prior centuries of war and turmoil, the church in Rome worked to preserve European civilization. It enforced rules of conduct, appointed rulers, and controlled the economy. A monk named Martin Luther and others protested what they saw as the church’s excesses and interference with people’s faith.
Henry didn’t like Luther’s reform movement, but he wanted more control of the church in England. He, like many political leaders of his time, wanted his people’s undivided loyalty, and he had other uses for the English money that supported the church in Rome. Henry broke from Rome, and England suffered as Roman Catholics and Protestants battled for control of the church and the government.
Henry’s daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, devised religious and political arrangements, including the third version of The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) in 1559, that left the English church with both Roman Catholic and Protestant characteristics. Walking this middle way between the traditions makes us a sacramental church that promotes thoughtful debate about what God is calling us to do and to be as followers of Christ.
Thus we began with a question: Could a church change its loyalties in this world and still be loyal to Jesus? The Reformation’s answer was yes. It showed that we learn more about God when we ask our questions and listen for answers in prayer and in the words of others in our communities. We began in disagreement and our history tells us that the church survives disagreements when it stays focused on the importance of coming together to give thanks to God and to do God’s reconciling work.
Diocese of Long Island
Our diocese is comprised of Kings (Brooklyn,) Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties. The Cathedral of the Incarnation is located in Garden City. We are shepherded by the Right Reverend Lawrence C. Provenzano, Bishop of the Diocese of Long Island.
General Episcopal Church
The Episcopal Church USA, having its roots in the Church of England, is also an Anglican Church. Our Presiding Bishop is Michael Curry. Like all Anglican churches, the Episcopal Church is distinguished by its standing in both Protestant and Catholic traditions, its insistence that people be able to worship in their first language, its use of the Book of Common Prayer, and its reliance on scripture, tradition, and reason in interpreting God’s Word.
“Episcopal” means “bishop” in Greek, and the Episcopal Church is governed in part by its bishops. The Episcopal Church meets in General Convention every three years. The last triennial gathering, our 80th, was held in Baltimore, MD, in July of 2022.