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What We Believe As Christians

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, visible and invisible.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

 We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

In these words the Church expresses its understanding of the truth revealed by God in Holy Scripture. In them we confess our beliefs concerning the person of God, his relationship with his creation, and his work in the world to bring redemption to the world. With this confession we stand rooted in the ancient catholic, or universal, tradition of the Church, receiving the faith as it has been passed down from generation to generation and committing ourselves to pass it on to those who follow after us.

Who We Are As Anglicans

The Anglican Communion sprang from the Reformation in England in the 16th century. As it grew to become one largest Christian denominations in the world, it took a distinct shape from other denominations that came from the Reformation. Anglicanism at its best is distinguished by the convergence an adherence to the authority of Scripture, a rootedness in the ancient traditions of the church, and the beautiful liturgies found in the Book of Common Prayer.

Authority of Scripture

We believe the Holy Scriptures to be the inspired revelation of God to humanity. In them we find all things necessary salvation. We are to “hear them, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them”, cherish them as the Word of a good God to his children, and obey them as we seek to walk in a manner worthy of the calling we have received.

Rooted in the Traditions of the Church

In our desire to desire understand and obey the Bible, we look to the historic teachings of the Church, which is “the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15), for guidance. Given the fact that the Church has not always spoken with one unified voice, this can be hard work. However, we believe it important to recognize that the Church is body of Christ extended through time and that being just one small part of this great body we should listen carefully to the wisdom it passes down to us. This is exemplified by our adherence to the creeds, our adherence to the ancient threefold order of church governance consisting of bishops, priests (presbyters), and deacons, and by our liturgical worship rooted in historic practices of the Church.

The Book of Common Prayer

Anglicanism is perhaps best known for its use of the Book of Common Prayer. Penned and compiled by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer in the 16th century, it has served as the guide to Anglican worship for nearly five hundred years. Since the beautiful liturgies and prayers found in it are steeped in Scripture while still following the ancient forms of Church worship, the Book of Common Prayer simultaneously instructs worshipers in the truths of God and joins their voices with those of the saints from all times. If you would like to know more about the Book of Common Prayer, you might find our series of videos covering its origins and use helpful. 

If you are not familiar with worship in the Anglican tradition, the best way to get to know it is to come and experience it for yourself! We are always happy to introduce people to the truth, goodness, and beauty of God as found in our worship.

Who We Are As St. Andrew’s Anglican Church

St. Andrew’s is connected to the Anglican Communion worldwide through affiliation with the Anglican Diocese of Christ Our Hope, which is a part of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). The ACNA was founded in 2009 to fill the need for an orthodox Anglican province in North America. While not in full communion with all parts of the Anglican world, the ACNA is in communion with 17 Anglican Provinces representing the majority of Anglicans throughout the world.

As members of the ACNA we adhere to the Jerusalem Declaration put forth by the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) in 2008:

  1. We rejoice in the gospel of God through which we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because God first loved us, we love him and as believers bring forth fruits of love, ongoing repentance, lively hope and thanksgiving to God in all things. 
  1. We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God written and to contain all things necessary for salvation. The Bible is to be translated, read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense, respectful of the church’s historic and consensual reading.
  1. We uphold the four Ecumenical Councils and the three historic Creeds as expressing the rule of faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
  1. We uphold the Thirty-nine Articles as containing the true doctrine of the Church agreeing with God’s Word and as authoritative for Anglicans today.
  1. We gladly proclaim and submit to the unique and universal Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, humanity’s only Saviour from sin, judgement and hell, who lived the life we could not live and died the death that we deserve. By his atoning death and glorious resurrection, he secured the redemption of all who come to him in repentance and faith.
  1. We rejoice in our Anglican sacramental and liturgical heritage as an expression of the gospel, and we uphold the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as a true and authoritative standard of worship and prayer, to be translated and locally adapted for each culture.
  1. We recognise that God has called and gifted bishops, priests and deacons in historic succession to equip all the people of God for their ministry in the world. We uphold the classic Anglican Ordinal as an authoritative standard of clerical orders.
  1. We acknowledge God’s creation of humankind as male and female and the unchangeable standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman as the proper place for sexual intimacy and the basis of the family. We repent of our failures to maintain this standard and call for a renewed commitment to lifelong fidelity in marriage and abstinence for those who are not married.
  1. We gladly accept the Great Commission of the risen Lord to make disciples of all nations, to seek those who do not know Christ and to baptise, teach and bring new believers to maturity.
  1. We are mindful of our responsibility to be good stewards of God’s creation, to uphold and advocate justice in society, and to seek relief and empowerment of the poor and needy.
  1. We are committed to the unity of all those who know and love Christ and to building authentic ecumenical relationships. We recognise the orders and jurisdiction of those Anglicans who uphold orthodox faith and practice, and we encourage them to join us in this declaration.
  1. We celebrate the God-given diversity among us which enriches our global fellowship, and we acknowledge freedom in secondary matters. We pledge to work together to seek the mind of Christ on issues that divide us.
  1. We reject the authority of those churches and leaders who have denied the orthodox faith in word or deed. We pray for them and call on them to repent and return to the Lord.
  1. We rejoice at the prospect of Jesus’ coming again in glory, and while we await this final event of history, we praise him for the way he builds up his church through his Spirit by miraculously changing lives.