On being Anglican…

Many of you know my dear friend, Patrick Ware.  We both attended Gordon-Conwell and then he and I were the first “Timothy’s” at The Falls Church from 2006-2009.  Patrick and Jordan (his wife) planted Winchester Anglican Church this past year.  The church is having a big impact on that community.  I’m really proud of him.

Recently Patrick wrote this reflection, The Strong Bones of Anglicanism. I asked if I could share an excerpt with you.  I think these characteristics of Anglicanism do a great job capturing the elements that I cherish.  I hope this encourages you while you pray for our Restoration team at CANA council.

1. Committed to the authority of the Bible and to the sharing of the Gospel.
   In recent years, Episcopalianism has moved away from holding this as a central tenet of its fellowship to preferring instead an individual’s own assessment of truth. Contrastingly, historic Anglicanism has been known for trusting the Bible as the sole basis for truth and faith. As new Anglican churches are being planted and established churches are being revitalized, especially by those who have left The Episcopal Church, the authority of the Bible is the starting place for fellowship and mission.

2. Committed to authority in pastoral leadership.
   If you’re an Anglican pastor, you should always know to whom you are responsible. Every ordained pastor has another experienced, and usually older, pastor supporting him or her in the background.  These are people to whom they can report to and seek counsel. We call these seasoned leaders Bishops.

3. Committed to being a global church with global fellowship and accountability.
   Anglican Bishops share in their own community not only through domestic fellowship, but by joining together with Anglican Christians all around the world, who together help each other to discern the will of God for the church. The body of Christ, in its most faithful form, should be representative of all tribes, tongues and nations to which we are called to take the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. God speaks uniquely to each church, but His messages can never stand in conflict with His Word. We need each other, across cultures, to ensure that we are faithfully hearing the will of God, especially when our hearing may be impaired by our own sin.

4. Committed to shared-leadership in the local church.
   Anglican churches are always led by an ordained pastor as well as a small group of church members [called the vestry] who work together to lead the church and steward its resources.

5. Committed to interdependence of churches, and not independence.
   Anglican churches believe it’s better (more biblical, safer, and more enjoyable) to be a part of an association of churches under authority than to be independent.

6. Committed to the use of the Book of Common Prayer as an aid to private and corporate worship.
   Anglican Christians use this wonderful little book that’s filled with prayers and worship aids to help them structure their time with the Lord, both in private and together in corporate worship. The purpose of structure in worship is to ensure that they are not concentrating on merely one area of life with the Lord. Worship in an Anglican church will almost always include: singing, readings from the Bible, a teaching on the Bible, prayers, confession of sin and the assurance of God’s forgiveness, and a celebration of the Lord’s supper also called Communion or Eucharist. The prayer book also contains Anglicanism’s historical documents and creeds (statements of belief) to which it holds.

7. Committed to coming together for special services of worship during special times of year.
   Anglicans, especially during Christmas and Easter, have lots of worship services! When Anglicans remember the birth of Jesus and his death and resurrection, they hold services during the week so that they can walk together through these great events in the life of Jesus. Anglicans love to grow closer to each other, and to the Lord, during these times.

8. Committed to valuing all three streams of the Christian faith: Anglo-Catholic (with an emphasis on liturgy and sacrament) Charismatic (with emphasis on the sanctifying and empowering work of the Holy Spirit), and Evangelical (with emphasis on the authority of the Bible to lead people to the saving work of Jesus’ death and resurrection).
   Imagine the church as a great river that runs in three parallel streams fed from the same spring, each flowing with power to eventually empty into the same ocean. This is the church, given by God, flowing from his heart through time towards the same place: the return of Christ and the glorious inauguration of the kingdom of God in full at the end of history. Anglican Christians think that all three streams of the church bring equal glory to God and each have unique value for drawing men and women closer to the Lord.

by The Rev. Patrick Ware