Anglicans: Who are we?
Anglicans follow a distinctive way of living out their faith, inspired by Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit. This involves worship, gaining wisdom, and service while staying true to our history but adapting to the times.
Anglican Core Beliefs and Practices
Anglicans believe in one God in three forms — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — as proclaimed in its Creeds and affirmed in our Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion.
Anglicans proclaim God’s love in word (the Bible) and sacrament (Baptism and Holy Communion).
Anglicans are are led by ordained leaders; Bishops, Priests, and Deacons. In Perth and many other diocese, both men and women can be ordained.
Anglicans aim to find a balanced path between the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformed Churches.
Anglicans use three main sources to understand their faith:
Scripture: Reading the Bible to see how God interacts with the world, chiefly in the person of Jesus.
Tradition: Learning from how Christians have interpreted the Bible throughout the history of the church and in light of the contemporary study of them.
Reason: Using our minds to attempt to understand how God’s teachings apply to the world today.
One last point.
Henry VIII desired that the Church of England be the expression of Christian faith for all the people of England. Therefore, Anglicans are committed to ‘being there’ for everyone in the communities in which they are set. Though we may no longer share Henry’s imperial ambition, Anglicans still have a sense that God has called us to be present in a particular place, so we minister to and welcome any and all, and work to being caring contributors to any society in which we live. We pray for all the world, and especially for our local community, and show that by loving service.
Summarized and rephrased from “Daring to live God’s promises”
a publication of the Anglican Diocese of Perth