The Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. We are a Christian church, which means first and foremost we believe in one God: God the Father, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Our theology – our understanding of God at work in the world past, present, and future – is based on:

​

1. Holy Scripture

2. The tradition of the Church

3. Our God-given ability to reason, to think. 

 
The Holy Scriptures are the living Word of God, through which God still speaks to us today. The tradition of the church, the wisdom of those who have gone before us and the collective wisdom of the church over the centuries, guides our understanding and application of Holy Scripture. Our ability to reason, to think, is given to us by God to allow us to understand and grow our understanding of God with the help of the Holy Spirit who guides the Church in the true interpretation of the Scriptures.

We accept the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds as the basic statements of the foundations of our faith tradition. We are part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church –One because the Church is one Body in our Lord Jesus Christ; Holy because the church is set aside to be holy as God is holy and because the Holy Spirit dwells within and consecrates the Church and her members and guides the Church and her members to do God's work in the world; Catholic meaning universal because the Church proclaims one Faith to all people to the end of time; and Apostolic because it is from and through the apostles with the Holy Spirit that the Church receives and continues the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, accepts Christ's mandates and seeks to carry out Christ's mission to all people.

​

 The following are basic beliefs and doctrines of The Episcopal Church:

​

The Bible

"Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them." (The The Book of Common Prayer, p. 236).

The Bible, the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is our foundation, understood through tradition and reason. The Bible contains all things necessary for salvation. Our worship each day and on Sunday is filled with readings and references to Holy Scripture from beginning to end. At least 70% of the The Book of Common Prayer – our guide to worship and faith – is taken directly from the Bible, with the remaining portion being directions and instructions for daily and Sunday worship, and statements and explanations of faith. All things in The Book of Common Prayer are in conformity with Holy Scripture and basic orthodox Christian beliefs. Episcopalians read and study more Holy Scripture in Sunday worship than almost any other denomination in Christianity. (For a list of readings appointed for out worship services, see the Revised Common Lectionary of readings). 

​

Christ Focused

"In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life." (The The Book of Common Prayer, p. 368).

We are followers of Jesus Christ. Our worship and our mission are in Christ's name. In Jesus, we find that the nature of God is love, and through baptism, we share in God's love and Jesus' victory over sin and death.

​

​