The Episcopal Church is:
Part of
God's One, Holy Church in the whole
World!
The name of our church comes from
the Greek word Episcopos
which means "bishop" or "overseer."
The leaders of our church are
called bishops and we are called
Episcopalians. All Episcopalians
have bishops.
What Do We Believe?
Three
important things show us the way to
understand our God and our world.
-
The Bible -- We believe
that God and God's people can
speak to us through the Bible.
All the things we need for a
good life are in there.
-
Our Tradition -- We are a
church with many old stories.
Some of these stories connect us
to Jesus and the things he
taught us. Some of the stories
help us understand what other
people think about God and
Jesus.
-
Thinking -- The Episcopal
Church does not have a
human-made set of rules for
being God's people. We believe
that in our life with God we
should use our minds-we should
think about the Bible, tradition
and our own experience.
THE CHURCH IS
THE PEOPLE OF GOD
The church is
not a building where people go to worship
God.
The church is all of God's people.
God's people work in the world to help
other people know about God's love for
all people.
All of God's
people do God's work. Some people are
chosen to be leaders in the church. These
people receive special training and
education. They are "ordained." This
means they have been chosen by God and by
the church to lead. They are called
deacons, priests, and bishops.
Other people do God's work every day in
everything they do. They are baptized.
This means that they are part of God's
great family that we call the church.
Adapted from "Episcopalians",
adapted by Robert H. Grindrod from
Episcopales, published by
Forward Movement Publications. ©
Forward Movement Publications
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