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The Church of England

Organisation

The Church of England is the Established Church in England, and the Mother Church of the Anglican Communion, which covers 160 countries.

It is organised into two Provinces; each led by an Archbishop. The Southern Province is led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Northern Province by the Archbishop of York.

Each Province is made up of Dioceses of which there are 43 in England. These Dioceses are divided into parishes, which are overseen by parish Priests, assisted by curates.

Her Majesty the Queen is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, in which she appoints Archbishops, Bishops and Deans of Cathedrals on the advice of the Prime Minister.

The Church is episcopally led with 108 Bishops and synodically governed. The General Synod is elected from laity and clergy of every diocese and meets at least twice a year in London or York to consider legislation for the good of the Church.

History

Since A.D. 200 there have been Christians in Britain. Christianity became the dominant religion through the joining of Celtic Christianity with missions from Rome by St. Augustine in 597.

Throughout times of war, peace and famine, the Church took a crucial role in the development of society. This culminated in the elevation of Cardinal Wolsey as Henry VIII's principle minister. Henry VIII's desire for a male heir, and for Anne Boleyn, caused him to proclaim himself Supreme Head of the Church of England. This led to the Church of England existing separtely from Rome, although its Bishops have always been consecrated in unbroken sucession from St. Peter.

Anglican Belief and Practice

The foundation of Anglican faith and worship is found within the Scriptures and Gospels, the Apostolic Church and the early church fathers. The Anglican Communion views the Old and New Testaments as the standard and the rule of faith, containing all things necessary for salvation.

The Church of England regards the Apostle's Creed as a baptismal symbol and Nicene Creed is viewed as a sufficient statement of Christian faith. Alongside the Creeds, the Church also observes the two main sacraments ordained by Christ Himself, these being Baptism and the Lord's Supper or Eucharist as it also known.

The Anglican Communion is a worldwide family of churches with more than 70 million adherents. Following the example and teachings of Jesus Christ, it is committed to proclaiming the good news of the Gospel to the whole of creation.

By drawing on scripture, tradition and reason, the Church of England bears witness to the saving work of God in the world through the death and resurrection of his Son. The Church believes that in Christ the very word and life of God was made flesh and lived on earth as a human being.

Through the Gospel of Christ, we hear the gentle rule of God's love calling the human heart and mind back to the original relationship of Creator and creature.

Church of England
Find out more from the Church of England web site

The Diocese of London
Find out more about the Diocese of London and its churches.

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