Episcopal Worship is rooted in the acknowledgment of God’s love for all of creation.

We gather to recognize God’s love for the world, and God’s loving existence within all living things. Episcopalians participate in seven traditional practices that give us opportunities to experience and participate in God’s presence together, called sacraments. These practices are always done in community, bringing us together, as the Body of Christ.

The sacraments make use of normal, everyday things such as bread, wine, and water to help tell the story of God’s love within all that exists, and to give us an opportunity to experience God’s presence with us as we worship.

We believe that science and faith go hand in hand. The mysteries of faith and divinity emphasize the limits of our own humanity. We lean into that great wonder–the mystery of God. We look to our creator, our redeemer that was born to bring divine love through human wrappings for guidance. This can be seen in the depth of liturgy, prayer, and service practiced throughout the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego.

We believe that all people are created in God’s image—celebrating the dignity of every human being, and we honor that every person, in all their diversity, is essential to building up the body of Christ. We are a diverse community following the way of Jesus. Come journey with us as we seek to fulfill our mission in the world- working for the Kingdom of God by transforming our communities with the infinite love of God.

We believe:

• The Holy Scriptures are the revealed word of God, which inspired the human authors of the Scripture, and which is interpreted by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
• The Nicene Creed is the basic statement of our belief about God. It was adopted in the 300s by the early church founders and is said every Sunday in Episcopal churches around the world. Read the creed.
• We’re a peculiar people whose spiritual arc bends more toward boundless hope and a reasonable faith than hardened surety and entrenched absolutism.
• The Episcopal tradition is founded on the affirmation that Jesus Christ is Lord. We believe that Christ’s transcendent presence in the Holy Spirit continually informs who we are.
• The Book of Common Prayer was established in 1549 as the official worship book for the church. Episcopalians often refer to it as the BCP.
• Our primary identity is as a liturgical community. Our life of prayer shapes our beliefs and behaviors.
• We constantly seek to hear the Spirit moving among us as changes in our understanding of Christian belief and practice are seen through additional revisions to the Book of Common Prayer.
• The Episcopal liturgy is the “work of the people.” That is what liturgy means. It is communal worship connected to our daily life and work as ministry.
• Catechism means the teachings and beliefs of the church; they’re outlined in the Book of Common Prayer.
• Our Episcopal tradition represents the continuous tradition of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. The Episcopal Church has often been called the “middle road,” a via media.
• Although we have ordained leaders (including the bishops that give us our name – Episcopal) the ministry of all believers is central.
• Still have questions? Send a question to the Rev. Canon Gwynn Lynch, MDiv

The Episcopal Church has 2 million members in 7,500 congregations in the United States, the Virgin Islands, Haiti, Europe and other areas around the globe. In the Diocese of San Diego (one of six dioceses in the state), we have 20,000 members in 44 congregations. We also have 5 schools, 2 college ministries, a refugee support network, a retirement home, a social service agency and more than 500 ministries that reach out to help make our communities better places. We are part of the global Anglican Communion, which has more than 80 million members.

United by a Prayer Book

All Episcopal services whatever their style—and they vary from simple spoken ceremonies to elaborate sung ones—follow the principals laid out in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. It ultimately traces its history back to the first Prayer Book of the English church, produced in 1549, following the separation from Rome. Services involve participation from the congregation and follow the same essential forms. This means that on any given Sunday an Episcopalian can walk into any Episcopal church (and with small local variations, any Anglican church in the world) and take part in a familiar worship service.

Book of Common Prayer Online

Queen Elizabeth II and the Very Rev. James E. Carroll at St. Paul’s Cathedral, San Diego during her 1983 visit.

Historical Background

Out of England

The origins of the Episcopal Church lie in the religious disagreements of 16th century Europe. The English church had initially split from Rome more for the convenience and enrichment of the heir-obsessed King Henry VIII than for doctrinal reasons. Doctrinal division soon followed, however, as Protestant ideas spread to England from the continent, where they were causing bloody internecine strife.

The English solution was a compromise designed to make the national church acceptable to the greatest possible number of those compelled (on pain of quite punitive fines) to attend it. By the standards of the day the Articles of Religion that defined the church avoided narrow doctrinal positions and allowed room for individual conscience provided that outward forms were observed. While this spirit of greater tolerance and inclusiveness did not save every clergyman from being burned at the stake, it definitely made things easier for average mortals. The colonial offshoots of the resulting Church of England were the direct antecedents of the Episcopal Church.

Birth of the Episcopal Church

After the American Revolution, Church of England congregations in the newly independent States reorganized themselves as a new church—free from the King of England and from oversight by English bishops. The new church took the name “Episcopal” to emphasize the historic ministry of bishops, priests and deacons. It changed its name and its constitution (Episcopal bishops are elected, while English ones continue even now to be appointed by the monarch) but continued to use the Book of Common Prayer, with minor modifications to acknowledge the political changes.

Being a product of its time in history, many of the creators of the new church were also founders of America’s new government. Two-thirds of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence were Episcopalians, and the services for the inauguration of George Washington were performed by the first Bishop of New York and rector of Trinity Church, Samuel Provoost.

The Anglican Communion Today

Today, members of our church are known both as “Episcopalians” and “Anglicans.” The Episcopal Church (TEC) is one of 30 autonomous churches that are part of the Anglican Communion. With 70 million members in 64,000 congregations in 164 countries, the Anglican Communion is the third largest body of Christians in the world, after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox communions. The current Archbishop of Canterbury is the Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Dr. Justin Welby.