An Episcopalian is simply a member of the Episcopal Church in the
United States – which is open to all and welcomes everyone who wishes
to join.
This is the church organization that grew out of the Anglican Church
following the American Revolution in 1783 under the name of the
Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States.
The Book of Common Prayer provides the guideposts for our faith
and practice. On pages 876-888 a document called the Chicago-Lambeth
Quadrilateral sets out four points which are essential to the life of
the church. These are:
- We affirm the importance of scripture in the life of the church.
- We affirm the faith of the church as embodied in the historic
creeds.
- We affirm the value of an ordained ministry, especially the
historic episcopate, to oversee the organization and keep it on
track.
- We affirm the sacraments of baptism and eucharist as essential to
membership and participation in the church.
It is these four guidelines that an Episcopalian tries to follow in
everyday life, as well as in church.
