Belief and Practice
Episcopalians follow Jesus Christ and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. They believe in the relational and communal nature of God as it is expressed through the early experience of the first Christians and articulated in the historic doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Episcopalians put their faith in God revealed through scripture, tradition, and human reason. All three are held in dynamic tension with one another, no one being more important than the other two. Episcopalians uphold the Bible as the inspired witness to God’s holy covenant with the Hebrew people in the Old Testament and the new covenant inaugurated through Jesus Christ at the Last Supper and through his death and resurrection.

The Episcopal Church is part of the Anglican transmission of historic, catholic and apostolic Christianity, and therefore affirms the faith contained in the historic creeds and doctrines of the Ecumenical Councils of the Christian Church and the Reformation era Articles of Religion, now found on page 864 of The Book of Common Prayer. The ministry of the Episcopal Church affirms the historic order of bishop, priest, and deacon. In contrast to other parts of the catholic and apostolic tradition, the Episcopal Church ordains both men and women, homosexual as well as heterosexual, and all its clergy are permitted to marry.

In the Episcopal Church worship is the primary activity of the community gathered as the Body of Christ. The Episcopal Church defines its boundaries by reference to common worship rather than shared belief. Anyone who is able to worship with us, is welcome. Right belief tends to divide people into those who are in, and those who are out. By contrast, worship stresses being in right relationship with one another.  The Book of Common Prayer, sometimes referred to as the Bible reorganized for worship, guides common worship in the Eucharist, in the daily offices of common prayer, and in other celebrations of Christian life.

Episcopalians articulate their Christian lives through the five promises of the Baptismal Covenant found on page 304 of The Book of C0mmon Prayer. These are summarized here as: to be faithful in prayer and worship; to resist evil and repent when we fail; to proclaim in word and example the good news of the Gospel of Christ; to seek Christ in all persons; to strive for justice and peace among all, respecting the dignity of every human being.

Click | To view or download The Book of Common Prayer

Membership
The Episcopal Church takes seriously Archbishop Temple’s dictum: the Church is the only organization that exists for those who are not its members. Therefore, it is possible to be a member of Trinity Cathedral without being a formal member of the Episcopal Church. You are considered a member of Trinity Cathedral if you are baptized and commit yourself to being regular in worship, supporting the life of the community through your gifts of time, talent and wealth.

Formal Membership in the wider Episcopal Church is through baptism and confirmation. Confirmation is the affirmation of baptismal promises for people growing-up in an Episcopal parish and for adults coming from non-Apostolic (Protestant) Christian traditions who wish to become formal members of the Episcopal Church. Reception is a similar ceremony for adults coming from Apostolic (Catholic or Orthodox) Christian traditions.

For more additional on membership and becoming part of the Christian life of Trinity Cathedral please contact:

The Dean
The Reverend Canon Erika von Haaren | [email protected]