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The History of the Episcopal Church
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The Episcopal Church is a community of faith that honors its past,
meets the needs of the present and works for the future. The
Episcopal Church is descended from the Church of England.
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3rd Century
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The Christian Church was established in England by
missionaries
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6th Century
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Augustine came from Rome to found the Christian Church in
southern England. He was the first archbishop of Canterbury.
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11th Century
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With Norman Conquest, the English Church came under the full
authority of the Pope at Rome
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16th Century
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In 1534, Henry VIII broke ties with the Pope over the King's
proposed marriage to Anne Boleyn. The Church of England kept
faith with original doctrine even though it was no longer
controlled by Rome.
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1549, the Book of Common Prayer was first published.
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1607
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The first permanent Church settlement was started in
Jamestown Virginia
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1689
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King's Chapel was built in Boston, the first Anglican Church
in New England.
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1693
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William and Mary College was established in Williamsburg,
Virginia. It stressed Anglican faith and study.
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1695 - 1705
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Expansion was rapid. Other Church settlements were organized
in Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, etc.
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The American Revolution
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A time of crisis for the Anglican Church.
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Many Anglican clergymen left the country because at
ordination they had sworn loyalty to the King.
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Church members who remained loyal to the King suffered
persecution, imprisonment, banishment, etc.
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Church membership declined.
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1782 - Principles Proposed
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Mr. White published a pamphlet called "The Case of the
Episcopal Churches in the U.S. Considered".
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It was the first proposal for an American Episcopal Church,
traditional, but separate from the Church of England.
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Many of White's ideas were later incorporated into the
Episcopal constitution
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1784 - Preliminary Steps
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A group of Connecticut clergymen chose Dr. Seabury to be the
first American bishop. He went to England to be ordained,
but was refused because he wouldn’t pledge allegiance to the
King. Finally, he was ordained in Scotland.
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In New Jersey, an assembly of clergy and laymen agreed on a
preliminary declaration of principles and called for a
larger convention to further organize the Church.
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1785 - First General
Convention
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Church members from most states met in Philadelphia. They
began to form a Church constitution and a revision of the
Book of Common Prayer, but there were still many
disagreements.
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This group urged English bishops, to ordain chosen American
bishops.
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1786 to 1787 - Ordinations
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1786: An Act of Parliament was passed, allowing American
bishops to be ordained without an oath of allegiance.
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1787: Mr. White and Mr. Provoost were ordained in England.
(In 1790, James Madison became the fourth American bishop to
be ordained there.)
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General Convention of 1789
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Church members from all the states gathered in Philadelphia.
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They adopted a constitution that stressed flexibility. It
provided for: church structure independent of foreign and
civil authority; legislative general conventions that
included laity; election of bishops; education of clergy;
etc.
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Members ratified 17 Canons (Church laws) as foundations of
Christian doctrine
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They authorized a revised, American Book of Common Prayer.
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October 16, 1789
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On October 16, 1789, The Protestant Episcopal Church in the
U.S. was officially established.
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The
first independent Anglican Church organized outside Great
Britain. ("Protestant" was dropped from the name in 1967.)
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