Anglicans are Christians – people who follow the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God.
We believe in the Trinity and the over-arching love of God. We uphold the Bible as sacred Scripture, inspired by the Holy Spirit and interpreted by the Church. We affirm the Creeds and our connection with the Apostles.
We believe that everyone was made in the image of God and that all are equal. The church is the Body of Christ and all the baptised have an important part to play in God’s kingdom. Each of us has different gifts and so are called to different areas.
We love because God first loved us. God calls us to be in relationship with one another. As we share in one another’s lives and seek to support those in need we respond to God’s call. As a Church, God calls us to be Christ in our communities.
We are a sacramental church. That means that we baptise and celebrate the Eucharist (Communion/Lord’s Supper). We worship God with prayers of thanksgiving, songs of praise, and words of affirmation. We acknowledge our need for forgiveness as well as our need to reconcile and forgive others. We give thanks for God’s awe-inspiring love and mercy, and we seek to share that with others.
From its very beginning the Anglican Church has been described as being via media or the ‘middle way’. As a Church we accept that the world is not black and white. We work hard to understand and honour the different experiences and perspectives that believers contribute. As a result you will find that evangelical, liberal, conservative, high-church, low-church, and many others should all find a place to express themselves.
“The Anglican Way is a particular expression of the Christian Way of being the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ. It is formed by and rooted in Scripture, shaped by its worship of the living God, ordered for communion, and directed in faithfulness to God’s mission in the world. In diverse global situations Anglican life and ministry witnesses to the incarnate, crucified and risen Lord, and is empowered by the Holy Spirit. Together with all Christians, Anglicans hope, pray and work for the coming reign of God.”
(An extract from S Pickard & D de Chickera, The Anglican Way: Signposts on a Common Journey (Anglican Communion Office, London: July 2008), p2)
Taken with permission from the Anglican Diocese of Waikato and Taranaki website.