Anglican Communion facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anglican Communion
Canterbury Cathedral
Type	Communion
Classification	Protestant
Orientation	Anglican
Scripture	Bible
Theology	Anglican doctrine
Polity	Episcopal
Primate of All England	Archbishop of Canterbury
Secretary	Josiah Idowu-Fearon
Region	Worldwide
Headquarters	London, England
Founder	Charles Longley
Origin	1867 Lambeth Conference, London, England
Separated from	Roman Catholic Church
Separations	Continuing Anglican movement (1977)
Members	85,000,000
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The Anglican Communion is a worldwide family of Christian churches. It is the third largest group of Christians after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. More than 85 million people are members of the Anglican Communion.

This group of churches officially started in 1867 in London. It includes the Church of England and many other independent national churches. These churches are all in "full communion" with each other. This means they share similar beliefs and practices.

The archbishop of Canterbury in England is a special leader for the Anglican Communion. He is seen as "first among equals." This means he is a respected leader who helps unite the churches. However, he does not have direct power over churches outside of England.

Anglican churches see themselves as both Catholic and Reformed. This means they keep some old traditions but also follow ideas from the Protestant Reformation. Each national church is independent. They make their own rules and have their own leaders called primates.

Most members of the Anglican Communion live in places that were once part of the British Empire. Some churches use "Anglican" in their name, like the Anglican Church of Canada. Others, like the Episcopal Church in the United States, use different names.

Recently, some churches in the communion have had disagreements. These disagreements are about how the church should adapt to modern society and different interpretations of its teachings. Some groups have even declared "impaired communion" with the Church of England. This shows a split within the communion.

Discover the History of Anglicanism

The Anglican Communion grew a lot thanks to early mission groups from the Church of England. These groups, like the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (started 1698), helped spread Christianity.

The Church of England first separated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534. This happened during the reign of Henry VIII. It briefly rejoined in 1555 under Mary I. Then it separated again in 1570 under Elizabeth I. The Roman Catholic Church removed Elizabeth I from the church in 1570.

The Church of England always saw itself as a reformed version of the old "English Church." It was not a completely new church. The Church of Scotland also formed separately in 1560. The Scottish Episcopal Church started later in 1582 due to disagreements about the role of bishops.

The oldest Anglican church building outside Britain and Ireland is St Peter's Church in Bermuda. It was built in 1612. It was part of the Church of England until 1978.

How Anglicanism Spread Globally

Anglican confirmation at the Mikael Agricola Church in Helsinki, Finland, in June 2013

The British Empire grew very large in the 18th and 19th centuries. This helped Anglicanism spread around the world. At first, churches in colonies were under the bishop of London.

After the American Revolution, churches in the newly independent United States formed their own national church. This was the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It was a friendly separation.

Around the same time, the Church of England began to appoint bishops in its colonies. In 1787, Charles Inglis became the first bishop in British North America. More bishops were sent to other places like India and Australia. By 1840, there were only ten colonial bishops. But this helped Anglicanism grow a lot.

Over time, these groups of churches formed "provinces." Each province got its own main bishop. Bishops started to be chosen locally, not just from England. National church meetings began to make their own rules.

A very important step was the idea of the Lambeth Conferences. These are meetings of Anglican bishops from all over the world. They show that bishops from different churches can work together. The first conference was in 1867. These meetings are usually held every ten years. They are the most important gathering for the whole Anglican Communion.

The Lambeth Conference in 1998 was a big moment. For the first time, bishops from developing countries, especially in Africa and Asia, had a stronger voice. They influenced decisions more than bishops from wealthier countries. This showed a shift in global Christianity.

Understanding Anglican Beliefs and Structure

The Anglican Communion does not have one central legal power. It has no single governing body that controls all member churches. There is an Anglican Communion Office in London. But it mainly helps with support and organization.

The communion stays together because of its shared history and beliefs. It also has international groups that meet to discuss things.

Three main things keep the communion united:

• All churches have a similar structure with bishops and church councils.
• They share beliefs expressed in their worship, especially through approved prayer books.
• They are influenced by historical documents and writings of early Anglican thinkers.

The Church of England started with its own history and structure. It had its own prayer book, the Book of Common Prayer. Unlike some other Christian groups, Anglicanism does not have one main theologian or a strict set of rules from one leader. Instead, Anglicans often look to the Book of Common Prayer as a guide for their beliefs. This means "the law of praying is the law of believing."

Over time, Anglicanism became known for being open to different ideas. But it also set clear limits for what was acceptable. These limits were found in the prayer books and the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion (1563). These articles still guide the communion's spirit today.

As the British Empire grew, Anglicanism spread. The communion needed new ways to stay connected. The Lambeth Conferences, started in 1867, were the first big step. These meetings were not meant to take away the independence of the churches. Instead, they were for discussing important topics and offering advice.

The Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral

One important decision from an early conference was the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral in 1888. It was meant to help discussions with other Christian churches. But it also helped define what it means to be Anglican. It lists four main principles:

• The Bible is the ultimate guide for faith. It contains everything needed for salvation.
• The Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed are important statements of Christian faith.
• There are two sacraments given by Christ: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. These must be done using Christ's own words and elements.
• The Historic Episcopate (having bishops in a line going back to the apostles) is important. It can be adapted to fit different nations and peoples.

How the Communion Works Together

The Anglican Communion has no international legal power. The archbishop of Canterbury's role is mostly symbolic. The communion's three international groups are for talking and working together. Their decisions are not legally binding. But all churches in the communion take part in them. These four parts work as "instruments of communion":

• The archbishop of Canterbury is the spiritual leader. All churches in the communion are connected to him. The current archbishop is Justin Welby.
• The Lambeth Conference (first in 1867) is the oldest international meeting. Bishops meet to strengthen their unity. They discuss issues and offer guidance. It happens about every ten years.
• The Anglican Consultative Council (first in 1971) meets about every three years. It includes bishops, other clergy, and regular church members from the 38 provinces. It has a permanent office in London.
• The Primates' Meeting (first in 1979) is the newest meeting. It is a place for leaders to think, pray, and talk deeply.

These international groups help the churches talk to each other. Sometimes, these discussions lead to disagreements. For example, there have been debates about how different churches accept LGBTQ+ people. Some churches in Africa and Asia have disagreed with changes made by churches in North America.

Those who disagreed said these actions went against the Bible. They also felt these changes were made without enough agreement from the whole communion. The American and Canadian churches said they made their decisions after much thought and according to their own rules.

The Primates' Meeting asked the American and Canadian churches not to vote at a meeting in 2005. They attended but did not vote. No church can be truly "expelled" from the communion. This is because membership is based on being connected to the archbishop of Canterbury.

How the Anglican Communion is Organized

Provinces of the Communion

A world map showing the provinces of the Anglican Communion:

Autonomous churches      Episcopal Church of the United States      Church in the Province of the West Indies      Anglican Church in Central America      Anglican Church of South America      Anglican Church of Southern Africa      Church of the Province of Central Africa      Church of the Province of West Africa

Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East      Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean      Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia      Church of the Province of Melanesia      Diocese in Europe of the Church of England      Extra-provincial to the archbishop of Canterbury      Church of the Province of South East Asia      No organised Anglican presence

The Church of Ireland serves both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and the Anglican Church of Korea serves South Korea and, theoretically, North Korea. Indian Anglicanism is divided into the Church of North India, the Church of South India and the Mar Thoma Church. The Diocese in Europe (formally the Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe), in the Province of Canterbury, is also present in Portugal and Spain. The Episcopal Church, USA affiliated Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe has affiliates in Austria, Belgium, France, Georgia, Germany and Italy.

The Anglican Communion has forty-two independent provinces. Each province has its own leader and way of governing. These provinces can be national churches, like in Canada, or groups of nations, like in the West Indies.

Extra-Provincial Churches

Besides the forty-two provinces, there are five extra churches. These churches are directly under the authority of the archbishop of Canterbury.

Churches in Full Communion

The Anglican Communion churches are also in "full communion" with other Christian churches. This means they share a close relationship and can participate in each other's sacraments. These include:

• The Old Catholic churches of the Union of Utrecht
• The Scandinavian Lutheran churches of the Porvoo Communion
• The India-based Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian and Malabar Independent Syrian churches
• The Philippine Independent Church (also known as the Aglipayan Church)

Ecumenical Relations

The Anglican Communion talks with many other Christian churches. This is part of its effort to build unity among all Christians.

Historic Episcopate

Anglican churches believe that their clergy are ordained through the historic episcopate. This means their bishops can trace their authority back to the apostles. The Roman Catholic Church, however, does not recognize Anglican ordinations. Some Eastern Orthodox churches have different views. Some might accept Anglican orders, while others do not.

The Chair of St Augustine (the episcopal throne in Canterbury Cathedral, Kent), seat of the archbishop of Canterbury in his role as head of the Anglican Communion

See Also

In Spanish: Comunión anglicana para niños