A threefold cord is not quickly broken
These words from Ecclesiastes 4:12 speak of strength and unity created from diversity. Within his Church, God is removing barriers and blending together three strands of expression - evangelical, charismatic, and historical/sacramental. This is the commitment of The Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches in our approach to worship and faith. By celebrating the best of the Church in history and combining that with the Holy Spirit's renewing and regathering work, we seek to share the good news of Jesus Christ and to glorify God in the world today. This is further expressed in the following vision statement.
VISION STATEMENT OF THE CEEC
1. Make visible the Kingdom of God to the nations of the world.
2. Bring the rich sacramental and liturgical life of the early church to searching evangelicals and charismatics;
3. Carry the power of Pentecost to our brothers and sisters in the historic churches;
4. Provide a home for all Christians who seek a catholic, evangelical. charismatic church and foundation for their lives and gifts of ministry.
BASIC BELIEFS
The Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches affirms the following essentials of Christian faith:
Personal commitment to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It is by faith in Him that we are saved by grace.
A high view of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the revealed Word of God, containing all things necessary for salvation. This is of critical importance in preaching, public reading of the Word, and personal Bible study.
The Apostles' and Nicene Creeds are sufficient statements of Christian faith. These express our belief in one God in three persons - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The creeds clearly proclaim the Gospel message and the Kingdom of God.
Openness to and anticipation of empowerment by the Holy Spirit.
A high view of the two Sacraments - Baptism and Eucharist - which were ordained by Christ Himself. These are to be ministered properly with the words and elements of Christ. Grace is imparted by the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
A high view of the Church. St. Cyprian (A.D. 200-258, Bishop of Carthage, martyr) claimed, "He who has not the Church for his mother, has not God for his Father. "
Affirmation of the Historic Episcopate, locally adapted in the methods of its administration to the varying needs of the nations and people called of God into His Church.
WORSHIP
Our Anglican heritage allows for wide flexibility in local expression without compromising the essentials of the faith. A cathedral filled with the sounds of chanted psalms, colorful banners, and the fragrance of incense - all of this would agree with the tradition of ancient Christian worship. On the other hand, a simple order of worship in a village church would also be appropriate and within the historic tradition.
The Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches' approach to worship asks two things of its members and churches: (1) that they be open to the Holy Spirit's activity and (2) that they follow the shape of the liturgy that has been received from the Holy Scripture and from the first centuries of the Church.
COMMITMENT TO BIBLICAL PREACHING AND TEACHING
We are committed to inspired biblically based preaching and teaching that upholds the truth of God's Word, revealing His plans and purposes for our lives and ministries, based on God's Holy scriptures.
OPENNESS TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
In The Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches we anticipate the Holy Spirit manifesting His presence to us through gifts and ministries. While having a liturgical structure, our services also contain significant times of spontaneity, and praise. Openness to the Holy Spirit is necessary for Christians to exercise their faith in a powerful way.
LITURGY
Liturgy is a biblical word (from the Greek leitourgeia, or work of the people) meaning the service of worship the people render to God. All churches have some form of liturgy, or standard procedure which they follow weekly. However, there is a form of worship from the ancient church established by the Apostles. which was rooted in Judaic worship combined with the Eucharistic services (from the Greek word meaning thanksgiving) of the early Christians. It has been honored by the Church for almost 2,000 years. This form of liturgy is similar to the worship of heaven, which is described in the Old and New Testaments of Scripture. When we join with this liturgy we are joining with heavenly worship and in the worship of the ages.
Churches of The Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches, though varying in the degree of pageantry and spiendor, follow the ancient liturgical form in their principal Sunday services. This includes music, prayer, Scripture readings, sermon, offerings, ministry of the Spirit, Holy Communion, and more. They observe the Church year (calendar of Church seasons. holy days, etc.) and Lectionary (prescribed scripture readings). The services of The Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches are informed by the Book of Common Prayer. Most of our parishes use the 1979 BCP, but also used and recognized are the 1928 BCP, The Anglican Service Book, and other Prayer Books from the world-wide Anglican Family.
The clergy wear vestments - albs. stoles. chasubles, etc. This form of liturgical/sacramental worship, inspired by the presence of God's Spirit, becomes a celebration through which we join the Church universal, both on earth and in heaven as we glorify Almighty God!
THE ORDAINED MINISTRY
HOLY ORDERS - "And Jesus appointed twelve. to be with Him, and to be sent out to preach...."
Since the earliest days of the Christian Church, there have been specific Orders of Ministers which are essential to the nature of the Church. These Orders we still know today as bishop, presbyter (priest), and deacon, and each has specific functions within the Body of Christ. At the very beginning of the New Covenant in Christ, God calls out certain of His followers to be His ambassadors in a specific way. as bishops, priests, and deacons.
Ordination into any of these Orders is accomplished by the laying on of hands, accompanied by the proper prayers. This is the means used by the Apostles themselves, and is still in use today. This is considered necessary for a valid ordination, together with the correct intention on the part of the ordaining bishop. This is why the succession of bishops from the Apostles to our own day is so carefully guarded.
LAITY - It is important to note that The Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches affirms the priesthood of all believers. We are all ministers of Christ and are called to serve in the areas in which we have been gifted and empowered by the Lord.
CHURCH HISTORY
The Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches has ancient roots that go back to the original Church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostles' Creed of the second century and the Nicene Creed of the fourth century were formulated by great councils of the Church and are important summaries of our basic Christian beliefs. Christianity was manifested throughout the centuries by the Anglican (Celtic), Eastern Orthodox, and Roman Catholic traditions.
In discovering our connection to the Historic Faith, The Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches finds its identity and self-understanding in the Anglican Spiritual Tradition. We know that Christianity was brought to England by missionaries in the third century. The Book of Common Prayer was first published in 1549, has gone through several revised editions, and is our liturgical guidebook. The Articles of Religion were written in the 16th century to define matters of doctrine.
The Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral of 1886, 1888 stated the essentials of the faith upheld during the first eleven centuries of the existence of the Church. These essentials, affirmed by The Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches, are:
(1) The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament as the revealed Word of God.
(2) The Nicene Creed as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith.
(3) The two sacraments - Baptism and The Holy Eucharist - instituted by Christ.
(4) The Historic Episcopate - bishops in the tradition and succession of the Apostles.
THREE TRADITIONS CONVERGE
The development of The Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches has been a convergence of three traditions:
(1) liturgical/sacramental.
(2) charismatic, and
(3) evangelical.
We believe this combination expresses wholeness and fullness in the Church.
EVANGELICALS generally emphasize personal commitment to Jesus Christ. the Bible as the Word of God, and evangelism. In May of 1977, a group of evangelical leaders came together and signed a powerful and prophetic statement. They issued a call on evangelicals to rediscover their roots in historic Christianity. The "Chicago Call." as it came to be known, stated that a recovery of our common roots is essential to faithfully transmit the gospel in the world today.
At the same time, many CHARISMATIC believers have felt a need to deepen and enrich their worship. They are finding balance, breadth, and rootedness in the liturgical tradition. They're discovering that liturgies were part of the worship of the New Testament Church and that liturgical worship can be filled with power by the Holy Spirit.
For decades, traditional LITURGICAL/SACRAMENTAL churches have been influenced by the charismatic movement and by strong evangelical preaching and teaching, while at the same time safeguarding the rich sacramental/liturgical life that has come down to us through the centuries. Many people are discovering that informal, spontaneous, and exuberant charismatic worship can bring new warmth and energy to liturgical services and renewed spiritual empowerment.
See also:"A Communion rather than a denomination"