Everything about The Church Of England totally explained
The
Church of England is the
officially established Christian church in
England, the
Mother Church of the worldwide
Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national churches.
The Church of England considers itself to be both
Catholic and reformed:
- Reformed insofar as many of the principles of the early Protestant reformers as well as the subsequent Protestant Reformation have influenced it via the English Reformation and also insofar as it doesn't accept Papal supremacy or the Counter-Reformation.
- Catholic in that it views itself as being an unbroken continuation of both the early apostolic and later mediæval universal church, rather than as a new formation, and in that it holds and teaches the historic Catholic faith. In its customs and liturgy it has retained more of the Catholic tradition than most other churches touched by the Protestant Reformation.
History
The Church of England traces its formal corporate history from the 597
Augustinian mission, stresses its continuity and identity with the primitive universal Western church, and notes the consolidation of its particular independent and national character in the post-
Reformation events of
Tudor England.
According to tradition, Christianity arrived in Britain in the first or second century (probably via the tin trade route through
Ireland and
Iberia), and existed independently of the Church of Rome, as did many other Christian communities of that era. Records note British bishops, such as
Restitutus in attendance at the Council of
Arles in 314, and, even more significantly, Britain was the home of
Pelagius, who nearly defeated
Augustine of Hippo's doctrine of
original sin.
The
Pope sent
Saint Augustine from Rome in the
6th century to evangelise the
Angles in 597. With the help of Christians already residing in
Kent he established his church in
Canterbury, the former capital of Kent (it is now
Maidstone), and became the first in the series of Archbishops of Canterbury. Later archbishop, the Greek
Theodore of Tarsus, also contributed to the organisation of English Christianity.
Simultaneously, the
Celtic Church of
St Columba continued to evangelise
Scotland. The Celtic Church of North Britain submitted in some sense to the 'authority' of Rome at the
Synod of Whitby in 664. Over the next few centuries, the Roman system introduced by Augustine gradually absorbed the pre-existing
Celtic Christian churches.
The English Church was under papal authority for nearly a thousand years, before separating from Rome in
1534 during the reign of King
Henry VIII. A theological separation had been foreshadowed by various movements within the English Church such as the
Lollards, but the
English Reformation gained political support when Henry VIII wanted an
annulment of his marriage to
Catherine of Aragon, so he could marry
Anne Boleyn. Under pressure from Catherine's nephew, the Emperor
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Pope
Clement VII refused the annulment, and, eventually, Henry, although theologically a doctrinal Catholic, took the position of
Supreme Head of the Church of England to ensure the annulment of his marriage. He was
excommunicated by
Pope Paul III.
Henry maintained a strong preference for the traditional Catholic practices and, during his reign,
Protestant reformers were unable to make many changes to the practices of the Church of England. Indeed, this part of Henry's reign saw the trial for heresy of Protestants as well as Roman Catholics.
Under his son,
Edward VI, however, the Church became theologically more radical, before legislatively rejoining the Roman church during the reign of Queen
Mary I, in 1555. The settlement under
Elizabeth I (from 1558) of a mildly reformed, Catholic, apostolic, and established church (
for example, subject to and part of the state) led to great civil strife in the following century.
For the next century, through the reigns of
James I and
Charles I, and culminating in the
English Civil War and the protectorate of
Oliver Cromwell, there were significant swings back and forth between two factions: the
Puritans (and other radicals) who sought more far-reaching Protestant reforms, and the more conservative churchmen who aimed to keep closer to traditional beliefs and Catholic practices. The failure of political and ecclesiastical authorities to submit to Puritan demands for more extensive reform was one of the causes of open warfare. By Continental standards, the level of violence over religion wasn't high, but the casualties included a king, Charles I, and an Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud. Under the Protectorate of the Commonwealth of England from 1649 to 1660, Anglicanism was disestablished and outlawed, and in its place, presbyterian ecclesiology was introduced in place of the episcopate. In addition, the Articles were replaced with the Westminster Confession, and the Book of Common Prayer was replaced by the Directory of Public Worship. Despite this, about one quarter of English clergy refused to conform to this form of State Presbyterianism.
With the Restoration of Charles II, Anglicanism too was restored in a form not far removed from the Elizabethan version. One difference was that the ideal of encompassing all the people of England in one religious organisation, taken for granted by the Tudors, had to be abandoned. The religious landscape of England assumed its present form, with the Anglican Established church occupying the middle ground, and Roman Catholics and those Puritans who dissented from the Anglican Establishment, too strong to be suppressed altogether, having to continue their existence outside the National Church rather than controlling it.
Continuing official suspicion and legal restrictions continued well into the nineteenth century.
Membership
In addition to England proper, the jurisdiction of the Church of England extends to the
Isle of Man, the
Channel Islands, and a few parishes in
Flintshire,
Monmouthshire, and in
Radnorshire,
Wales. Expatriate congregations on the continent of Europe have become the
Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe.
According to statistics "1.7 million people attend Church of England church and cathedral worship each month while around 1.2 million attend each week – on Sunday or during the week - and just over one million each Sunday." Canons require
Royal Licence and Royal Assent, but form the law of the Church, rather than the law of the land.
There are also
Diocesan Synods and
Deanery Synods.
Worship and liturgy
The Book of Common Prayer
In addition to the
Book of Common Prayer the church's other official
liturgical book is
Common Worship, dating from 2000. Like its predecessor, the 1980
Alternative Service Book, it differs substantially from the
Book of Common Prayer, although it does include the Order Two rite of the Eucharist. This is a very slight revision of the prayer book service, altering only a few words and allowing the insertion of the
Agnus Dei (
Lamb of God) before communion. The Order One rite follows the pattern of modern liturgical scholarship.
Doctrine and practice
In both
beliefs and practices, or forms of
churchmanship, the Church of England is mixed: in some of its congregations worship remains closer to Roman Catholicism (see
high church) than most
Protestant churches, but in others it's difficult to distinguish between the Anglican forms in use and the uses of other
Evangelical bodies (see
low church). Its constitution affirms many relatively conservative
theological beliefs, its
liturgical form of worship is traditional, and its organisation embodies a belief in the appropriateness of the historical
episcopal hierarchy of
archbishops,
bishops, and
dioceses.
In many people's eyes, the Church of England has as its primary distinguishing heritage its breadth and "open-mindedness". Today, beliefs and practices range from those of the
Anglo-Catholics, who emphasise liturgy and
sacraments, to the far more preaching-centred and less ritual-based services of
Evangelicals and gatherings of the
Charismatics. But this "
broad church" faces various contentious doctrinal questions raised by the development of modern society, such as conflicts over the
ordination of women as priests (accepted in 1992 and begun in 1994), and the status of non-celibate
homosexual clergy (still unsettled today). In July 2005 the divisions were once again apparent, as the
General Synod voted to "set in train" the process of allowing the consecration of women as
bishops; in February 2006 the synod voted overwhelmingly for "further exploration" of a scheme that would also allow parishes that didn't want a woman bishop to opt for a man instead.
The church also has its own system of
canon law, and judicial branch, known as the
Ecclesiastical courts, which likewise form a part of the UK court system. Such courts have powers especially in relation to the care of churches and churchyards and the discipline of the clergy.
Ecumenical relations
Like many other Anglican churches, the Church of England has entered into
full communion with the
Old Catholics. In the late 20th century it also became a founding member of the new
Porvoo Communion. The Church of England is also a full member of the
Conference of European Churches.
Related churches
The Church of England's sister church in Ireland, the
Church of Ireland, also went through the reformation in the sixteenth century. Unlike in England, the majority of the populace didn't go along with this, preferring continued adherence to the Roman Catholic Church, but the Church of Ireland retained official established church status in Ireland until 1871. Under the
Act of Union (Ireland) 1800, the Church of Ireland was united with the Church of England. This union was dissolved and the Irish church disestablished in 1871. To this day the Church of Ireland remains organised on an all-Ireland basis.
The
Scottish Episcopal Church is the sister church in Scotland and is in full communion with it. It is much smaller than the
Church of Scotland, which is recognised in law as the "
national church" and has a
Presbyterian system of government. The history of the Episcopal Church is complicated, involving alternating periods of official promotion and persecution: for a time, because of its association with
Jacobitism, it had to operate
sub rosa.
When the
Episcopal Church in the U.S. became independent of the Church of England after the
American War of Independence, the leadership of the Church of England didn't believe itself legally able to consecrate new bishops without requiring of them the standard oath of loyalty to the crown. Consequently it was the non-juring bishops of the non-established Scottish Episcopal Church who consecrated the first American bishop, until new legislation allowed the Church of England to relax its policy.
The
Church in Wales, previously a part of the Church of England, was disestablished in 1920 and at the same time became an independent member of the Anglican Communion.
Financial situation
The Church of England, although an
established church, doesn't receive any direct government support. Donations comprise its largest source of income, though it also relies heavily on the income from its various historic endowments.
As of 2005, the Church of England had estimated total outgoings of around £900 million.
Historically, individual parishes both raised and spent the vast majority of the Church's funding, meaning that clergy pay depended on the wealth of the parish, and parish
advowsons (the right to appoint clergy to particular parishes) could become extremely valuable gifts. Individual dioceses also held considerable assets: the Diocese of Durham possessed such vast wealth and temporal power that its Bishop became known as the '
Prince-Bishop'. Since the mid-19th century, however, the Church has made various moves to 'equalise' the situation, and clergy within each diocese now receive standard stipends paid from diocesan funds. Meanwhile, the Church moved the majority of its income-generating assets (which in the past included a great deal of land, but today mostly take the form of financial stocks and bonds) out of the hands of individual clergy and bishops to the care of a body called the
Church Commissioners, which uses these funds to pay a range of non-parish expenses, including clergy pensions, and the expenses of cathedrals and bishops' houses. These funds amount to around £3.9 billion, and generate income of around £164 million each year (
as of 2003), around a fifth of the Church's overall income.
The Church Commissioners give some of this money as 'grants' to local parishes; but the majority of the financial burden of church upkeep and the work of local parishes still rests with individual parish and diocese, which meet their requirements from donations. Direct donations to the church (not including legacies) come to around £460 million per year, while parish and diocese reserve funds generate another £100 million. Funds raised in individual parishes account for almost all of this money, and the majority of it remains in the parish which raises it, meaning that the resources available to parishes still vary enormously, according to the level of donations they can raise.
Most parishes give a portion of their money, however, to the diocese as a 'quota'. While this isn't a compulsory payment, dioceses strongly encourage and rely on it being paid; it's usually only withheld by parishes either if they're unable to find the funds or as a specific act of protest. As well as paying central diocesan expenses such as the running of diocesan offices, these diocesan funds also provide clergy pay and housing expenses (which total around £260 million per year across all dioceses), meaning that clergy living conditions no longer depend on parish-specific fundraising.
Although asset-rich, the Church of England has to look after and maintain its thousands of churches nationwide — the lion's share of England's built heritage. As current congregation numbers stand at relatively low levels and as maintenance bills increase as the buildings grow older, many of these churches can't maintain economic self-sufficiency; but their historical and architectural importance make it difficult to sell them. In recent years, cathedrals and other famous churches have met some of their maintenance costs with grants from organisations such as
English Heritage; but the church congregation and local fundraisers must foot the bill entirely in the case of most small parish churches. (The government, however, does provide some assistance in the form of tax breaks, for example a 100%
VAT refund for renovations to religious buildings.)
In addition to consecrated buildings, the Church also controls numerous ancillary buildings attached to or associated with churches, including a good deal of clergy housing. As well as vicarages and rectories, this housing includes residences (called 'palaces') for each of the Church's 114 bishops. In some cases, this name seems entirely apt; buildings such as Archbishop of Canterbury's
Lambeth Palace in London and Old Palace at
Canterbury have truly palatial dimensions, while the Bishop of Durham's
Auckland Castle has 50 rooms, a banqueting hall and 30 acres (120,000 m²) of parkland. However, many bishops have found the older palaces inappropriate for today's lifestyles, and some bishops' 'palaces' are ordinary four bedroomed houses. Many dioceses which have retained large palaces now employ part of the space as administrative offices, while the bishops and their families live in a small apartment within the palace; and in recent years some dioceses have managed to put their palaces' excess space and grandeur to profitable use as conference centres. All three of the more grand bishop's palaces mentioned above — Lambeth Palace, Canterbury Old Palace and Auckland Castle — serve as offices for church administration, conference venues, and only in a lesser degree the personal residence of a bishop. The size of the bishops' households has shrunk dramatically and their budgets for entertaining and staff form a tiny fraction of their pre-twentieth-century levels.
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