Why Anglicanism?

Sitting in a session with the Young Anglicans Project, my friend Matt asked the question “Why Anglicanism?” What he was getting at was whether or not we could easily articulate what we found attractive about the Anglican tradition in an age where denominations are said to be dying.  I began to reflect on my first experience with the Anglican Church and I know it’s not like some first experience it.  In fact it may be radically different to what some others experienced.  Here are five things that struck me as we settled into St John’s Church in Hartford, Cheshire (UK). I know that the context of it being England changes much for people but this is where I found Anglicanism… in the mother church.

The proclamation of the gospel. Everything about St. John’s was centered around the proclamation of the gospel, especially to the large number of folks who had never heard it.  I heard so many testimonies in my first few months of people who had come to faith through a Christmas or Easter service where the gospel was made clear for the first time for them. We looked constantly for opportunities to share the good news with others.

The preaching of scripture. In college I found myself deeply fed by Bible expositors on the radio.  After college I worked for a church where the preaching was excellent, but it was not expository.  St. John’s was committed to preaching through books of the Bible and letting the text speak to us. In my time there I found myself understanding connections between the old and new testaments, seeing the gospel in the whole of scripture, and hearing from the Lord in powerful ways.

The community of faith. I had emphasized in my youth ministry, for the previous nine years, the importance of a sense of community among believers.  I taught it and tried to help them live it.  This was the first time I saw a whole church that embodied the sense of community that we read about in Acts 2. People not only gathered for the study of scripture and prayer, but to help one another and help people in need in the community around them.  I met a great many saints in Hartford!

The power of prayer. No Christian can deny that prayer is powerful, but I am not sure all that many get to see it’s impact on lives as close up as when a church is committed to praying together regularly. St. John’s had prayer meetings twice a month that gathered the core of the congregation to pray.  They prayed for a new Youth Minister and I was that person that God used to fulfill their prayers.  They prayed for large numbers of people to show up at evangelistic events and it happened. They prayed for the funds for an addition to the church building and it appeared. There really was nothing that God was not answering in due time regarding the requests that they had. I’ve known a lot of amazing churches, but few as dedicated to prayer.

The rootedness of the church. Having grown up Presbyterian, the Book of Common Prayer was a rather stunning new development for me.  Yet, I quickly became aware that there was a powerful rootedness in the liturgy of the Anglican Church that captivated my soul. Our congregation was best connected to the 1552 prayer book, the most reformed and final work of Thomas Cranmer. Nevertheless, that historical connection had profound meaning to me. While we occasionally held services in the 1662 prayer book and regularly used the “Common Worship” liturgy, we were rooted in a tradition that streamed from old and carried it on into the modern world. This was Anglicanism at it’s best in my opinion.

Why Anglicanism?  This is the best and most complete answer I can provide. Obviously, four of these can be said about many church traditions.  The fifth is what sets the Anglican church apart from the masses of Bible believing, Gospel preaching congregations.