Our Beliefs
We believe that God loves you – no exceptions.
We Episcopalians believe in a loving, liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe in following the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world.
Though it is a continual journey, we have a legacy of inclusion, aspiring to tell and exemplify God’s love for every human being. Women and men serve as bishops, priests, and deacons in our church. Laypeople and clergy cooperate as leaders at all levels of our church. Leadership is a gift from God and can be expressed by all people in our church, regardless of sexual identity or orientation.
As constituent members of the Anglican Communion in the United States, we are descendants of and partners with the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church and are part of the third largest group of Christians in the world.
“In him you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 368).
While the SIMPLEST way to learn what we believe is to visit us for worship and listen to the words we pray, we’ve also included information below if you would like to discover more about our core beliefs. Our worship services and an outline of our beliefs can also be found in the Book of Common Prayer.
The Book of Common Prayer is a treasure chest full of devotional and teaching resources for individuals and congregations, but it is also the primary symbol of our unity. We, who are many and diverse, come together in Christ through our worship, our common prayer.
Scripture
"Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them" (Book of Common Prayer, p. 236).
The Bible is of extraordinary importance to Episcopal worship; during a Sunday morning service, the congregation will usually hear at least three readings from Scripture, and much of the liturgy from The Book of Common Prayer is based explicitly on the Biblical texts. According to the Catechism, “We understand the meaning of the Bible by the help of the Holy Spirit, who guides the Church in the true interpretation of the Scriptures” (p. 853-4)
The Sacraments
“Sacraments are outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 857).
Holy Baptism and the Eucharist (or Holy Communion) are the two great sacraments given by Christ to his Church.
In the case of Baptism, the outward and visible sign is water, in which the person is baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; the inward and spiritual grace is union with Christ in his death and resurrection, birth into God’s family the Church, forgiveness of sins, and new life in the Holy Spirit. In the waters of baptism, we are reminded that we belong to God and nothing can separate us from the love of God. We also find ourselves part of an extended family, one with Christians throughout the ages and across the world, what we call the “one, holy, catholic [meaning 'universal'], and apostolic Church.”
In the case of the Eucharist, the outward and visible sign is bread and wine, given and received according to Christ’s command. The inward and spiritual grace is the Body and Blood of Christ given to his people and received by faith. It goes by several names: Holy Communion, the Eucharist (which literally means "thanksgiving"), mass. But whatever it’s called, this is the family meal for Christians and a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. As such, all persons who have been baptized, and are therefore part of the extended family that is the Church, are welcome to receive the bread and wine and be in communion with God and each other. "We thank you ... for assuring us in these holy mysteries that we are living members of the Body of your Son, and heirs of your eternal kingdom" (Book of Common Prayer, p. 366).
In addition to these two, there are other spiritual markers in our journey of faith that can serve as means of grace. These include:
Confirmation: the adult affirmation of our baptismal vows
Reconciliation of a Penitent: private confession
Matrimony: Christian marriage
Orders: ordination to the diaconate, priesthood, or episcopacy
Unction: anointing those who are sick or dying with holy oil
These help us to be sacramental people, seeing God always at work around us.
The Creeds
“The Creeds are statements of our basic beliefs about God” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 851).
While we will always have questions about God, the Church, and our own faith, we say together in our worship service a foundational creed to affirm our faith in the God who created us, redeemed us, and sanctifies us. We have two creeds that we use during worship: the Apostles’ Creed used at baptism and daily worship, and the Nicene Creed used at communion.
Spiritual Growth
"Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love" (Book of Common Prayer, p. 833).
The promises we make in our Baptismal Covenant are reminders that we are not yet perfect, that we are called to move deeper in our faith and make a difference in our world. We do so together as the church, always professing that we will indeed live into our baptismal vows as followers of Christ, but always “with God’s help."
While you can read lots about our beliefs, the best way to learn about what we believe is to come and listen and pray with us. Christ Episcopal Church in Bay St. Louis welcomes you!
