What we believe
The Church is made of followers of Christ. Churches in the Diocese of Winchester tell the story of Jesus in their daily work. They are also part of the Anglican tradition. Being an Anglican means much more than belonging to a local parish church, it means also being part of the Anglican Communion, which includes 161 different countries with more than 70 million individual members.
What Anglicans believe, like other Christians, is built on the Bible, Baptism and the Eucharist. By reading, studying and praying with the Bible, we are drawn into the story of God’s relationship with the world. In particular, through the life of Christ we discover the power of God’s self-giving love and forgiveness, and are given strength to share the good news of Jesus through the words and actions of our own lives. The Church’s interpretation of the Bible is summarised in two confessions of faith, called the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. Anglicans traditionally regard the creeds as providing a fundamental statement of Christian belief.
Baptism and the Eucharist also bring us into a special relationship with God. They are sometimes known as ‘sacraments’ or ‘holy mysteries’, because although they are physical actions, they also have spiritual effects. Through baptism, we receive both God’s forgiveness and his Holy Spirit, as the water washes, refreshes and revives us. At the Eucharist, we share communion with God and one another through the gifts of bread and wine, symbols of Christ’s body and blood.
Apart from a common basis in scripture, the sacraments and the creeds, the Anglican Church is held together by the historic three-fold order of ministry – bishops, priests and deacons. Also, although he has no practical authority over Anglicans outside England, the Archbishop of Canterbury is seen as a focus of unity for the whole Communion.
Perhaps the greatest glory of the Anglican Church is the richness and variety of its life which enables Anglicans to celebrate their Christian faith in ways most appropriate to themselves. This can mean neighbouring parish churches have different styles of worship, though both may be Anglican.