| United Episcopal Church of North America | |
 The UECNA crest. |
|
| Classification | Continuing Anglican |
|---|---|
| Polity | Episcopal, (with Apostolic Succession) |
| Founder | Charles D.D. Doren |
| Origin | 1981 |
| Separated from | Anglican Catholic Church |
| Geographical Area | United States |
| Statistics | |
| Congregations | 32+ parishes and missions [1] |
| Christianity Portal |
The United Episcopal Church of North America (UECNA) is a traditional Anglican Christian church formed by clergy and lay people who had previously been members of the Anglican Catholic Church, a church which had itself been formed in response to various developments within the Anglican Communion. These included abortion rights, marital issues, the ordination of women, and changes to the theology of the traditional Book of Common Prayer. The UECNA is considered to be part of the Continuing Anglican movement and does not consider itself to be a Protestant denomination, or part of the American fundamentalist movement, [2] but rather a continuation of the ancient Christian church. The UECNA describes itself as orthodox, catholic and evangelical in scope, "embracing the broad base of ceremonial practice inherent in the Historic Anglican Communion - The Anglican Catholic Episcopal Tradition." The United Episcopal Church of North America uses the 1928 Book of Common Prayer,
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History
Main article: History of the Church of England See also: English Reformation
Founding of the UECNA
Bishop Charles D. D. Doren is considered the founder of the UECNA, which he began in 1981 after leaving the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC) along with three of its parishes to found the UECNA as a home for Anglicans of the Low Church tradition. Today the UECNA has reconciled with the ACC and, as of 2007, has an intercommunion agreement with the ACC. [3] The ACC and the Anglican Province of Christ the King, another early Continuing Anglican jurisdiction, have always considered the consecrations in Denver to represent the continuing line of authentic Anglicanism in North America. The Episcopal Church in the USA (TEC) has been considered by Continuing Anglicans to have "departed from Christ's One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church" when it approved the ordination of women. Today the UECNA has approximately 29 parishes and mission projects located in 15 states including: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Virginia and Wisconsin. [4]
Intercommunion agreements
See: Anglicanism The UECNA has effected intercommunion agreements with a number of other Continuing Anglican churches. Included are:
The presiding bishop of the Anglican Province of Christ the King, responding to the ACC-UECNA intercommunion agreement, has extended his support and approval, although there is as yet no formal intercommunion agreement between the APCK and either the ACC or UECNA. [5]
The UECNA and the Anglican Province of America ceased intercommunion after the APA sought similar agreements with the Reformed Episcopal Church.
Doctrine
Main article: Anglican doctrine
According to the Most Reverend Stephen C. Reber, the UECNA's archbishop: "As Anglicans, we then accept the components of the faith revealed; the Scriptures, Creeds, Councils, Sacraments, Worship, Ministry, and Tradition. We believe that all of the components are like strands of a rope; a unity which holds the church together. In this belief we share a Catholic ideal way of faith. The Reformation of the 16th century was the most comprehensive and far reaching effect to return the Christian faith to its legitimate roots of faith and practice. We accept the English Reformation as that which diligently sought the true sources of faith and discredited the many corruptions and distortions of the Middle Ages. Actually, the Articles of Religion found in the Prayer Book were written not as a statement of faith, but to deal with the above mentioned distortions and corruptions of the medieval church.
We do not, however, accept the theology of the Continental Reformation or its uncatholic effort which tried to discard the fundamental principles of the historic faith along with the abuses. We do not accept private innovations intruding into the Church’s teachings. We honor Luther, Calvin, Knox and others for their efforts to explain the faith, but do not accept them as having prophetic abilities to speak for God."
Explaining the UECNA's view of itself and its mission, the statement continues: "We do believe God has given us a special position as a “bridge church” — a bridge between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. We proclaim a living way of faith and worship that believes in every persons right to life, honor traditional marriage between a man a woman and practice financial policies that allow local ownership of local property (Church, parish house, etc). The United Episcopal Church of North America, while coming from the American arm of the Anglican Communion and having our apostolic succession from these bodies, does not belong to either of these organizations nor shares their extreme liberal views on morals and their abandonment of orthodoxy. We are a church truly catholic and evangelical in scope and embrace a broad base of ceremonial practice inherent in the Historic Anglican Tradition."[6]
Departures from the Episcopal Church of the United States
See: Recent controversies in the ECUSA
While the UECNA and the ECUSA share numerous doctrines, practices and core beliefs, the UECNA departs from the teachings of the Episcopal church and lists some of the following as examples of what it claims are TEC departures from the orthodox teachings of the church. The UECNA objects to the mainline Episcopal Church on the following issues:
- the acceptance and condoning of abortion on demand;[7]
- the influence of liberal theology and certain aspects of liberation theology;
- alterations in the theology of the traditional Book of Common Prayer (The UECNA rejects the 1979 version);
- the ECUSA's participation in political movements to such a degree that the UECNA claims that free people are denied the right or ability to defend themselves against tyrants;
- acceptance of ordained practicing homosexuals and/or women to the priesthood and office of the bishops.
The UECNA encourages women to actively participate in the church and allows both men and women to become professed members in its monastic order, the Order of St Benedict.
Past and present leaders of UECNA
- Bishop - C. David Dale Doren — First Bishop of the UECNA
- Bishop - Albion Knight
- Bishop - John C. Gramley
- Archbishop - Stephen C. Reber
National Counsel
The National Counsel is composed of The Most Reverend Stephen C. Reber, The Rt. Rev. Leo Michael,and ten members chosen from the clergy and laity.
Ordination and lay leadership
See: Episcopal polity The UECNA's leadership is divided among lay leaders and ordained ministers as follows:
Ordained levels
The UECNA has the following ordained positions [8]:
- Postulant - Is a student for Holy orders and must complete not less than one year of study consisting of Church History, Pastoral Work, Liturgics, Doctrine and Holy Scripture. He assists the local parish as a layreader in the offices of the church as called upon and allowed by the canons of the church.
- Diaconate - There are two types of deacons: perpetual and transitional. A transitional deacon is training for priesthood. Both serve at the pleasure of the Presiding Bishop. A transitional deacon can be called to assist other priests in the parish. Before priesthood the deacon must serve for not less than one year and complete a course of study.
- Priesthood - "The priest will take part in community activities and will actively evangelize the un-churched or the lost to become an active part of the Body of Christ."
- Archdeacon
- Bishop - Bishops are "assigned a Diocese consisting of a given number of parishes, and will provide regular oversight, counsel and guidance to those parishes. An Episcopal visit to each parish will be made not less than once a year and attendance at national counsels and meetings as called."
- Archbishop
Lay levels
- Layreader
- Warden or Senior Warden
The United Episcopal Church Women
The UECW is an official organization of women who serve the church body.
The Order of St. Benedict
See also: Order of St. Benedict (Anglican)
The church recognizes one monastic order, which is named the Order of St. Benedict. [9] The order uses a modified version of the Rule of St. Benedict.[10]
Membership is open to married or single men and women, over the age of 21, who are convicted that they are called to the religious life. The order has no established communities and does not establish communities, rather "[m]embers provide for their own living quarters and obtain their livelihood through secular or religious employment" The stages of development are:
- Postulant - one who has made application to the abbot, been accepted to the order, and awaits investiture as a novice.
- Novice - one who vows to a testing period of one year. These vows are taken in the presence of the abbot, or a priest appointed by the abbot.
- Professed Member - one who takes final vows of the order. These vows are taken in the presence of the Abbot.
See also
References
- ^ UECNA Parishes
- ^ Rt. Revered Leo Michael
- ^ Excerpts from the website of the UECNA
- ^ UECNA Parishes
- ^ http://www.anglicanpck.org/news/articles/acc_statement_july_10_2007.html ACC statement on Unity with response from APCK
- ^ Excerpt from the webpages of the UECNA, "About us" section
- ^ Episcopal Church Resolution 1994-A054 on abortion
- ^ UECNA ordination guide on-line
- ^ http://united-episcopal.org/anglican-osb/rule.html
- ^ Order of St. Benedict
