Church History · 1789

The Episcopal Church in the United States

After the American Revolution, Anglicans in the new United States could no longer answer to the king of England. In 1789 they met in Philadelphia, adopted a constitution and a new prayer book, and became the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.

Read it in the Bible: Ephesians 4:4-6 John 17:20-21 1 Timothy 3:1-7

The Episcopal Church was formally organized in Philadelphia in 1789. Before the American Revolution, the colonies had Church of England parishes, but their priests swore loyalty to the British king and had no bishop on American soil. When the war ended, those churches needed a new home. At a General Convention in 1789, they adopted a constitution and an American Book of Common Prayer and became the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It kept the worship and faith of the Church of England while cutting the political tie to the crown.

Why Did American Anglicans Need a New Church?

For about 170 years, the Church of England was the main church in Virginia and several other colonies. Yet there was never a bishop in America. A young man who wanted to become a priest had to sail to London to be ordained. That trip was long, costly and sometimes deadly.

The Revolution made things worse. Church of England clergy took an oath to the king, and many of them were Loyalists who left for Canada or England. Others joined the patriots. George Washington was a vestryman in his Virginia parish, and many leaders of the new nation were Anglicans. After the war, Virginia ended its official church in 1786, and parishes lost their tax support. The church was weak, scattered and without a leader.

Who Was Samuel Seabury, the First American Bishop?

A church with "Episcopal" in its name needs bishops. The word comes from the Greek episkopos, which means overseer and is translated bishop in the New Testament. So in 1783 the clergy of Connecticut chose Samuel Seabury to be their bishop and sent him to England.

There was one problem. English bishops could not consecrate him unless he swore loyalty to the king, and Seabury was now an American citizen. He waited about a year with no answer. Then he went north to Scotland. The bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church took no oath to the British crown, and on November 14, 1784, they consecrated Seabury in Aberdeen. He became the first American bishop in the Anglican family.

Parliament soon changed the law. In 1787 English bishops consecrated William White as bishop of Pennsylvania and Samuel Provoost as bishop of New York. Now the American church had bishops from both the Scottish and English lines.

What Happened at the 1789 General Convention?

In 1789 clergy and lay leaders met in Philadelphia, the same city where the Constitution had been written two years before. The northern churches around Seabury and the middle and southern churches around White agreed to unite. The convention adopted a church constitution and the first American Book of Common Prayer.

The new prayer book was very close to the English one of 1662, with a few changes. Prayers for the king became prayers for the President and those in authority. The communion prayer followed the Scottish pattern, which Seabury had promised his Scottish consecrators he would encourage. Seabury was also formally recognized as a bishop of the united church at that convention.

The church set up a system that looks a lot like the new nation's government. It has a House of Bishops and a House of Deputies, where clergy and lay people vote. That balance of bishops, priests and ordinary members is still at the heart of Episcopal life.

What Do Episcopalians Believe?

Episcopalians belong to the Anglican tradition, which often calls itself a middle way between Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. They recite the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds, celebrate baptism and Holy Communion, and worship from the Book of Common Prayer. Anglicans often speak of three sources for faith: Scripture, tradition and reason, with Scripture first.

Worship follows the church year, with Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. Many parishes are formal and use robes, candles and set prayers. Others are simple. The prayer book puts a lot of the Bible into people's mouths every Sunday, which is one reason Anglicans have shaped English prayer for centuries.

The Episcopal Church Today

The Episcopal Church is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which formed its own fellowship of bishops in 1867. It usually goes by the short name The Episcopal Church. Its Washington National Cathedral hosts many national services.

In recent decades, disagreements over marriage and church teaching led some congregations to leave and form the Anglican Church in North America in 2009. Both groups trace their roots to the same story that began in 1789. You can read more on the Church of England page and the Anglican Communion page on this site.

Why It Matters for You Today

The birth of the Episcopal Church shows that the church can change its form without losing its faith. American Anglicans gave up a king but kept the creeds, the Scriptures and their prayers. That is a good reminder that Jesus, not any earthly ruler, is the head of His church.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:4 to 6

Whether your church has bishops, elders or a congregational vote, every believer shares that one Lord. The Episcopal story is one more chapter in how Christians found ways to stay faithful when the world around them changed.

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Questions People Ask

When was the Episcopal Church founded?

The Episcopal Church was formally organized at a General Convention in Philadelphia in 1789. Its roots go back to the first Church of England parish at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. The 1789 meeting made it an independent American church.

Why is it called the Episcopal Church?

Episcopal comes from the Greek word episkopos, which means overseer or bishop. The name tells you the church is led by bishops. Its full formal name is the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.

Who was the first Episcopal bishop in America?

Samuel Seabury of Connecticut was the first. English bishops would not consecrate him without an oath to the king, so Scottish bishops consecrated him in Aberdeen on November 14, 1784. William White and Samuel Provoost followed in 1787.

Is the Episcopal Church the same as the Church of England?

No, but they are close relatives. The Episcopal Church grew out of the Church of England and shares its prayer book tradition. Since 1789 it has governed itself, and it belongs to the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Sources

← John Wesley and the Methodists William Carey and the Modern Missions Movement →

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