The Story of Anglicanism
The story of Anglicanism begins with the Christian Church in England, and the spread of the gospel throughout the Roman Empire all the way to the British isles in the second century. The church established there grew and operated independently from the wider Christian world for several centuries. By the sixth century, however, the principle of unity in the church in England shifted from the deposit of faith found in the Holy Scriptures and safeguarded by the Church, to a unity centered in the ecclesiastical authority of Rome. Throughout the Medieval period the Church of England maintained its unity by these means. ​​
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At the time of the Reformation the Church of England decisively reformed herself according to the Word of God. The Church restored its earlier principle of unity through a common affirmation of orthodoxy found in the Holy Scriptures and given newly clarified definition in the Book of Common Prayer, the Ordinal, and the 39 Articles. During this era and down to the present day, the Church in England has also been supported and protected by the monarch who constitutes the boundaries of her unity in the realm of England.​
​​Meanwhile, between the sixteenth century and today global Anglicanism has become a worldwide communion of autonomous national churches. The independence of these churches from England means that communion can no longer preserved by the principle of unity found in the geography of England and its monarch; neither can the communion hold together through an ambiguous “Anglican” way of approaching spiritual life. Other principles of unity in this vein have been offered in the twentieth century: Bonds of affection, Instruments of Unity, and liturgical ethos. All have failed to produce the sort of accountability needed for faithfulness to the gospel message.
We believe that the future of Anglicanism will only be assured through a confident adherence to the unity found in the Holy Scriptures- the only infallible rule of faith and practice- and in the Anglican formularies as a faithful representation of that message. This unity is fundamentally a theological unity, maintained by the Church as “a witness and keeper of Holy Writ” (Article XX). These Anglican formularies- the true character of the Anglicanism- are given in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, the Ordinal, and the 39 Articles. Having this inheritance in mind and heart, orthodox Anglicanism will grow with a sure foundation in “the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20).
St. Timothy’s Anglican Church- Marshall, TX, as a member of the Anglican Church in North America and GAFCON, is committed to the preservation and furtherance of this vision of Anglicanism, to the glory of God.