Church of the Advent is an Anglican church affiliated with the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA).  Historically, this means our church is connected to the Church of England.  However, many of us come from a wide variety of denominational and spiritual backgrounds. Many Adventers were never Anglican before they came to Advent, but have found Anglicanism to be a vibrant, rooted, warm, rich, and even healing way of following Jesus. People from various backgrounds find their home at Advent because we embrace a “three streams” approach to worship. We believe this approach encourages humility, maturity, and a healthy appreciation for diversity.

The Evangelical Stream

When we say that we are “evangelical,” we mean that we take seriously God’s command that his people speak about and embody faith in Jesus and life in his Kingdom. We preach and teach from the Bible because we believe it is the inspired word of God, and our desire is for all people to enter into a saving relationship with Jesus. We root all that we do in Scripture.

The Charismatic Stream

When we say that we are “charismatic,” we mean that we believe God is present and active among His people – working through His Spirit to unveil the glory of God’s kingdom among his people. We anticipate the dynamic work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church for the conviction of sin, the illumination of truth, and the restoration of all things. Through the Spirit, God renews his people and enables us to engage the world in creative and life-changing ways. We continually seek to be filled with and guided by the Spirit in all we do.  

The Liturgical Stream

When we say that we are “liturgical,” we mean that we value the wisdom of historic tradition, the weekly celebration of communion, the rhythms of the church calendar, the consistent, formative, and communal nature of liturgical worship, and our connection to the global Church. The traditions of the Church provide stability and inspire humility as we recognize that there is more to what God is doing in the world than relatively modern trends.   

ANGLICAN BELIEFS

Four core beliefs unite Anglicans. They are:

• The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as “containing all things necessary to salvation,” and as being the rule and ultimate standard of faith.

• The Creeds (specifically the Apostles‘ and Nicene Creeds) as sufficient statements of Christian faith.

• The two sacraments ordained by Christ himself – Baptism and Holy Communion.

• The ministry of the historic episcopate (Greek New Testament word: episcopos = bishop, overseer). In other words, all Anglican churches are led by bishops.

Church of the Advent stands in the mainstream of orthodox Christianity and historical Anglicanism.  Historically, these beliefs were expressed through the 39 Articles.  A modern summary of these beliefs that captures their significance for our world can be found in the Jerusalem Declaration. 

Some have described Anglican theology as a “generous orthodoxy” providing a degree of “freedom within fences.” Anglican theology does rigorously uphold orthodox Christian belief—which provides a safe and charitable space for those who are processing the complex questions of modern life. 

If you would like a short and accessible introduction to the Anglican Way, we recommend the book by that name by Thomas McKenzie. Check it out here.