Statement of Faith
what Episcopalians believe
We believe there is One God who creates all things, redeems us from sin and death, and renews us as the Children of God. As Episcopalians, we promise to follow Jesus Christ as the Messiah. We believe the mission of our church is restoration of all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.
St. John’s Episcopal Church in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, is a part of a Christian denomination known as The Episcopal Church. We incorporate aspects of the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and Protestant traditions.
Along with other members of the global network of churches known as the Anglican Communion, we trace our historical roots to the Church of England, which was founded in the mid-sixteenth century as part of the larger movement to reform European Christianity.
A metaphor for our view of faith is sometimes called the three-legged stool. We use (1) scripture, (2) tradition, and (3) reason to interpret what we believe about God and the movement Jesus started to spread God’s message of love and reconciliation.
For a good summary of what Episcopalians believe, check out this link to the educational section of our Book of Common Prayer.