What is "church of england"

Church \Church\ (ch[^u]rch), n. [OE. chirche, chireche, cherche, Scot. kirk, from AS. circe, cyrice; akin to D. kerk, Icel. kirkja, Sw. kyrka, Dan. kirke, G. kirche, OHG. chirihha; all fr. Gr. kyriako`n the Lord's house, fr. kyriako`s concerning a master or lord, fr. ky`rios master, lord, fr. ky^ros power, might; akin to Skr. [,c][=u]ra hero, Zend. [,c]ura strong, OIr. caur, cur, hero. Cf. Kirk.]

1. A building set apart for Christian worship.

2. A Jewish or heathen temple. [Obs.]
   --Acts xix. 37.

3. A formally organized body of Christian believers worshiping together. ``When they had ordained them elders in every church.''
   --Acts xiv. 23.

4. A body of Christian believers, holding the same creed, observing the same rites, and acknowledging the same ecclesiastical authority; a denomination; as, the Roman Catholic church; the Presbyterian church.

5. The collective body of Christians.

6. Any body of worshipers; as, the Jewish church; the church of Brahm.

7. The aggregate of religious influences in a community; ecclesiastical influence, authority, etc.; as, to array the power of the church against some moral evil.

   Remember that both church and state are properly the rulers of the people, only because they are their benefactors.
   --Bulwer.

   Note: Church is often used in composition to denote something belonging or relating to the church; as, church authority; church history; church member; church music, etc.

   Apostolic church. See under Apostolic.

   Broad church. See Broad Church.

   Catholic church or Universal church, the whole body of believers in Christ throughout the world.

   Church of England, or English church, the Episcopal church established and endowed in England by law.

   Church living, a benefice in an established church.

   Church militant. See under Militant.

   Church owl (Zo["o]l.), the white owl. See Barn owl.

   Church rate, a tax levied on parishioners for the maintenance of the church and its services.

   Church session. See under Session.

   Church triumphant. See under Triumphant.

   Church work, work on, or in behalf of, a church; the work of a particular church for the spread of religion.

   Established church, the church maintained by the civil authority; a state church.

The Church of England (Continuing) is part of the Continuing Anglican Movement. The church was founded in England on 10 February 1994 at a meeting chaired by David Samuel held at St Mary's, Castle Street, Reading, in reaction to the use of the Alternative Service Book and to the ordination of women. The church holds to the unmodified Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion of the Church of England and to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer which alone is used by its parishes for worship.

Although the church was widely discussed in Anglican circles at the time of its founding, it has not achieved significant growth since that time.

Four congregations are listed by the church as of 2013:

• St Mary's Church, Castle Street, Reading, Berkshire - minister, Edward J. Malcolm
• St John's Church, Colliers Wood, London, minister - Peter Ratcliff
• St Silas' Church, Wolverhampton
• Holy Trinity Church, Frinton-on-Sea, lay minister, Philip Lievesley

The first bishop of the church was David Samuel, now retired and assistant bishop. He was succeeded by Edward Malcolm, minister of St Silas' Wolverhampton, who died on 17 November 2013. The current presiding bishop is Edward J. Malcolm, minister of St Mary's, Reading. In addition, John Shearer serves as a freelance minister and there are several lay readers and preachers.

The episcopal succession of the church is from the mother Church of England through the following lineage of bishops:

John Moore, Archbishop of Canterbury, who consecrated (4 February 1787) William White, who consecrated (31 October 1832) John Henry Hopkins, who consecrated (1 May 1867) Daniel S. Tuttle, who consecrated (6 June 1911) James De Wolf Perry, who consecrated (14 October 1930) Henry Knox Sherrill, who consecrated (5 April 1951) Arthur C. Lichtenberger, who consecrated (1 October 1962) Albert A. Chambers, who consecrated (28 January 1978) Charles Doren, who consecrated (2 June 1984) Albion Knight, who consecrated (11 June 1995) David Samuel, who consecrated (13 September 1998) Edward Malcolm. David Samuel also consecrated (23 November 2013) Edward J. Malcolm.

The church holds an annual conference at Benson, Oxfordshire.

Since 2008 the church has regularly exhibited at the Christian Resources Exhibition at Esher, Surrey and elsewhere in England.

The church publishes a magazine called The Journal as well as other literature and books.

The Church of England is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church has both liberal and conservative clergy and members.

The church dates its establishment to the 6th-century Gregorian mission in Kent led by Augustine of Canterbury. The English church renounced papal authority when Henry VIII sought to secure an annulment from Catherine of Aragon in the 1530s. The English Reformation accelerated under Edward VI's regents before a brief restoration of Catholicism under Queen Mary I and King Philip. The Act of Supremacy 1558 renewed the breach and the Elizabethan Settlement charted a course whereby the English church was to be both Catholic and Reformed:

• Catholic in that it views itself as a part of the universal church of Jesus Christ in unbroken continuity with the early apostolic church. This is expressed in its emphasis on the teachings of the early Church Fathers, as formalised in the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian creeds.
• Reformed in that it has been shaped by some of the doctrinal principles of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation, in particular in the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion and the Book of Common Prayer.

In the earlier phase of the English Reformation there were Catholic martyrs but some radical Protestants were martyred as well. The later phases saw the Penal Laws punish both Catholic and nonconforming Protestants. In the 17th century, political and religious disputes raised the Puritan and Presbyterian faction to control of the church, but this ended with the Restoration. Papal recognition of George III in 1766 led to greater religious tolerance.

Since the English Reformation, the Church of England has used a liturgy in English. The church contains several doctrinal strands, the main three known as Anglo-Catholic, Evangelical and Broad Church. Tensions between theological conservatives and progressives find expression in debates over the ordination of women and homosexuality.

The governing structure of the church is based on dioceses, each presided over by a bishop. Within each diocese are local parishes. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the Primate of All England, leading the Church of England and acting as a focus of unity for the wider Anglican Communion. The Supreme Governor of the Church of England is the British monarch, currently Elizabeth II, whose role is largely ceremonial. The General Synod of the Church of England is the legislative body for the church and comprises bishops, other clergy and laity. Its measures must be approved by both Houses of Parliament.