# Episcopal Church vs Anglican: What Is the Difference? > The Episcopal Church says it is the only U.S.-based member of the Anglican Communion, descended from the Church of England and established in 1785. Its constitution was adopted in 1789. The Anglican Church in North America is a separate province with its own constitution. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/anglican/episcopal-church-vs-anglican - Religions: Christianity - Denominations: Anglican - Beliefs: none - Tags: episcopal, anglican-communion, church-of-england - Updated: 2026-10-11 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) The Episcopal Church is one Anglican church, not a second religion. Its own page says it is the only U.S.-based member of the Anglican Communion, descended from the Church of England, and formally established in the United States in 1785. The Church of England is the older English church. The Anglican Church in North America is a separate province with its own constitution. This page quotes those churches. It does not decide which province a reader should join. The Articles of Religion are on [What Do Anglicans Believe?](/anglican/what-do-anglicans-believe). ## Key Points - [Who We Are](https://www.episcopalchurch.org/who-we-are/) [(1)](#ref-1), on the Episcopal Church’s site: “The Episcopal Church is the only U.S.-based member of the global Anglican Communion,” and “We are descended from the Church of England.” It was “formally established in the recently independent United States of America in 1785.” - The church’s [glossary](https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/constitution-and-canons/) [(2)](#ref-2) says the constitution “was first adopted by General Convention in 1789,” and that the canons are enacted by the General Convention. - The [Church of England’s history](https://www.churchofengland.org/about/history-church-england) [(4)](#ref-4) says that until the Reformation the Church of England accepted the authority of the Pope, and that the policy of submission to papal authority under Mary Tudor “was reversed when Elizabeth I became Queen in 1558.” - The same history page says the Church of England is both “catholic and reformed.” - The [Anglican Church in North America](https://anglicanchurch.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ACNA-CC-RATIFIED-2026-06-25.pdf) [(5)](#ref-5) constitution, Article I, confesses Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and receives the 1662 Book of Common Prayer and the Thirty-Nine Articles of 1571. The preamble says the province was called for by primates gathered at Jerusalem in June 2008. - [What We Believe](https://www.episcopalchurch.org/who-we-are/what-we-believe/) [(3)](#ref-3) confesses the Holy Trinity and recognizes baptism and Eucharist as the two sacraments Christ gave. [What Do Anglicans Believe?](/anglican/what-do-anglicans-believe) quotes Article XXV on those two as sacraments of the Gospel. ## Is the Episcopal Church Anglican? [Who We Are](https://www.episcopalchurch.org/who-we-are/) [(1)](#ref-1): > The Episcopal Church is the only U.S.-based member of the global Anglican Communion, which is the world’s third-largest group of Christians. We are descended from the Church of England and seek to bring the rich traditions of Anglican theology and practice into conversation with new knowledge, which we understand to be a blessing from the Holy Spirit. Anglican, on that page, is the Communion and the theology the Episcopal Church says it descends from. Episcopal is the name of this church in the United States. The page does not say the two words are synonyms for every body that uses them. The [Anglican shelf](/anglican) on this site holds churches called Episcopal and the Church of England together, and it lists each body’s own doctrine pages. The same page says the church “was formally established in the recently independent United States of America in 1785.” The glossary says the constitution “was first adopted by General Convention in 1789. The canons of The Episcopal Church are enacted by the General Convention.” [(2)](#ref-2) A sentence that prints the 1789 text itself was not on the glossary page. The glossary describes the volume. The constitution and canons are published as a separate volume after each General Convention. ## The Church of England The Church of England’s history page says a mission sent by Pope Gregory the Great, led by Augustine of Canterbury, landed in Kent in 597. It says that until the Reformation in the sixteenth century, “the Church of England accepted the authority of the Pope.” The catalyst it names for the break is “the Pope’s refusal to annul the marriage of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon,” and a Tudor belief that authority over the English church belonged to the English monarchy. [(4)](#ref-4) It says that in the reign of Mary Tudor the Church of England again submitted to papal authority, and that “this policy was reversed when Elizabeth I became Queen in 1558.” The settlement “gave the Church of England the distinctive identity that it still has today.” The page’s own phrase for the result is that the Church of England is both “catholic and reformed.” Those sentences are about the Church of England, not about a church founded in 1785. [What Do Anglicans Believe?](/anglican/what-do-anglicans-believe) quotes the Articles of 1571, including Article I on the Trinity and Article XIX. [Article XIX](https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/book-common-prayer/articles-religion) [(6)](#ref-6) says: “As the Church of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch, have erred; so also the Church of Rome hath erred, not only in their living and manner of Ceremonies, but also in matters of Faith.” “Erred” is the Article’s word. [Who Started the Catholic Church?](/christianity/who-started-the-catholic-church) is the Catholic account. This page does not rank them. ## The Anglican Church in North America The Anglican Church in North America publishes its own constitution. The file quoted here was ratified by the inaugural provincial assembly in June 2009 and amended in June 2026. The preamble says: “We are Anglicans in North America united by our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the trustworthiness of the Holy Scriptures.” It says, “We are grieved by the current state of brokenness within the Anglican Communion prompted by those who have embraced erroneous teaching and who have rejected a repeated call to repentance.” “Erroneous teaching” is the constitution’s phrase. The preamble does not name a topic under that phrase in the sentences quoted here. It says primates of the Anglican Communion gathered at Jerusalem in June 2008 and called on them “to establish a new Province in North America.” [(5)](#ref-5) Article I, “Fundamental Declarations of the Province,” says the province is “a part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of Christ,” and “we believe and confess Jesus Christ to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no one comes to the Father but by Him.” It then names seven elements “essential for membership.” The first confesses “the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments to be the inspired Word of God, containing all things necessary for salvation.” The second confesses “Baptism and the Supper of the Lord to be Sacraments ordained by Christ Himself in the Gospel.” The sixth receives “The Book of Common Prayer as set forth by the Church of England in 1662” as a standard for doctrine, discipline, and worship. The seventh receives “the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion of 1571, taken in their literal and grammatical sense.” That constitution is not the Episcopal Church’s 1789 constitution. The Episcopal page says the Episcopal Church is the U.S.-based member of the Anglican Communion. The ACNA preamble describes a new province called for in 2008. The [Anglican shelf](/anglican) links both churches’ own documents. [What Do Anglicans Believe?](/anglican/what-do-anglicans-believe) is the Articles the ACNA constitution says it receives. ## What They Confess in Common [What We Believe](https://www.episcopalchurch.org/who-we-are/what-we-believe/) [(3)](#ref-3): > We believe in the God whom Christians name the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, the three in one. The same page says God was fully present in human form in Jesus of Nazareth, that Jesus was raised from the dead after being crucified, and that the Scriptures, interpreted through reason and tradition, provide their foundation. It says they recognize baptism and Eucharist as the two sacraments Christ gave the church. Article XXV, quoted on [What Do Anglicans Believe?](/anglican/what-do-anglicans-believe), says baptism and the Supper are the sacraments of the Gospel. The ACNA Article I says the same two were ordained by Christ. [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) [What Is the Deity of Christ?](/christianity/deity-of-christ) The comparison with the Catholic Church on the pope, the number of sacraments, and transubstantiation is [What Do Anglicans Believe?](/anglican/what-do-anglicans-believe) and [Catholic vs Protestant](/christianity/catholic-vs-protestant). Those pages quote both sides and do not pick a side. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Are Episcopal and Anglican the Same Thing? The Episcopal Church’s page says it is the U.S.-based member of the Anglican Communion and that it is descended from the Church of England. Anglican on that page is the wider Communion. Episcopal is this church’s name. The Church of England and the Anglican Church in North America use Anglican and are not the Episcopal Church. ### What Is the Difference Between the Episcopal Church and the Church of England? The Church of England’s history runs through the mission of 597, the break in the Reformation, and Elizabeth I in 1558. The Episcopal Church’s page dates its formal establishment in the United States to 1785 and its constitution to 1789, and it says the church is descended from the Church of England. ### Is the Episcopal Church Part of the Anglican Communion? Its own page says it is “the only U.S.-based member of the global Anglican Communion.” The ACNA constitution describes a province called for in 2008. This page does not add a membership roll beyond those sentences. ### What Do Episcopalians Believe? [What We Believe](https://www.episcopalchurch.org/who-we-are/what-we-believe/) [(3)](#ref-3) confesses the Trinity, the incarnation, and the resurrection, and it names baptism and Eucharist as the two sacraments Christ gave. The Articles of Religion are the Church of England text [What Do Anglicans Believe?](/anglican/what-do-anglicans-believe) quotes. The ACNA constitution says it receives those Articles “in their literal and grammatical sense.” ## The Churches on This Site - [Anglican](/anglican) - [Christianity](/christianity) - [What Do Anglicans Believe?](/anglican/what-do-anglicans-believe) - [Catholic vs Protestant](/christianity/catholic-vs-protestant) - [What Is Transubstantiation?](/christianity/what-is-transubstantiation) - [Common Arguments](/common-arguments#episcopal-church-vs-anglican) ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [Who We Are](https://www.episcopalchurch.org/who-we-are/) (The Episcopal Church. The only U.S.-based member of the Anglican Communion, descended from the Church of England, established in 1785.) 2. [Constitution and Canons, Glossary](https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/constitution-and-canons/) (The Episcopal Church’s glossary. The constitution was first adopted by General Convention in 1789.) 3. [What We Believe](https://www.episcopalchurch.org/who-we-are/what-we-believe/) (The Episcopal Church. The Trinity, and baptism and Eucharist as the two sacraments Christ gave.) 4. [History of the Church of England](https://www.churchofengland.org/about/history-church-england) (Church of England. The English church accepted the pope until the Reformation. Elizabeth I became queen in 1558.) 5. [Constitution and Canons, Article I](https://anglicanchurch.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ACNA-CC-RATIFIED-2026-06-25.pdf) (Anglican Church in North America. Constitution ratified in 2009 and amended in 2026. Article I is the fundamental declarations.) 6. [Articles of Religion, Article XIX](https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/book-common-prayer/articles-religion) (Church of England. Quoted at length on What Do Anglicans Believe?) ## See Also - [Can Eastern Orthodox Priests Marry?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/can-eastern-orthodox-priests-marry) — An Orthodox clergy answer says a married man may be ordained deacon or priest, once, and may not marry after ordination. The OCA’s Trullo essay says bishops are celibate. Catholic Canon 277 binds clerics to celibacy. Anglican Article XXXII says priests may marry. - [Can You Lose Your Salvation? What Each Church Teaches About "Once Saved, Always Saved"](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/once-saved-always-saved) — Can a Christian lose salvation? Official teaching from Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, and other churches, with the King James verses each side cites. - [Catholic vs Protestant: What's the Difference?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/catholic-vs-protestant) — Catholics are Christians. The difference is authority, justification, the sacraments, Mary and the saints, purgatory, and the pope, in each church’s own words. - [Do Catholics Believe Mary Was Sinless?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/do-catholics-believe-mary-was-sinless) — Ineffabilis Deus in 1854 defines Mary as preserved from original sin at her conception. The Catechism adds that she remained free of every personal sin. An Orthodox clergy answer calls that definition foreign. Augsburg and Article IX speak of original sin in everyone naturally born. - [Eastern Orthodox vs Protestant: What's the Difference?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/eastern-orthodox-vs-protestant) — Both confess the Nicene faith. Their texts differ on Scripture and Tradition, justification, Mary and the saints, icons, and the filioque.