Glossary of Terms

Apostles
The literal definition of “apostle” is a special messenger, delegate, one commissioned for a particular task or role or one sent forth with a message. In first century, Jesus called 12 men from among His disciples to serve as His representatives; the role is associated with the office of bishop today although a leader can fulfill an apostolic ministry without being a bishop. The office of apostle is understood as God’s anointing for extending the kingdom of God, breaking in new territory and overseeing larger sections of the Body of Christ.

Apostolic Succession
Apostolic Succession in the broadest and most basic sense refers to passing along the Faith and Fellowship of the Apostles in the life of the Church. This succession is carried on through a variety of means. The Scripture, historic Creeds, Sacraments, and the lineage of Bishops, Priests and Deacons all assist the Church to pass on the Apostolic Faith and Life.

Sometimes people refer to Bishops as being in Apostolic Succession. This means being in an unbroken line of consecration from the time of the early undivided Church. This speaks of continuity in ministerial order, but it is important to keep in mind that this refers only to those who are truly faithful in apostolic succession, that is believe and teach the Faith of the Apostles and seek to fulfill the Great Commission.

Baptism
Baptism is the sacrament by which God adopts us as his children and makes us members of Christ's Body, the Church, and inheritors of the kingdom of God .

Catholic (small 'c')
The literal meaning of the word “catholic” is “universal” and refers to the Christian Church and traditional Christian teaching which has been upheld “in all times and places.” Used in lower case, it does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church The Nicene Creed affirms that Christians are members of “one holy catholic and apostolic church."

Charismatic
The tradition within Christianity that emphasizes the power of the Holy Spirit, including the manifestations of the Spirit as demonstrated in the first century Church, described in Scripture and experienced throughout church history.

Creeds
The Christian Church recognizes two major creeds—the Nicene and Apostles—as statements of belief which were upheld as authoritative by church councils of the first centuries of the church.

Disciple, Discipleship
A Christian disciple is one who believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and is dedicated to living in obedience to His Word (as found in Scripture). Discipleship is the act of learning to live out one’s faith, and the church is called to mentor and guide new believers in the journey of discipleship.

Evangelical
The evangelical tradition within Christianity emphasizes the authority of Scripture, the proclamation of the Gospel, the need for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, evangelism and outreach/missions.

Evangelism
Evangelism is the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ, a proclamation empowered by the Holy Spirit such that others believe in Him as Savior and follow Him as Lord within the Christian Church.

Grace
Grace is a divine gift from God—unmerited and freely given as an act of love. In the Christian faith, “grace” refers particularly to God’s gift of salvation through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ but also refers to the acts of love God pours out on His people.

Great Commandments and Great Commission—(GC) ²
Jesus’ mission to His church is two-fold. First, He commands those in the Church to love the Lord with all of your heart and to love all others as you love yourself (Great Commandments). Additionally, He commands us to go into the world, proclaiming His message of salvation, baptizing new believers and teaching them to obey all He has taught.

Holy Orders
In the Anglican tradition, the church recognizes three “orders”—bishops, priest and deacon who are set aside for ordained ministry. The offices of bishops, priests and deacons are outlined in Scripture and formally established in the early Church. These ancient orders were retained as an expression of continuity with the historic Church.

Lay person (laity)
A lay person is a member of the Christian community. All members are considered “ministers” but are not ordained into Holy Orders.

Liturgy
Liturgy is a form and expression of worship offered to God.

Ministers
The ministers of the church are those, lay and ordained, who serve God as his representatives or ambassadors in the world.

Sacraments
Sacraments are defined as “outward and visible signs of an inward spiritual grace” (gift) given by Christ. There are two chief Sacraments of the Gospel: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (also called Holy Eucharist or Holy Communion). These sacraments were instituted by Christ directly.

"Smells & Bells"
A playful description of a more formal worship style that may include incense, bells, candles and chimes

Thirty-nine Articles of Religion
The 39 Articles of Religion are the essential beliefs of the Anglican Church established by Convocation of the Church in 1563 based on an earlier set of articles of religion drafted by Thomas Cranmer. Cranmer served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1553 until his martyrdom in 1566. Along with Scripture and the ancient Christian Creeds, the Articles of Religion sum up Anglican beliefs.

Vestments
Vestments are the historic robes worn by members of the clergy during worship services and are rooted in the earliest Christian practice. Not all Anglican clergy dress alike—they have dressed differently at different times in history and in different places. Some clergy today dress just like the laity, adding only a stole worn during the celebration of the Sacraments to designate their role in the worship service.

Vestry
A vestry is the body of electedlay members who are responsible for overseeing the legal and financial matters of a church.

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