Episcopal vs. Anglican

If you’re searching for an Anglican church in the United States, you may find yourself puzzled. Two church bodies—the Episcopal Church (TEC) and the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)—often look nearly identical from the outside. Both use the Book of Common Prayer, both have bishops, and both worship with liturgy and vestments. Yet their beliefs differ in several important ways.

Historically established after the Revolutionary War, The Episcopal Church is the oldest Anglican presence in the U.S., consecrated via the Scottish Episcopal Church. Today, this denomination has largely moved away from its historic roots, becoming a standard-bearer for progressive theology and liberal moral stances within the American religious landscape. The Episcopal Church was officially disciplined by the Anglican Communion’s leaders in 2016 due to its decision to allow same-sex marriage rites within the church and was suspended from representing the Communion on ecumenical or interfaith bodies for several years.

The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) was established in 2009 by conservative bishops who departed from TEC to maintain adherence to historic Christian teaching concerning Scripture, marriage, and gender. The ACNA is a key figure in the global Anglican realignment, and a majority of Anglican provinces have expressed a desire to see the ACNA supplant The Episcopal Church as the official representative of North American Anglicanism because of its commitment to traditional biblical morality.

At a Glance: The Cheat Sheet

Topic	The Episcopal Church (TEC)	Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)
Marriage	Gender-neutral; performs same-sex marriages.	Traditional; marriage between one man and one woman.
Ordination	Ordains men, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals to all orders, including bishops.	Ordains men to all orders; some dioceses ordain women as priests or deacons; no women bishops.
Liturgy	Primarily uses the 1979 BCP with modern language.	Uses the 2019 BCP (and often 1662/1928); more traditional language.
Sanctity of Life	Generally pro-choice; emphasizes individual conscience.	Explicitly pro-life; affirms the sanctity of life from conception.
Global Ties	The official U.S. Anglican Communion province.	In communion with GAFCON and the Global South; not formally recognized by Canterbury.

Who Is the “Real” Anglican Church?

TEC is the only U.S. church officially recognized by Canterbury. The ACNA, however, is recognized by most of the world’s Anglicans through GAFCON and the Global South. For many, Anglican identity is defined more by doctrine than by institutional ties.

It is important to note that individual parishes or priests within both denominations may hold views that lean toward the other side of the theological spectrum, creating a degree of “local church variation” within the larger bodies.