Are you Anglican or Episcopalian?

Anglican vs. Episcopal: What’s the Difference?

Many people wonder about the difference between Anglican and Episcopal traditions. Whether you’re searching for “Anglican vs. Episcopal,” “Episcopal vs. Anglican,” or “What’s the difference between Anglicanism and Episcopalianism?”—you’re not alone. This guide will help you understand the key distinctions in history, theology, and church identity.

Are You Anglican or Episcopalian?

That’s a question I’ve had to answer myself. As a priest who transferred from a Continuing Anglican jurisdiction into the Reformed Episcopal Church, I’ve lived on both sides of this conversation.

So what’s the difference between Anglicans and Episcopalians?

In short: not much, and yet, quite a bit.

Like the terms Presbyterian and Reformed, Anglican and Episcopalian often overlap in meaning. One refers to a global tradition; the other to a particular ecclesiastical identity, especially within the American context. Let’s take a closer look.

Historical Origins: Anglicanism and Episcopalianism

The Church of England (aka the Anglican Church) traces its spiritual lineage to the early bishops of the British Isles and their Celtic Christian tradition and maintains continuity through the Reformation and into the Anglican presence in the American colonies.

The word “Anglican” comes from the Latin phrase Anglicana ecclesia libera sit (“the Anglican Church shall be free”) found in the Magna Carta of 1215. “Anglican” simply means “of the English,” and describes members of the Church of England and those in churches historically connected to it.

The term “Episcopal” comes from the Greek word episkopos—bishop or overseer. A church governed by bishops is said to have an episcopal polity. So, “Episcopal” refers to both a church structure and, in the American context, the name of a denomination.

How the Episcopal Church in America Was Born

Before the American Revolution, the Church of England was the established church in many colonies. However, after independence, Americans needed bishops of their own. In 1783, clergy sent Rev. Samuel Seabury to England for consecration—but English bishops required an oath of loyalty to the crown.

Unable to swear allegiance to King George III, Seabury turned instead to the Scottish Episcopal Church, which was part of the Anglican tradition and consecrated him bishop in 1784. This act established the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States (commonly known as simply ‘the Episcopal Church’), which would become the spiritual heir of Anglicanism in America—yet a distinct Anglican jurisdiction apart from the established Church of England.

The term “Episcopal” thus became synonymous with American Anglicanism, honoring Seabury’s lineage through the Scottish “Episcopal” non-jurors—bishops who refused to swear loyalty to the post-Reformation Scottish crown.

Bishop Samuel Seabury 17291796 key figure in the foundation of American Anglicanism

What Is the Reformed Episcopal Church?

Fast forward to the 19th century. The First Vatican Council fractures the Roman Communion and dissenting “Old Catholic” churches emerge independent from the Pope. This challenged this generation’s assumptions about the direction of the Reformation.

In 1856, William Augustus Muhlenberg (1797-1877) presented a Memorial (a formal petition) to the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. In it, he called for a loosening of what he saw as the Episcopal Church’s exclusiveness regarding denominational authority. Essentially, he suggested that the Episcopal Church should adopt a more apostolic approach to episcopacy, where the bishop could serve as a unifying figure for all evangelical Christians, not just those in the Episcopal or Anglican tradition. By doing so, the episcopacy could become a source of unity among different Protestant groups, promoting greater cooperation and fellowship.

Muhlenberg 17961877 Founder of Episcopal Schools Hospitals and Liturgical Renewa

It was in this cultural moment of crisis and change in the Roman Church that the Protestant vision for a unified Christendom was imagined in the hearts of men like Muhlenberg and George David Cummings (a retired Bishop of the Episcopal Church).

In 1873, Cummings helped found the Reformed Episcopal Church (REC)—a body committed to the historic Anglican formularies, the Thirty-Nine Articles, and the supremacy of Scripture. Since then, the REC has grown into a global Anglican jurisdiction with churches in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and across several continents.

Bishop George David Cummins 19th Century Founder of the Reformed Episcopal Church

Anglican Realignment and Continuing Churches

The Episcopal Church (TEC) continued to shift theologically in the 20th century, adopting liberal stances on issues such as women’s ordination, same-sex marriage, and revisions to the Book of Common Prayer. In response, many traditional Anglicans left TEC to form what are now called Continuing Anglican churches.

Some of these new bodies rejected the global Anglican Communion altogether. Others, like the REC, sought to preserve orthodoxy within the larger Anglican family. The REC entered into intercommunion with like-minded groups, including the Anglican Province of America, and later helped form broader alliances such as the Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas.

A Strategic Partnership: Nigeria and the REC

In 2005, the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the largest Anglican province with over 17 million members, entered into formal communion with the Reformed Episcopal Church. This move reflected shared theological convictions—especially in response to the Episcopal Church’s consecration of an openly gay bishop in 2003.

The Nigerian church traces its Anglican roots to Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the first African Anglican bishop, whose 19th-century missionary work laid the foundations for Nigeria’s vibrant Christian witness.

Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)

In 2009, the REC became a founding member of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)—a province uniting traditional Anglicans across the U.S., Canada, and beyond. ACNA includes over 1,000 congregations and represents a renewed effort to restore biblical faith, Anglican heritage, and missionary zeal.

Today, the ACNA is in full communion with several Global South Anglican provinces, including those in Uganda, Nigeria, South America, Southeast Asia, and Sudan. Its clergy orders have been recognized by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, affirming its continuity with historic Anglicanism.

Anglican vs. Episcopal Today

So, what’s the difference between Anglican and Episcopal?

Episcopal refers specifically to the American denomination that developed after the Revolution.
Anglican is a broader term describing the global communion of churches rooted in the English Reformation.
Theological and cultural differences now divide some Anglican bodies from the modern Episcopal Church, especially around Scripture, sacraments, and moral teaching.

Political Differences in Anglican Denominations?

The Episcopal Church is a progressive mainline denomination:

ordaining women and LGBTQ+ clergy
supporting same-sex marriage rites
supports access to abortion

The General Convention of the Episcopal Church has also passed various resolution supporting government action on gun control, climate change, and immigration reform.

The Anglican churches in the USA tend to be more theologically conservative, upholding traditional views on marriage, gender, and biblical authority. Although some diocese in the Anglican Church in North America have ordained female priests and deacons.

Steve Macias Anglican Priest and Classical Educator

Reformed Episcopal Priest. Rector at Saint Paul’s & Headmaster at Canterbury School.

See Full Bio

2 responses to “Are you Anglican or Episcopalian?”

charles bartlett

May 19, 2021

Hello Rev. Steve, As you know, vagante groups like FPEC and ECoE provide a historical and material connection between old-RE and today’s Anglican continuum. If you have a copy of Fenwick’s book on The Free Church of England, he briefly mentions the beginnings of these smaller movements. On pp. 121-122, 126 Fenwick touches upon Bp Alfred Richardson’s disaffection with repeatedly stalled talks between RE and FCoE,. Evidently, Bp Richardson then bypassed Price and Gregg for smaller (probably more radical) independents like Morgan’s Ancient British Church and J. Martin’s Ecclesia Nazarene. After gifting these men with the Episcopate, Morgan and Martin went on to form the FPEC. And, as we know, the FPEC provided the episcopate for early continuing groups like AECNA. In fact, St Luke’s was an early member of AEC, and you can still see ‘Anglican Episcopal’ on the entrance way where their church sign hangs. The other episcopal lineage comes from the ECoE, but this was a later split in 1920-1 from REC/FCE who already had the episcopate from Richardson’s original mission. The ECoE was led by Bp Leslie, and it’s relation to Clavier and Hamers is given in Bess’s history (upon the formation of the American Episcopal Church, aka. APA). Interestingly, when Sutton’s presbyterian church converted to Anglicanism, they first joined APA during the eithies, and this would develop into the RE-APA concordat, aka. FACA now G4. But Fenwick touches ECoE’s formation from FCE on p. 142. I know it’s slim pickings and a bit dizzying, but very little is known about these rather fluid vagante group, but Fenwick’s casual mention suggests these groups saw themselves continuing what RE-FCE had stumbled upon. I think Richardson was trying to side step personality conflict in the 1890’s. Sadly, the FPEC records from 1892 (perhaps earlier) to the death of the Primus, Moffat, in 1989 were carelessly destroyed by the Moffat’s beneficiaries. What little is know has been diligently kept by FPEC Bp Hockley. Anyway, there are real linkages between the REC and early Continuing Anglican church, but I tend to think much has been obscured by OP claims that’s sadly dominated the continuum since Falk’s Deerfield Beach fiasco.

Greg

August 25, 2021

Dear Fr Steve,

Thank you for this informative and very interesting blog.

If I may be so bold as to point out that when you wrote : “Out of the 70 million Anglicans worldwide, Nigeria has the largest Anglican population with over 17 million members” that those figures are now out of date as the global Anglican population now exceeds 110 million and the number of Anglicans in Nigeria is approaching 23 million.

Thank you again for a great blog and may God continue to bless your priestly ministry in the REC and your vocation as Headmaster too.

in Christ,
Greg