Why I Am Anglican - Part One

During this time of turmoil in the Anglican Communion I thought it would be worthwhile to share with my readers why I decided to become Anglican in the first place and why I choose to remain one. The journey from the independent Baptist faith of my childhood to the communion of the Church of England has been a very challenging one for me personally, and though I might have reached the destination the journey is not over. I do not think that it will be complete until I finally see Jesus as He really is, and I think the same can be said of most Christian pilgrimages.

The first thing that drew me towards Anglicanism was the liturgy. During my time in the Baptist faith I had no experience with the liturgy. The services were all centered around the songs and the sermon (which was usually anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour in length). It was almost like I was a spectator rather than a participant in the service since I spent a great deal of time calmly sitting in the pew while listening to 'special songs' and long-winded preachers. I should add that this was not typical of the more mainstream Southern Baptist churches I attended later as an adult, but I never quite got over the 'worship as spectator sport' perception that formed in my mind as a child. So for these and other reasons I began my search for a different way of experiencing God.

My first experience with the liturgy was in the Methodist Church. Those of you who are church history buffs know that the Methodist movement originally started within the Church of England, so many of the elements of Anglicanism can be found in Methodism. During my first few visits to Methodist services I heard the Apostles Creed and the Eucharistic liturgy, and for the first time I felt like I was a participant in the service rather than a bystander. It was there that I first felt a real draw to the liturgy and knew what it was that I had been missing all that time. I will always be grateful for the time I spent in the Methodist Church and my experiences there still influence me to this very day.

I spent over a year there and experienced the flow of the liturgy over the course of the yearly church cycle. When our pastor left for another assignment we left the church to find another one closer to home and decided to attend an Episcopal church. When I encountered the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) for the first time I knew right then that the liturgy was how I most fully experienced God. The BCP was rich with Scriptural references and the prayers of famous saints written hundreds (or even thousands) of years before. When I recited the Nicene Creed and these historic prayers along with everyone else I felt a real sense of connection to the ancient Church that I had not experienced before.

After being confirmed a few months later I eventually became a lector (lay reader) and enjoy that very much. The fact that the liturgy is all organized around the Eucharist is very important to me as I believe now that is the ultimate act of worship. During the Eucharistic Prayer we draw near to God as He draws near to us in His sacraments. The Daily Office is also a rich source of prayer and has been a comfort to me when I have used it.

My wife jokes now that I am a liturgical snob, and I do tend to agree with her for the most part. I think God designs us all with affinities for different modes of worship, and it just took me a while to find my particular one. Maybe some of you have had similar experiences in your own churches. Feel free to share if you have!

This is the first in a multi-part series so check back for more!