The Episcopal Church

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The Church of the Good Shepherd is part of The Episcopal Church USA, an inclusive and affirming branch of Christianity that welcomes everyone regardless of race, class, age, gender, sexuality, or marital status. The Church of the Good Shepherd is parish of The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, which is part of Province IV of the national Episcopal Church. Our diocese is made up of over 100 congregations and campus ministries across the central part of NC. We are led by a diocesan bishop. Visit the diocesan website for more information.

The liturgical year of the Episcopal Church begins on the first Sunday of Advent, and moves through the seasons of Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and into Ordinary Time. These seasons reflect the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the birth of the church. This cyclical organization of time allows us to live into the story of our redemption through Christ year after year.

At the center of Episcopal teaching is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is fully human and fully divine, and who provides for us the way to eternal life. Our beliefs surrounding this holy mystery are expressed most succinctly in our baptismal covenant, which is a statement of faith and declaration of vows that every Christian makes at the time of baptism, and that we are called to renew each time we are present at the baptism of others.

In the Episcopal Church, women are of equal worth and dignity with men and have full access to all orders of ministry including ordained priesthood and the office of bishop. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons are also full and equal members of our church, with access to the sacraments of ordination and holy matrimony.

A Middle Way

Drawing equally on Scripture, Tradition, and Reason as our threefold basis for theological understanding, the Episcopal Church is often referred to as the via media or "middle way" between tradition-based Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, Scripture-oriented Protestant denominations, and experience-driven charismatic and Pentecostal communities.

Our members come from a variety of faith backgrounds, bringing with them a diverse range of theological ideas, spiritual experiences, and Biblical understandings. What binds us together is our shared love of God in Jesus Christ, and our common worship as outlined in the Book of Common Prayer.

Faith Through Practice

The Episcopal Church follows the early Christian principle of lex orandi, lex cretendi, which means "the law of praying shapes the law of believing." In other words, our beliefs are shaped by our spiritual practices and devotional prayers. This is in keeping with the earliest Christians, who established and maintained their common liturgical traditions several centuries before defining doctrines, composing creeds, or deciding which writings would be considered part of the Biblical canon.

Rather than coming together around a set of theological doctrines or "belief statements," the Episcopal Church follows an embodied and lived faith that, like the early Christians, is expressed primarily in liturgical practices and prayerful participation in the world.

The Jesus Movement

The Episcopal Church understands itself to be one branch of the "The Jesus Movement," a movement of faithful people from many denominations all over the world who are committed to following Jesus into loving, liberating, and life-giving relationships with God, with one another, and with all of creation. We participate in this movement by seeking every day to love God with our whole heart, mind, and soul, and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40).

The term "Episcopal" means "bishop," and reflects that we are a church guided by bishops whose spiritual authority stretches all the way back to the days of the apostles. Each bishop leads a geographic collection of churches and congregations called a diocese.

The national Episcopal Church is governed during General Convention, which is held every three years and is made up of bishops, clergy, and lay representatives from every diocese, all of whom vote on important issues. Overseeing the House of Bishops, and serving as the public face of our national Episcopal Church, is the presiding bishop, The Most Rev. Michael Curry, who was formerly a bishop of our diocese.

The Episcopal Church is also part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which connects us with congregations all over the world who are bound together through common prayer. To learn more about our denomination and how it functions, visit our Beliefs page, or stop by Episcopal 101 class on Sundays after church.