| Anglican Church n. The Church of England and the churches in other nations that are in complete agreement with it as to doctrine and discipline and are in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury. Also called Anglican Communion. |
The group of Christian churches historically based in the Church of England. Anglicans combine Catholic and Protestant elements in their teaching, worship, and government. They have bishops, for example, but do not accept the authority of the pope.
Note: Nearly all of the churches of the Anglican Communion are in countries that once were possessions of Britain, including the United States, where the Anglican Communion is represented by the Protestant Episcopal Church. Anglicans use the Book of Common Prayer in worship.
Anglican Communion
religious body of national, independent, and autonomous churches throughout the world that adheres to the teachings of Anglicanism and that evolved from the Church of England. The Anglican Communion is united by a common loyalty to the archbishop of Canterbury in England as its senior bishop and titular leader and by a general agreement with the doctrines and practices defined since the 16th century in The Book of Common Prayer
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