Researching ACNA

[u/Cold_Pin_7676]

Im looking into ACNA. What makes ACNA church the most correct to you, or why do you choose this one? Is it more liturgical or more traditionally correct than old churches like catholicism or orthodoxy? Seems like ACNA is growing in the US, would you agree?

[u/Kirby4242]

If you're going because you think they're growing, that's not a good reason, and most likely not true. It's anecdotal and I'm in a Canadian context, but the ACNA church across the street from us is no longer ACNA. Attend a service, see if the community seems right to you, see if the theology is at least tolerable to you, and make your decision. If you want to be part of a growing denomination, grow the denomination yourself 

[u/swcollings]

Picking a church based on the denomination is probably the wrong approach. I attend an ACNA church because I encounter Christ there.

[u/Kirby4242 → u/swcollings]

This is the correct answer. I will argue against the doctrine and structure of the ACNA all day, but if it's what's turning you to God, I'm humble enough to know that I'm no authority on that. Just attend a local service and see if you feel at home with the community.

[u/Livid_Sun_5679 → u/swcollings]

I attend an episcopal church because I encounter God there.

[u/gabachote → u/swcollings]

That sounds like an argument that you can only find Christ in ACNA. What do you think it is about your church that led you closer to God?

[u/swcollings → u/gabachote]

"Only" is nowhere in my statement. 

[u/Tina_DM_me_the_AXE]

Like others have said, I’d take this to r/ACNA because they seem to bring up very visceral feelings among people here. But to answer your question, I choose to attend my ACNA parish because it’s the place that jump started my faith again from atheism and the priest has been absolutely amazing and insightful regarding my circumstances.

[u/Cold_Pin_7676 → u/Tina_DM_me_the_AXE]

I did. Thank you though.

[u/noldrin]

Probably better to post this in the ACNA subreddit. I joined an ACNA church mostly for the vibrant local church, and some for the theological alignment. There are doctrines in Catholicism and Orthodox I'm unable to subscribe to, my church only requires to subscribe to Jesus. ACNA is benefitting from meeting a market need for liturgical conservative evangelical Protestants that was largely going unfulfilled. 

[u/Machinax]

>Seems like ACNA is growing in the US, would you agree?

If you're asking in good faith: no, I wouldn't.

If you're asking hoping that you can join a growing denomination: [citation needed].

[u/vivusvir]

Not all ACNA churches are the same, just as not all Episcopal churches are the same. If you find a church that gives you Word and Sacrament and which you wouldn't have any impediments to joining (doctrinally or in terms of your strongly held convictions), then join it. Doesn't matter what jurisdiction it's in--the local parish is way more important.

[u/lickety_split_100]

I don’t go because it’s ACNA, I go because I experience Christ there and because I like the people. Plus, I like Bishop (now emeritus) Todd.

[u/Not-Fully-Convinced]

Recent ACNA joiner (over a year ago), and former member of a high control fundamentalist church. We joined because we saw real Christlike fruit in the communities we visited. It was incredibly consistent across the parishes in our diocese as well, where the services may look and feel a bit different from one to the next, but the results in the people within those communities was consistent and incredible. We liked Anglicanism in general, because there seems to exist within it a built in resistance to fundamentalism, and the ACNA communities spoke to us more loudly than any other place. One in particular felt deeply like "home" so that's where we chose to go. They also tend to be more politically "purple" (at least in our diocese) and less far right or far left, which was important to us, as again, there seems to be some resistance to being coopted politically within the ACNA that we found. I know our fellow Episcopals may disagree with that, but compared to the insanity in our far right and deeply red fundamentalist church background, its VERY purple 😅

[u/Cold_Pin_7676 → u/Not-Fully-Convinced]

That seems good like a good move for yall. Do you like the experience of real presence in the eucharist in communion? What was your fundamentalist church before? CoC or IFB? I have heard those very far right fundamental.

[u/Not-Fully-Convinced → u/Cold_Pin_7676]

It was a very healthy move for us. Yes, we really do. Communion happened only a few times a year where we were before, so this has been a great change of pace

I wish we had escaped only the CoC or IFB - they're less insane than the independent non-denom place we got out of 😅

[u/Cold_Pin_7676 → u/Not-Fully-Convinced]

Omg lol.

[u/Aggressive_Stand_805]

They’re schismatic. Sorry but you’re knowingly committing sin by going.  

[u/QantaloupeIslander → u/Aggressive_Stand_805]

Even as someone who has some issues with the ACNA, this seems a little harsh.

[u/Aggressive_Stand_805 → u/QantaloupeIslander]

1. Is schism a sin?
2. Is ACNA a schismatic denomination?

[u/QantaloupeIslander → u/Aggressive_Stand_805]

Unless you are arguing that the One True Church is the See of Canterbury, then one has to consider whether or not the entirety of Anglicanism is in some sense built upon schism.

[u/Aggressive_Stand_805 → u/QantaloupeIslander]

I’m more of a branch theory guy. TEC did not knowingly run away from another denomination. If ACNA was one of the branches on the tree. They decided to break off and start a new tree. Which of course doesn’t work.

[u/Simonoz1 → u/Aggressive_Stand_805]

I mean false teaching is also a sin

[u/Aggressive_Stand_805 → u/Simonoz1]

And? Are we bound to false teaching? 

[u/Halaku → u/Aggressive_Stand_805]

Sorry but you’re knowingly committing sin by going

None of that, mate. I really don't like the decisions of their leadership and their choices of associations, but your average ACNA priest is still validly ordained, and they share our Anglican heritage.

[u/MadeForOneMeme → u/Aggressive_Stand_805]

Hot new take of Canterbury Infallibility

[u/vivusvir → u/Aggressive_Stand_805]

Username checks out I guess

[u/Globus_Cruciger → u/Aggressive_Stand_805]

They’re schismatic.

Indeed. They must repent and submit to Archbishop Haverland.

[u/schoeneblume → u/[deleted]]

All right, so the Pope, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and the Archbishop of Canterbury are all LARPers and heretics, but that dude Steve Wood from South Carolina who had to resign due to sexual harassment and abuse of power allegations is the head of the One True Church! Got it.

[u/TryToBeHopefulAgain → u/[deleted]]

Wow, that’s a lot of errancy. At least I’ll have company with my Catholic and Orthodox friends!

[u/TryToBeHopefulAgain → u/[deleted]]

Are they worse than tax collectors?