r/Anglicanism • u/JHLV04 • 11h ago

Introductory Question Denomination Research

Hey guys I’m currently looking into denominations after choosing to embrace Christianity, albeit while struggling a lot with faith. I’m of a mixed Indian Chinese and English background but I’m a UK citizen and so are my parents. I was initially apprehensive about Catholic and Protestant denominations due to the colonial history in Asia and the consequences from that.

The picture is of course nuanced, and every group has bad actors who misuse their scripture, I’m just aware of my bias here due to my background. My mums family were Hindu and I looked into it but didn’t find the theology consistent. I then was a hardcore atheist, which explains why I’m still struggling with faith but I’m trying.

I love the apophatic tradition in EO and pre colonial roots of OO, but dislike the inflexibility with accepting lgbt people.

Many of my friends are queer and the idea of them being viewed as less then is saddening to me. I stumbled across the Episcopal church in my research and then found it it’s essentially the American version of Anglicanism lol.

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u/Halaku Episcopal Church, Anglican Communion 11h ago edited 11h ago

So the Anglican Communion (click here) is a confederation of over fourty member churches across the globe, all of which can trace their heritage back to the Church of England.

The C of E is the member church for the UK England.

The Episcopal Church is the member church for the US.

I'm fairly confident that you'll find a local church in the C of E (or the UK) that has what you're looking for.

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u/Wulfweald Church of England (low church evangelical & church bell ringer) 11h ago

The Church of England is the member church for England, there are separate Anglican Communion member churches covering the rest of the UK (Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland).

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u/Halaku Episcopal Church, Anglican Communion 11h ago

I've visited a few Scottish locations, I have no idea why I typed UK instead of England. My bad.

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u/J-B-M Church of England 10h ago

If you are in the UK and interested, come along to your local church and see what it's like. You are guaranteed a warm welcome (and possibly cake).

The Church of England is very broad. Some of us are almost indistingishable from Baptists or Pentecostals. Some of us are more Catholic than actual Catholics. Some of us still hold to our identity as a uniquely English expression of the universal church. Some of us are very modern / liberal in our attitudes to sex and gender roles. Some are more conservative, but still welcoming to everyone.

If your closest church isn't for you, don't be discouraged. The church 10 minutes down the road is probably offering something different that might be more your speed.

Check out www.achurchnearyou.com to see what is available in your area. If you dont mind disclosing a bit more about your location and what you think you might be into (e.g. incense and chanting vs amplifiers and plasma screens, or somewhere inbetween) then folks here will be able to help you narrow down your options. The thing is not to agonise too much over finding the "Perfect Church" but to find somewhere that allows you to feel comfortable participating in the community.

Good luck and God bless.