Article published May 23, 2008 Local wisdom: Five things to know about being Episcopalian By Rochelle Feil World staff writer The Rev. Patton Boyle of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Wenatchee says he first considered becoming an Episcopal priest when he was 11 years old. He changed his mind when he reached high school, deciding he would be happy to be active in the church. A drive with the bishop of Hong Kong, when Boyle was about 17, caused him to question that decision. The bishop wouldn't accept young Boyle's excuse that he could not imagine himself standing up in front of people every Sunday and preaching. "I felt called into it (the ministry). It was something I was, for a while, anxious to avoid, but it continued to pursue me," says Boyle. "I could ignore that calling to the ministry for a while, but I knew it wasn't going to go away." Now, after being an ordained minister for 38 years and a priest for 37, Boyle says it's part of the natural rhythm of his life. "Ministry makes introverts more extroverted. ... I tended to think too deeply about stuff when I was younger. I think I've mellowed over the years." The Episcopal Church is a liturgical church, says Boyle. "The liturgical worship works on both a conscious and an unconscious level of my being. I miss it when I don't have it." 1. Worship is at the core of the Episcopal Church Episcopalians are united by their worship. The service is done in nearly the same way every week. If you're the kind of person who wants a lot of variations in the service, then there are other churches that might suit your needs better. "The central and organizing function for the Episcopalian Church is going to worship. Episcopalians tend to get spiritual needs fulfilled in the traditional Episcopalian worship." All churches use the Book of Common Prayer in worship services, and in most churches, communion is performed every Sunday as a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. Morning prayer is common across Episcopal churches. 2. Worshipers don't follow a strict code The Episcopal Church approaches the faith from three basic standpoints: Scripture, reason and tradition. Episcopalians aren't expected to accept everything they are told or always agree with the priest or other leaders. "They take what is of value and use it. I expect them to disagree with me at times. ... The church expects people to make their own moral and ethical decisions." Parishioners are asked to explore issues thoughtfully and prayerfully and to come to their own decisions. The approach is more like, "I respect your opinion, and I will think deeply about that, but that may not be, in the end, what I decide is right for me." Parishioners make decisions based on thorough study, reason, prayer and examining one's own conscience rather than having them prescribed to them. 3. Parishioners encompass a wide range of views Episcopalians think differently about a wide range of issues, policy and politics. "We disagree often, politically and doctrinally. ... But we have a sense of unity. We respect the fact that we don't agree. Some people wish we would agree. I, personally, don't want a church where everyone agrees. I'm not looking for a church where everyone sees things the same way I do." 4. It has elements of Catholic and Protestant traditions The Episcopalian church split off from the Catholic Church in the 16th century as part of the Protestant Reformation. In structure and worship, the Episcopal Church continues to be similar to the Catholic Church in many ways, but there's no Episcopal equivalent to a pope or a cardinal. Also, clergy can marry and women clergy are accepted. Even the U.S. presiding bishop is a woman. Private confession is an option, but not required in the church. 5. Episcopalians are part of the Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion began with the Church of England separating from the Roman Catholic Church in the middle of the 16th century as part of the Reformation. It is now found in 160 countries throughout the world. The Episcopal Church is the American branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Although Anglicans share in a fairly similar form of liturgical worship, not all Anglicans think alike. "There are vast cultural and theological differences within the church. For example, most of the African churches were started by very conservative English missionaries and, thus, tend to have a rather conservative, literal approach to scripture, the authority of their bishops and social issues, including human sexuality. The American churches evolved in a totally different cultural, political and theological context. ... There's a tremendous clash in approaches" between African and American Anglicans, Boyle said. Many of the African bishops are demanding that the Americans approach the church and religion the same way they do. "The differences are so vast that they are not likely to get easily resolved. Part of what they are demanding is that we all think alike. To us it's normal to have differences of opinion. For us, our unity isn't found in thinking alike. It is found in our common worship." Rochelle Feil: 664-7153 feil@wenworld.com Local Wisdom appears weekly in one of The Wenatchee World's Features sections. Know someone who might make a good source? Send an e-mail, with "Local Wisdom" in the subject line, to features@wenworld.com.