The Bible

The Bible is of extraordinary importance to St. Paul worship; during a Sunday morning service, the congregation will usually hear at least three readings from Scripture, and much of the liturgy from The Book of Common Prayer is based explicitly on the Bible. The Bible is also lived in from day to day by the St. Paul family with hopes of living like Jesus Christ to all those around us on a daily basis.

Book of Common Prayer

The Book of Common Prayer is a treasure chest full resources for individuals and congregations, and it is the primary symbol of our unity. We, who are many and diverse, come together in Christ through our worship, our common prayer. The prayer book contains our liturgies, our prayers, our theological documents, and much, much more.

The Creeds

While we will always have questions about God, the Church, and our own faith, we have two foundational creeds that we use during worship: The Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. In reciting and affirming these creeds, we join Christians across the world and throughout the ages in affirming our faith in the one God who created us, redeemed us, and sanctifies us.

The Sacraments

Our Anglican tradition recognizes sacraments as “outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace.” Holy Baptism and the Eucharist (or Holy Communion) are the two great sacraments given by Christ to his Church. In the case of Baptism, the outward and visible sign is water, in which the person is baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; the inward and spiritual grace is union with Christ in his death and resurrection, birth into God’s family the Church, forgiveness of sins, and new life in the Holy Spirit. In the case of the Eucharist, the outward and visible sign is bread and wine, given and received according to Christ’s command. The inward and spiritual grace is the Body and Blood of Christ given to his people, and received by faith. In addition to these two, there are other spiritual markers in our journey of faith that can serve as means of grace. These include: Confirmation: the adult affirmation of our baptismal vows, Reconciliation of a Penitent: private confession, Matrimony: Christian marriage, Orders: ordination to the diaconate, priesthood, or episcopacy, Unction: anointing those who are sick or dying with holy oil. All of these sacraments help enlighten God’s visible presence to us in real and tangible ways on a day to day basis and help us be more attentive to His presence as we live a sacramental life with God.

Church Leadership

Both women and men serve as bishops, priests, and deacons in our church. Laypeople and clergy cooperate as leaders at all levels of our church. Leadership is a gift from God, and we do not believe that it can be expressed by those pursing an unbiblical or unrepentant lifestyle.

Church Affiliation

St. Paul Ellis County is a part of the Worldwide Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas.