Anglican Orthodox Church
Encyclopedia
The Anglican Orthodox Church (AOC) is one of the older conservative Anglican denominations in the United States
(founded in 1963) that is not in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury
of the Church of England
due to the perceived abandonment of Reformation doctrine by that church. Its founding bishop was James Parker Dees
, who left the Episcopal Church
due to what he believed were its immoral policies and doctrinal errors. He served as Presiding Bishop of the AOC until his death on December 25, 1990.
, the Homilies, and the King James Version of the Bible
. The Bible is believed by the AOC to be the divinely inspired word of God and to contain all that is necessary for salvation. Additionally, the church preaches the importance of biblical morality both in an individual's life and as public policy.
The AOC strongly identifies itself as being in the Anglican Low Church tradition and rejects the use of the title "Father" for its clergy, many of the priestly vestments commonly used in other Anglican jurisdictions, and any veneration of the saints. The church has been led by the Most Reverend Jerry L. Ogles of Enterprise, Alabama
since 22 October 2000. He is the Bishop of the United States and the Metropolitan of the Anglican Orthodox Church's worldwide communion.
In 2008, the AOC reported fourteen parishes in the USA and Canada
, plus bishops and churches in other countries. These include Canada, India
, Liberia
, Madagascar
, South Africa
, Kenya
, Tanzania
, Central African Republic
, Haiti
, the Philippines, Fiji
, Peru
, Argentina
, and the Solomon Islands
. In September 2011, Bishop Morley requested that he and the Traditional Protestant Episcopal Church be admitted into the Anglican Orthodox Church as the Diocese of the Advent. This Diocese consists of several clergy in mission works or parachurch ministries in the north east and Texas, Canterbury Chapel in Fairhope, Alabama and Anglican Church of the Incarnation in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The church holds a biennial convention at St. Peter's Anglican Orthodox Church in even-numbered calendar years. The headquarters of the Anglican Orthodox Church remain in the church's traditional facilities in Statesville, North Carolina
along with Bishop Dees' home parish, St. Peter's Anglican Orthodox Church.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(founded in 1963) that is not in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
due to the perceived abandonment of Reformation doctrine by that church. Its founding bishop was James Parker Dees
James Parker Dees
James Parker Dees was the founder and first bishop of the Anglican Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Anglican Communion. Dees was born in Greenville, North Carolina on December 30, 1915, the son of James Earle Dees and Margaret Burgwin Dees. He graduated in 1938 from the University of North...
, who left the Episcopal Church
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
due to what he believed were its immoral policies and doctrinal errors. He served as Presiding Bishop of the AOC until his death on December 25, 1990.
History
The Anglican Orthodox Church reorganized in 2001 due to a legal agreement with a group which had attempted to undermine the low-church stance of the AOC and remove her long-standing facilities. The agreement also granted the church the use of the name "Anglican Orthodox Church" as well as sole claim to the name of her founder, Bishop James Parker Dees. The AOC is the only church with the sole legal basis to claim Bishop Dees as its founder. The late Most Rev James Parker Dees previously served as priest of the Episcopal Church but left that church over his concern that it had become steadily more politically and theologically liberal. In so doing, he acted about a decade and a half before a larger number of conservative Episcopalians separated from the Episcopal Church following the decision of its General Convention to approve the ordination of women priests. The AOC today claims national church affiliates in 22 countries around the world.Beliefs and structure
The Anglican Orthodox Church today firmly holds to the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, the use of the 1928 Book of Common PrayerBook of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
, the Homilies, and the King James Version of the Bible
King James Version of the Bible
The Authorized Version, commonly known as the King James Version, King James Bible or KJV, is an English translation of the Christian Bible by the Church of England begun in 1604 and completed in 1611...
. The Bible is believed by the AOC to be the divinely inspired word of God and to contain all that is necessary for salvation. Additionally, the church preaches the importance of biblical morality both in an individual's life and as public policy.
The AOC strongly identifies itself as being in the Anglican Low Church tradition and rejects the use of the title "Father" for its clergy, many of the priestly vestments commonly used in other Anglican jurisdictions, and any veneration of the saints. The church has been led by the Most Reverend Jerry L. Ogles of Enterprise, Alabama
Enterprise, Alabama
Enterprise is a city in the southeastern part of Coffee and Dale Counties in the southeastern part of Alabama in the Southern United States. The population was estimated to be 25,909 in the year 2009....
since 22 October 2000. He is the Bishop of the United States and the Metropolitan of the Anglican Orthodox Church's worldwide communion.
In 2008, the AOC reported fourteen parishes in the USA and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, plus bishops and churches in other countries. These include Canada, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, the Philippines, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, and the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. In September 2011, Bishop Morley requested that he and the Traditional Protestant Episcopal Church be admitted into the Anglican Orthodox Church as the Diocese of the Advent. This Diocese consists of several clergy in mission works or parachurch ministries in the north east and Texas, Canterbury Chapel in Fairhope, Alabama and Anglican Church of the Incarnation in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The church holds a biennial convention at St. Peter's Anglican Orthodox Church in even-numbered calendar years. The headquarters of the Anglican Orthodox Church remain in the church's traditional facilities in Statesville, North Carolina
Statesville, North Carolina
Statesville is a city located in Iredell County, North Carolina, United States and was named an All-America City in 1997 and 2009. The population was 24,633 at the 2010 census...
along with Bishop Dees' home parish, St. Peter's Anglican Orthodox Church.