Churchmanship
Encyclopedia
Within Anglicanism
the term churchmanship is sometimes used to refer to distinct understandings of church doctrine
and liturgical practice by members of the Church of England
and other churches of the Anglican communion. The three principal forms of churchmanship are low church
, broad church
and high church
.
Low church
is now generally also used to refer to the puritan
or evangelical
tradition within Anglicanism and high church
is now generally also used to refer to the Anglo-Catholic
tradition. Broad church
is generally used for Anglicans whose churchmanship is somewhere between the low and high traditions and is much the same as the tradition historically called latitudinarian
.
Within the low church tradition of churchmanship there are some distinct variations such as charismatic evangelical
, traditional evangelical
, open evangelical
and conservative evangelical
. Within the high church tradition there are variations such as traditional Anglo-Catholic, moderate Catholic, modern Catholic, liberal Catholic
, prayer book Catholic and Anglo-Papalist
. The terminology used for churchmanship variations can differ from country to country and the same terms can have some differences in meaning in different places.
In Lutheran churches churchmanship can be liberal Protestant, pietist, confessional Lutheran
, or evangelical Catholic.
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
the term churchmanship is sometimes used to refer to distinct understandings of church doctrine
Doctrine
Doctrine is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system...
and liturgical practice by members 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...
and other churches of the Anglican communion. The three principal forms of churchmanship are low church
Low church
Low church is a term of distinction in the Church of England or other Anglican churches initially designed to be pejorative. During the series of doctrinal and ecclesiastic challenges to the established church in the 16th and 17th centuries, commentators and others began to refer to those groups...
, broad church
Broad church
Broad church is a term referring to latitudinarian churchmanship in the Church of England, in particular, and Anglicanism, in general. From this, the term is often used to refer to secular political organisations, meaning that they encompass a broad range of opinion.-Usage:After the terms high...
and high church
High church
The term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...
.
Low church
Low church
Low church is a term of distinction in the Church of England or other Anglican churches initially designed to be pejorative. During the series of doctrinal and ecclesiastic challenges to the established church in the 16th and 17th centuries, commentators and others began to refer to those groups...
is now generally also used to refer to the puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
or evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
tradition within Anglicanism and high church
High church
The term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...
is now generally also used to refer to the Anglo-Catholic
Anglo-Catholicism
The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism describe people, beliefs and practices within Anglicanism that affirm the Catholic, rather than Protestant, heritage and identity of the Anglican churches....
tradition. Broad church
Broad church
Broad church is a term referring to latitudinarian churchmanship in the Church of England, in particular, and Anglicanism, in general. From this, the term is often used to refer to secular political organisations, meaning that they encompass a broad range of opinion.-Usage:After the terms high...
is generally used for Anglicans whose churchmanship is somewhere between the low and high traditions and is much the same as the tradition historically called latitudinarian
Latitudinarian
Latitudinarian was initially a pejorative term applied to a group of 17th-century English theologians who believed in conforming to official Church of England practices but who felt that matters of doctrine, liturgical practice, and ecclesiastical organization were of relatively little importance...
.
Within the low church tradition of churchmanship there are some distinct variations such as charismatic evangelical
Charismatic movement
The term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...
, traditional evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
, open evangelical
Open Evangelical
Open Evangelical refers to a particular Christian school of thought or Churchmanship, primarily in the United Kingdom...
and conservative evangelical
Conservative Evangelicalism
Conservative Evangelicalism is a term used in Britain to describe a theological movement found within Evangelical Protestant Christianity, and is sometimes simply synonymous with Evangelical within the United Kingdom...
. Within the high church tradition there are variations such as traditional Anglo-Catholic, moderate Catholic, modern Catholic, liberal Catholic
Liberal Catholic (disambiguation)
Liberal Catholic may refer to:* The Liberal Catholic Church, an independent theosophical denomination not affiliated with Roman Catholicism* A party or theological position within Anglicanism...
, prayer book Catholic and Anglo-Papalist
Anglo-Papalism
Anglo-Papalism is a term used to describe a tendency within Anglo-Catholicism whose adherents manifest a particularly high degree of influence from, and even identification with, the Roman Catholic Church....
. The terminology used for churchmanship variations can differ from country to country and the same terms can have some differences in meaning in different places.
In Lutheran churches churchmanship can be liberal Protestant, pietist, confessional Lutheran
Confessional Lutheran
Confessional Lutheran is a name used by certain Lutheran Christians to designate themselves as those who accept the doctrines taught in the Book of Concord of 1580 in their entirety, because they believe them to be completely faithful to the teachings of the Bible...
, or evangelical Catholic.