Theology and sociology
the Church of England considers itself to have each around a Reformed church tradition (current English law regards it when Protestant) and around the Catholic (but not Roman Catholic) church tradition: Reformed insofar as numerous of the lesson of the Reformation have influenced it & insofar when it doesn't assume Apostolic authority; Catholic in this it views itself when a unbroken continuation of the early apostolic and late mediaeval "universal church" like than as a newly formation. Within its practices, moreover, a Church of England remains nigher to Roman Catholicism than virtually all Protestant Churches. It holds numbers of comparatively conservative theological beliefs, its liturgical form of worship can feature tradition & ceremony, & its organization is the belief within apostolic succession through the historical episcopal hierarchy of archbishops, bishops, and dioceses.

Inside numbers of population's eyes, notwithstanding, a Church of Engl& hwhen as its primary distinguishing mark its breadth and open-mindedness. Additionally to a traditional mainstream, the church has yearn involved "high church" and "low church" factions with their have particular preferences. Now, practices range from either victims of the Anglo-Catholics, who emphasize liturgy & sacraments, to the far less ceremonial services of Evangelicals and Charismatics. However this "broad church" faces various contentious doctrinal questions raised per development of modern society, like conflicts on top a ordination of women when priests (accepted inside 1992 and begun in 1994) and a status of noncelibate homosexual clergy (still unsettled now). Inside July 2005 a divisions were once again apparent when the General Synod voted to "set in train" a run of leaving a ordination of women when bishops, scheduling debate on the specific legislation for February 2006.

Governance and administration
A British monarch (now, Elizabeth II), has the constitutional title of "Supreme Governor of the Church of England". Around practice, still, a efficacious leadership falls to the Archbishop of Canterbury. A worldwide Anglican Communion of independent national or regional churches recognises a Archbishop of Canterbury as a rather symbolical leader. Dr Rowan Douglas Williams has served as Archbishop of Canterbury since 2002.

a Church of England has a legislative system, the General Synod. All the same, fundamental legislation however has to pass through the UK Parliament. A church has its have judicial branch, called a Ecclesiastical courts, which likewise form the section of the UK court patterns.

Additionally to England proper, a jurisdiction of the Church of England touch the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Around recent years, exile congregations on the continent of Europe have become a Diocese in Europe.

History

Independent article: History of the Church of England

A Church of England traces its formal corporate history from either a 597 Augustinian mission, stresses its continuity & identity sustaining a primitive universal Roman church, & notes a consolidation of its particular independent and national character in the post-Reformation events of Tudor England.

Christianity arrived inside Britain in the number one or even 2nd centuries & existed independently of the Church of Rome, when did several more Christian communities of that era. Records note British bishops when attending a Council of Arles in 314. A Pope sent Saint Augustine from Rome in the 6th century to evangelise the Angles (597). By using a serve of Christians already living within Kent, he established his church in Canterbury, a capital of Kent, and became the foremost in the series of archbishops of Canterbury.

At a same time, the Celtic Church of St.Columba continued to evangelise Scotland. A Celtic Church of Northward Britainside submitted in occasionally feel to a authority of Rome at the Council of Whitby in 644. Above a next couple of centuries, a Roman models introduced by Augustine step by step absorbed a pre-preexistent Celtic Christian churches.

England remained a Roman Catholic united states for about the thousand years, then agaaround the church separated itself from either Rome in 1534 during the reign of King Henry VIII, though it briefly rejoined Rome during a reign of Queen Mary I in 1555.

Related churches
Within Scotland, the Church of Scotland is recognised in law (Church of Scotland Act 1921) as a "national church", however since 1929 it has non been "established" in a equivalent manner when the Church of England. Particularly a state recognises a independence of a Church of Scotland inside matters negro spiritual, so there come no ministers are appointed per Crown or even the State. the Church of Scotland has a Presbyterian system of government. a little Anglican church likewise lives within Scotland, called the Scottish Episcopal Church, which is in full communion using a Church of England.

A Church in Wales underwent disestablishment in 1920 and became an independent member of the Anglican Communion.

A Church of Ireland had official established church status in Ireland until 1871, although the bulk of the Irish population inside practice remained mostly Roman Catholic.

A Church of England fill in full communion with the more churches in the Anglican Communion and separately sustaining a more signer of the Porvoo Communion. the Church of England is besides a fully member of the Conference of European Churches.

Financial situation
A Church of England, although an established church, does not receive any directly government trend lines. Donations comprise its big source of income, though it besides relies heavy on the income from either its various historic endowments. As of 2005 the Church of England had figured amount [http://www.cofe.anglican.org/info/funding/ outgoings] of in the area of £900 million.

Historically, single parishes each raised & spent a immense majority of the Church's funding, meaning that clergy earnings depended on the wealth of the parish & parish advowsons (the right to appoint clergy to particular parishes) could get pleasantly worthful gifts. Single bishopric likewise held considerable plus: a Episcopate of Durham possessed such huge wealth & temporal power that its Bishop became referred to as a 'Prince-Bishop'. Since a mid-19th century, still, a Church has manufactured various moves to equalise a situation, & clergy in every bishopric today receive standard stipends paid from either diocesan funds. Meanwhile, a Church moved a majority of its income-getting plus (which it used to be that involved much of l&, however in todays world mostly choose a form of fiscal equities & bonds) away from a mitts of single clergy and bishops to the care of a immune system known as the Church Commissioners, which uses a babies to pay the range of non-parish expenses, including clergy pensions & the expenses of cathedrals & bishops' houses. These [http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/churchcommissioners/annualreport/ funds] total to in the area of £3.9 billion & generate income of in £164 million every season (as of 2003), around the fifth of the Church's overall income.

A Church Commissioners give a few of this money when grants to local parishes; however a majority of a fiscal effect of church upkeep & the act of local parishes however rests using personal parish & episcopate, which meet their requirements from either donations. Straight donations to the church (non including bequest) are to in the area of £460 million by the month, when parish & episcopate reserve account generate a second £100 million. Fundraise inside human parishes account for a lot but all of this money, & a majority of it remains in a parish which it raises it, meaning that a resources available to parishes however alter tremendously based on data from the level of donations it may raise.

Virtually all parishes give the part of their money, yet, to the episcopate as a 'quota'. When this is non a required payment, episcopate strongly encourage & rely on that existence paid; these come unremarkably simply withheld by parishes either whenever are unable to call for even the funds or as a specific work of protest. Too when paying central diocesan expenses like a heading of diocesan agents, these diocesan funds besides provide clergy remuneratiin & housing expenses (which aggregate in £260 million by the season through a lot bishopric), meaning that clergy dwelling conditions there are no protracted depend on parish-specific fundraising.

Although asset-rich, a Church of Engl& has to look when and maintain its hundreds to thousands of churches countrywide — a lion's part of England's built heritage. When todays congregation amounts have at comparatively sale levels & when maintenance bills increase when a buildings develop older, numerous one churches just can not maintain economic self-self-direction; however their historical & architectural importance produce it hard to sell the children. Around recent years, cathedrals & more renowned churches own met occasionally of their maintenance costs using grants from either organizations like English Heritage; but a Church Commissioners & [http://www.churchcare.co.uk/fundraising.html local fundraisers] must foot a bill completely in the experience of virtually all little parish churches. (The food and drug administration, nonetheless, does provide the bit of assistance in the form of tax benefit, for instance a 100% VAT refund for renovations to religious buildings.)

Additionally to consecrated buildings, a Church likewise controls many subsidiary buildings tied to or even associated by owning churches, including much of clergy housing. Too when parsonage & parsonage, this housing includes residences (known as 'palaces') for both of the Church's 114 bishops. Inside occasionally suits, this title seems totally apt; buildings like Archbishop of Canterbury's Lambeth Palace in London and Old Palace at Canterbury have truly palatial dimensions, while a Bishop of Durham's Auckland Palace has 50 rooms, the feasting hall & Thirty land (120,000 m²) of park. Nevertheless, several bishops keep around noticed a older palaces out or keeping for now's lifestyles, & a select few bishops' 'palaces' come only average Four-bedroomed houses. Numbers of episcopate which use retained big palaces at present uses a portion of a space when administrative agents, when the bishops & their families sleep within a little flat in the palace; & in recent years a select few bishopric own managed to put their palaces' supernumerary space & grandeur to profitable have when conference centres. A size of the bishops' family has as well shrunk dramatically & their budgets for entertaining & servants form the bantam fraction of their pre-20th-century levels.