Skip to content
Christianity AtlasChurch & Denomination Guide
Group guide

Anglican Church in North America

Also known as: ACNA

A conservative Anglican province-like body in North America formed in the twenty-first century, affirming historic Anglican formularies, episcopal order, and traditional Christian doctrine.

DenominationInside historic Nicene ChristianityClose with important differences

60-second overview

A conservative Anglican province-like body in North America formed in the twenty-first century, affirming historic Anglican formularies, episcopal order, and traditional Christian doctrine.

History and identity

ACNA’s fundamental declarations affirm Scripture, the historic creeds, the first four ecumenical councils, the Thirty-Nine Articles in their historical sense, the Book of Common Prayer tradition, and episcopal governance. Its dioceses vary in worship, women’s ordination practice, charismatic expression, and churchmanship.

Core teachings and practices

  • Conservative Anglican doctrine.
  • Bishops and dioceses.
  • Evangelical, charismatic, and Anglo-Catholic streams coexist.
  • Infant baptism and liturgical sacraments.

Variation across churches

Moderate variation within the group

What it shares with the Reformed Baptist Base Beliefs

This group is within historic Nicene Christianity, with broad agreement on the Triune God and Jesus Christ’s full deity and humanity. Other important differences may still remain.

Important differences from the Reformed Baptist Base Beliefs

ACNA commonly shares the historic creeds, Protestant scriptural authority, Christ’s saving work, and justification by faith. Infant baptism and Anglican sacramental and episcopal church order are meaningful differences; episcopal administration alone does not make the theology substantially more distant.

How it relates to historic Nicene Christianity

Inside historic Nicene Christianity

This group is within historic Nicene Christianity.

Boundary guide
Important distinctions
  • ACNA and The Episcopal Church are separate Anglican church bodies.

Related groups with separate profiles

Related groups
AnglicanismAnglicanismThe Episcopal Church

Sources

The group’s own sources come first, followed by outside context and the guide’s comparison.

  1. Anglican Church in North America — Fundamental Declarations and Our Faith
    VerifiedOfficial doctrine
  2. Anglican Communion Office — The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion
    VerifiedHistoric confession
  3. Anglican Church in North America — Fundamental Declarations of the Province
    VerifiedOfficial doctrine
  4. Anglican Church in North America — To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism
    VerifiedCatechism