St. John’s Chapel (the Parish) is an Anglican congregation in the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina. Our Mission and Vision is to make disciples of Jesus Christ by declaring his gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit, that they might worship now and in eternity to the glory of the triune God. From our unique location on the eastside of the Charleston peninsula, we envision St. John’s Chapel reaching up in worship, reaching out in care for each other and for the surrounding community. 

What We Believe - Statement of Faith

As members of St. John’s Chapel in the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, we ascribe to the following as our core doctrine:

A belief in the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; three distinct persons co-equal in glory and coeternal in majesty and of one substantial Godhead, such that there are not three gods but one God;

A belief in the Holy Scriptures as divine revelation, trustworthy, carrying the full measure of His authority, containing all things necessary to salvation, and to be submitted to in all matters of faith and practice of life;

A belief in the One Savior of mankind, Jesus Christ, who in His person is both fully God and fully man; of one substance with the Father as regards His Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards His manhood;

A belief in the perfect obedience of Christ; His true and actual suffering, his substitutionary and atoning death on the cross, and His bodily resurrection and ascension as the only means given for our salvation and reconciliation with God;

A belief in faith alone as the only grounds for the merits of Christ being imputed to us for our justification before God (justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone), leading to good works empowered by the Holy Spirit;

A belief in the consummate return of Jesus Christ in glory to judge the living and the dead, and a belief in the bodily resurrection of the dead and their entrance into either eternal damnation or everlasting blessedness;

A belief in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church as those souls that have been redeemed entirely by the work of Christ and called out of bondage into freedom, out of darkness into light, out of error into truth, out of death into eternal life;

A belief that historic Anglican polity organizes the visible Church under the offices of Bishop, Presbyter and Deacon. Furthermore, the Church exists to worship the Triune God and to lift up the Savior Jesus Christ before all people through the faithful preaching and teaching of the Gospel, through prayer, and through the faithful administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion, the Eucharist);

A belief in the Nicene and Apostles’ creeds as accurate representations of the essence of the Christian faith, and affirmation of the (39) Articles of Religion as a coherent and concise expression of Anglican doctrine.

Further:

We believe Christians are called beyond mere church membership to the lifelong journey of discipleship, learning to faithfully live what God has revealed about us (Matthew 7:24-29, Mark 8:34-36, Galatians 5:22);

We believe all people are created in the image of God, who wonderfully and immutably creates each person as genetically male or female. These two distinct complementary genders reflect the image and nature of God (Gen. 1:26-27). Rejection of one’s biological sex is in conflict with this created-ness and is inconsistent with our beliefs;

In the Church, we believe marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in Holy Matrimony, a single, exclusive, lifelong union, as delineated in Scripture (Gen 2:18-25; Mark 10:1-9). This covenanted relationship signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church, reconciling and re-uniting two complements. God’s good intention for us is that sexual intimacy is to occur only between a man and a woman who have entered into this marriage covenant. (1 Cor. 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb. 13:4.) For the blessing and protection of the bond of marriage, our families, and particularly our children, God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage (as previously defined as being between a man and a woman);

Because God is the one who has ordained and ordered marriage according to His good purposes, the Parish will only recognize and solemnize a marriage that is between a man and a woman. The facilities and property of the Parish shall only host weddings between one man and one woman;

We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Rom 10:9-10; 1 Cor 6:9-11);

We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31.) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of the Parish.

Finally:

This statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible is the trustworthy Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of humankind. For purposes of the Parish, in faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, the Bishop is the final interpretive authority on matters of doctrine and their application;

In order to preserve the function and integrity of the Parish as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to both parishioners and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by the Parish in any capacity, or who serve as leaders, agree to abide by this Statement of Faith. (Matt. 5:16; Phil. 2:14-16; 1 Thess. 5:22.);

We celebrate and stand for the unchanging truth of the gospel as centered in the grace of Jesus Christ, in the gift of biblical revelation, and the moral vision expressed in historic, Anglican Christianity.

Who We Are

Christian worship for these times with unity in the community

All are welcome at this praise and gospel infused Anglican church aimed at helping you live a better life in Christ. We are a mosaic church with an emphasis on teaching the Word of God and community outreach

VIBE
Casual, Down to Earth, Spirit-filled, Friendly, Inclusive, Multigenerational, Young families, Hand-clapping, Lively, Neighborhood-focused

PROGRAMS
Community Service, Missions, Nursery, Children's Ministry, Sunday School

MUSIC
Contemporary, Hillsong-style, Organ, Praise and Worship

From the ACNA website:

What is Anglicanism?

THE BASICS
First and foremost, Anglicans are Christians.  Globally, Anglicans form the third largest body of Christians in the world (around 80 million members) behind the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

ORIGINS OF THE NAME
The name “Anglican” is traced back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Europe.  The tribal name was spelled “Engles” or “Angles” and the tribe’s speech was the precursor to the English language.  Their island became known as England, and their Christians were known as Anglicans.  The name has nothing to do with “angels.”

GLOBAL ANGLICANS
Just as the English language spread with the British empire, so did Anglican Christianity.  When Anglicans resettled in new lands, they brought their personal faith with them. Chaplains and pastors were often among their number.  Additionally, many Anglicans traveled as missionaries to share the Gospel.  Consequently, Anglican churches now exist all over the world in more than 165 countries.  As Anglican Christians became a global family, the demographics shifted dramatically. While Christians from Britain, the United States, Canada, and Australia continue to play an important role, today the “average” Anglican is a young woman from Sub-Saharan Africa.

THREE STREAMS
The Anglican ethos holds together three streams of the Christian Church.  For those familiar with Church History, Dr. Les Fairfield provides a synopsis of the history that shapes its life today:

The Protestant movement recalled the 16th century Church to the primacy of the Word—written, read, preached, inwardly digested. The 18th century Holiness movement reminded the Church of God’s love for the poor. The Anglo-Catholic movement re-grounded the Church in the sacramental life of worship. All three strands are grounded in the Gospel. Each one extrapolates the Gospel in a specific direction. No strand is dispensable. Other Christian bodies have often taken one strand to an extreme. By God’s grace the Anglican tradition has held the streams in creative tension. This miracle of unity is a treasure worth keeping.

WORSHIP
Anglican worship is diverse, and it is best understood by visiting and attending a local congregation. What is common to all is an inheritance of worship that recognizes the supremacy of the Bible and often finds expression through the Prayer Book.  To understand what and how Anglicans pray is to understand what they believe.  The Prayer Book, described as the Scriptures arranged for worship, provides helpful resources for everything from personal daily devotions to large public gatherings of worship.  It includes prayers for every season of life.