Welcoming & Affirming
The Advocate is a parish of The Episcopal Church, which is an inclusive and affirming branch of Christianity that recognizes the inherent dignity and belovedness of every human being. We look for the light of Christ in everyone we meet, regardless of economic status, ethnicity, race, gender identity, sexuality, marital status, age, disability, or mental illness.
In our tradition, women are of full and equal worth with men and have access to every order of ministry including the priesthood and the office of bishop. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons are also full members of our church with access to all sacraments including Holy Matrimony and Ordination.
Christ-Centered
At the center of Episcopal teaching is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who we recognize as the incarnate Son of God. Both fully human and fully divine, Christ provides for us the pathway to eternal life. Our beliefs concerning this holy mystery are expressed most succinctly in our baptismal covenant, which is the statement of faith that we make at the time of our baptism. We also renew these vows every time we are present for the baptism of another:
Do you believe in God the Father?
I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. ?
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. ?
Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.?
Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?
I will, with God’s help.?
Will you persevere in resisting evil, and whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
A “Middle Way”
Drawing equally on Scripture, Tradition, and Reason as our threefold basis for theological authority and faithful Christian witness, the Episcopal Church is often referred to as a via media – offering a “middle way” between tradition-based Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, Scripture-oriented Reformed and Protestant congregations, and experience-driven Pentecostal and charismatic communities.
Our members come from a variety of different faith backgrounds, bringing with them a diverse range of beliefs, doubts, questions, ideas, experiences, and understandings of Scripture. What binds us together as a community is our shared love of God in Jesus Christ, and our commitment to common worship as outlined in the Book of Common Prayer.
Faith Through Prayer & Practice
Rather than organizing around confessional “belief statements,” our denomination is a living tradition of embodied faith that, like the early Christians, is expressed primarily in our liturgical practices and in our prayerful engagement with the world.
The Episcopal Church follows the early Christian principle of lex orandi, lex cretendi, which means that “the law of praying shapes the law of believing.” In other words, our understanding of Christian theology as individuals is formed gradually over time by our faithful participation in the liturgy and in the life of the community. This approach to Christian faith is in keeping with the practices of the earliest churches, who developed their shared liturgical traditions several centuries before ever defining doctrine or determining which Scriptures ought to be considered authoritative.
The Episcopal Church sees itself as just one branch of a worldwide, ecumenical “Jesus Movement,” which includes faithful people from every denomination and tradition who are committed to following Christ into a more loving, liberating, and life-giving relationship with ourselves, one another, and all of creation.
Church Organization & Leadership
The word “Episcopal” means “bishop,” and reflects that our local congregations are just one part of a larger church body that is guided by the wisdom of our bishops, whose spiritual authority stretches all the way back to the time of Jesus. In the Episcopal Church, a bishop leads a geographic collection of churches called a diocese.
The Advocate is a parish of The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, which is part of Province IV of the national Episcopal Church. Our diocese is made up of 120 congregations that stretch across central NC, from Charlotte to the Triad to the Triangle. In this diocese, we are led by our bishop diocesan, The Right Rev. Samuel Rodman as well as our assistant bishop, The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Brooke-Davidson.
As a parish, we are a self-sustaining congregation that is guided spiritually by our Rector. All temporal affairs of the church (finances, building projects, ministry projects, etc) are managed by an elected body of church members called a Vestry. ?(link to Our Vestry page)
At the national level, The Episcopal Church is governed democratically through General Convention, a gathering that is held every 3 years, where bishops, clergy, and elected lay representatives from every diocese vote on important issues. Overseeing the House of Bishops at the national level is our Presiding Bishop, The Most Rev. Sean Rowe.
The Episcopal Church (USA) is also part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which connects us with congregations all over the world who are bound together through our tradition of common prayer. The Advocate draws many of its unique resources for liturgy, prayer, and music from congregations throughout this wider Anglican Communion.
If you have questions about how our local congregation functions in relation to diocesan, provincial, national, and international levels of church governance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Rector, The Rev. Joe T. Mitchell.