Free Protestant Episcopal Church
Encyclopedia
The Free Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States
(FPEC) began as an overseas outreach of the Free Protestant Episcopal Church of England. The English group was formed on November 2, 1897 from the merger of three smaller churches; others were to join later. The ordination of bishop
s from within the apostolic succession
was of major importance to this group, as also was having the church recognized as a lawfully constituted denomination
. The latter event occurred, at least tacitly, when an Archdeacon
from the group was exempted from World War I
conscription
in 1917 due to his status as a clergy
man, which would not have been permitted had the group not been considered a lawfully constituted denomination.
This church has traditionally been quite small. There are various reasons for this, but one of them seems to be that clergy have tended to pass though it as a church in which to be ordained by bishops from the historic apostolic succession before moving on to other, larger church bodies.
While maintaining apostolic succession, the Free Protestant Episcopal Church generally has held to the position of the Evangelical or Low-Church end of the Anglican spectrum, in opposition to the growth of Anglo-Catholicism. The FPEC has known much internal dissension, some based on theological disputes and some on personalities, as is common to many small denominations.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(FPEC) began as an overseas outreach of the Free Protestant Episcopal Church of England. The English group was formed on November 2, 1897 from the merger of three smaller churches; others were to join later. The ordination of bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s from within the apostolic succession
Apostolic Succession
Apostolic succession is a doctrine, held by some Christian denominations, which asserts that the chosen successors of the Twelve Apostles, from the first century to the present day, have inherited the spiritual, ecclesiastical and sacramental authority, power, and responsibility that were...
was of major importance to this group, as also was having the church recognized as a lawfully constituted denomination
Religious denomination
A religious denomination is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and identity.The term describes various Christian denominations...
. The latter event occurred, at least tacitly, when an Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
from the group was exempted from World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
in 1917 due to his status as a clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
man, which would not have been permitted had the group not been considered a lawfully constituted denomination.
This church has traditionally been quite small. There are various reasons for this, but one of them seems to be that clergy have tended to pass though it as a church in which to be ordained by bishops from the historic apostolic succession before moving on to other, larger church bodies.
While maintaining apostolic succession, the Free Protestant Episcopal Church generally has held to the position of the Evangelical or Low-Church end of the Anglican spectrum, in opposition to the growth of Anglo-Catholicism. The FPEC has known much internal dissension, some based on theological disputes and some on personalities, as is common to many small denominations.