St. Barnabas is part of the United Episcopal Church of North America. The UECNA is a member of the Continuing Church, which is that body of the faithful that elected to continue the time-honored beliefs and practices of the Anglican tradition when the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA) moved in a new direction in mid-20th century America.
As the traditional Anglican Christian church and part of the Continuing Anglican movement in America, we describe our faith with these core values:
BIBLICAL
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inerrant Word of God, and contain all doctrine Necessary to Salvation.
CREEDAL
We follow the Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed as summaries of the Christian Faith binding on the conscience of every member of the Church.
CONFESSIONAL
We maintain the Reformation heritage of the Anglican Communion, and in particular our clergy assent to the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion (1571/1801) as being in accordance with Holy Scripture. The Articles of Religion and Homilies are to be read in accordance with the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church to the exclusion of all heresies ancient and modern.
LITURGICAL
We use the 1928 (USA) and the 1962 (Canada) editions of the Book of Common Prayer, both of which accept the 1662 Book of Common Prayer according to the Use of the Church of England as being the standard of doctrine to which they conform. Liturgical worship includes the whole congregation as full participants in our services. Much of the Book of Common Prayer derives from Scripture and dates back to the earliest days of the Christian Church.
SACRAMENTAL
We believe the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion are effectual signs of God’s Grace, were instituted by Christ Himself in the Gospels, and are generally necessary for salvation.
The sacraments of Confirmation, Holy Matrimony, Holy Orders, Penance, and Holy Unction are outward signs of inward spiritual graces. However, they do not have the same nature as Baptism and Holy Communion because they were instituted by the Church and so lack a direct mandate from our Saviour Jesus Christ.
EVANGELICAL & CATHOLIC
Evangelical means ‘of the Gospel’ and does not denote a particular form of church government or worship. We are Evangelical in the sense of being committed to Biblical doctrine and to preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ. The United Episcopal Church seeks to respond flexibly and imaginatively to the challenges posed by being a traditional Church for the modern world.
We are Catholic in the sense of being committed to the faith of the whole Church (before the disunion of East and West) as delivered to the Apostles and transmitted to each succeeding generation by faithful bishops and pastors.
APOSTOLIC
The Church maintains the ancient, catholic form of church government: episcopacy, or governance by bishops ordained in historic Succession stretching back to the Apostles themselves. The United Episcopal Church maintains the Scriptural practice of ordaining only men to the orders of deacon, presbyter and Bishop, but maintains the Order of Deaconesses as an ancient lay vocation for women.
PRO-LIFE
In accordance with the Affirmation of St Louis (1977) we believe in the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death.
PRO-MARRIAGE
The United Episcopal Church of North America believes that marriage should be a life-long indissoluble union between one man and one woman. We also accept that marriages can and do fail, and seek to extend proper pastoral support to those whose marriages have failed or are in danger of failing.