It surprises many people entering Anglicanism from other Christian traditions that we use the term ‘parish’. They had always referred to their church as simply “church” or “congregation,” but now they hear the word “parish.” What is a parish? How is it different, and why? Let’s lay out two understandings of what defines a parish. The first is a canonical designation, or how…
Showing the Spirit
At a clergy retreat, I once asked a fellow priest what his church was like. He said that his parish had two groups of people. He raised both hands high in the air, turned his face to the heavens, closed his eyes, and swayed gently. “That’s the first group,” he said. Then, he clasped his…
