St. Mark’s shares the historic Christian faith of The Episcopal Church. Rather than creating a separate statement of faith for each parish, Episcopalians confess the faith we have received together in the ancient Creeds of the Church.

When we worship, we confess that faith in the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed.

We believe in one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Son of God, who became human, was crucified, died and rose again. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the giver of life, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

We receive the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the Word of God and as containing all things necessary to salvation. Scripture is read whenever we gather for worship and shapes our common prayer.

At Baptism, we confess this faith in the Apostles’ Creed and then promise to live it. You’ll find more about that in The Baptismal Covenant section below.

Episcopalians don’t have to agree about every question in order to pray, worship, learn and serve together. Our common life begins with the faith we have received and the God in whose presence we gather.

Read the Apostles’ Creed · Read the Nicene Creed

Want to know more?

Being Episcopalian →
A short introduction from The Episcopal Church to our faith, worship, and common life.

Christian faith calls us to follow Jesus Christ with our whole lives.

We learn by doing: worshipping, reading Scripture, praying, receiving Communion, serving other people, admitting when we’ve gone wrong, forgiving and being forgiven, and sharing life with other Christians.

Becoming part of the Church

From the earliest days of Christianity, Baptism has marked the beginning of life in the Church.

In Baptism, water is used in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are joined to Christ, welcomed into God’s family, and begin a life of following Jesus together.

The Episcopal Church baptizes infants, children, and adults.

Thinking about Baptism for yourself or your child? We’d be glad to talk with you.

ASK ABOUT BAPTISM

At Baptism, we confess the Christian faith and make promises about the kind of life we intend to live with God and with one another. Episcopalians call this the Baptismal Covenant.

It begins with the ancient Christian faith expressed in the Apostles’ Creed and then gets very practical. Will we continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship? Resist evil and return to God when we fail? Share the Good News of Christ? Seek and serve Christ in other people? Strive for justice and peace? Respect the dignity of every human being?

Our answer is deliberately humble:

“I will, with God’s help.”

These promises are not a test we pass before belonging to the Church. They describe the life into which we are baptized and the life we spend our years learning to live.

Continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship
Christianity is not meant to be practiced alone. We gather for worship, learn from Scripture, receive Communion, pray, and share life with other Christians.

Persevere in resisting evil, and whenever we fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord
Christians are not people who never get things wrong. We learn to recognize sin, turn around, receive God’s forgiveness, and begin again.

Proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ
We tell the story of Jesus, but our lives should help make that story believable. How we treat people, use our gifts, do our work, forgive, give, and serve are all part of our witness.

Seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself
Christian love reaches beyond the people we naturally like. Jesus teaches us to look for Christ in the person in front of us and to love our neighbors as we would want to be loved ourselves.

Strive for justice and peace among all people
Christian faith changes how we treat people and how we live together. We seek what is fair and right, work toward peace, stand with people who are mistreated, and try to repair what is broken.

Respect the dignity of every human being
Every human being has God-given dignity. That conviction shapes how we speak, disagree, welcome, serve, and live alongside people whose lives or convictions may differ from our own.

The Baptismal Covenant gives Episcopalians something more demanding than a list of positions on the issues of the day. It gives us a shared Christian rule of life and asks us, again and again, to put it into practice.

With God’s help.

Already baptized?

Baptism is the beginning of Christian life, not the end of formation. As we grow in faith, some people choose to make a mature public affirmation of the promises made at Baptism.

In The Episcopal Church, Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation are different ways baptized Christians may publicly affirm their faith with the laying on of hands by a bishop.

Which one applies depends partly on your Christian background and where you are in your life of faith.

If you’re not sure which applies to you, don’t worry. You don’t need to figure out the church terminology before talking with us.

ASK ABOUT NEXT STEPS

Christians have always put Scripture and prayer at the center of Christian life. Episcopalians inherit that ancient practice.

We also believe we need each other.

We hear Scripture together in worship. We pray words shared by Christians around the world. And the Book of Common Prayer gives ordinary people a pattern for praying at home, at work, alone, or with others.

You don’t need a theology degree to begin. Start where you are.

Then:

EXPLORE MORNING PRAYER