Anglican Church in North America
The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a biblically-faithful, mission-driven Anglican province on the North American continent. Constituted in 2009 out of the Common Cause Partnership, the ACNA brings together dioceses, parishes, and ministries committed to the classic Anglican formularies, the Great Commission, and the renewal of the Church in the power of the Holy Spirit. The province includes congregations in the United States and Canada, with additional mission work in Mexico, Guatemala, and Cuba. In June 2024 the College of Bishops elected The Most Rev. Steve Wood as the ACNA’s third Archbishop and Primate.
The ACNA participates fully in the global Anglican realignment, is a recognized partner province within the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches, and is an active member of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) movement. Its life and worship are shaped by the 1662 Book of Common Prayer and the historic Anglican formularies, expressed through vibrant church planting, evangelism, catechesis, and works of mercy.
Identity and Mission
Vision: To reach North America with the transforming love of Jesus Christ and to make disciples who worship, witness, and serve.
Commitments: Biblical authority, apostolic order, gospel proclamation, sacramental life, and conciliar governance.
Worship & Formation: Common prayer, robust catechesis (To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism), and the classical Anglican pattern of scripture, prayer, and sacrament.
History
The ACNA emerged from the Common Cause Partnership (formed 2004), an alliance of orthodox Anglican bodies in North America committed to unity in the gospel and fidelity to Anglican tradition. In December 2008 the partnership approved a provisional constitution and canons; on 22 June 2009 delegates ratified these at St. Vincent’s Cathedral (Texas) and elected Robert Duncan the first Archbishop. Foley Beach succeeded in 2014, and Steve Wood in 2024.
From its beginning, the province has emphasized:
Planting & renewal: Hundreds of congregations planted or strengthened across urban, suburban, rural, and multicultural contexts.
Global partnership: Close fellowship with GAFCON and the Global South, including shared mission, clergy exchange, and mutual recognition.
Liturgical resourcing: Province-wide texts culminating in the 2019 ACNA Book of Common Prayer and an approved edition of the ACNA Catechism.
Doctrine and Worship
The ACNA confesses the faith of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church:
Holy Scripture as the final authority for faith and life.
The Three Creeds: Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian.
The Councils: Receiving the first four ecumenical councils, and the Christological clarifications of the fifth through seventh insofar as agreeable to Scripture.
The Formularies: The 1662 Book of Common Prayer and Ordinal as a standard for doctrine and discipline; the Thirty-Nine Articles (1571) in their literal and grammatical sense as an authentic Anglican confession.
Sacraments: Holy Baptism and Holy Communion instituted by Christ; confirmation, matrimony, absolution, anointing, and orders as ancient sacramental rites of the Church.
Moral teaching: Christian marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman; the sanctity of human life is to be honored from conception to natural death; all Christians are called to holiness, chastity, and charity.
Structure and Governance
The ACNA is a conciliar church:
Parish → Diocese → Province under the pastoral oversight of bishops.
Provincial Assembly (every five years) and Provincial Council (annually) include bishops, clergy, and laity.
College of Bishops elects the Archbishop, confirms episcopal elections, and provides doctrinal and pastoral guidance.
Property: Congregations hold title to their property; the province disclaims trust interest in local church property.
Dioceses
The province is organized into dioceses and jurisdictions across North America (United States and Canada) with additional missionary work in Mexico, Guatemala, and Cuba. Dioceses typically encompass multiple states or regions and include cathedral, parish, church plant, chaplaincy, campus, and ethnic-language ministries. (See: List of ACNA Dioceses on AnglicanWiki for current roster.)
Statistics
- 2024 snapshot
Congregations: 1,000+
Members: ~130,000
Growth focus: evangelism, catechesis, church planting, campus and military chaplaincy, Hispanic/Latino and multicultural ministry, and revitalization of historic parishes.
Ecumenical and Global Relationships
Anglican realignment: Full participation in GAFCON; partner province status within the Global South.
Global fellowship: Warm ties with numerous Anglican provinces across Africa, Asia, and Latin America; mutual participation in synods, mission congresses, and episcopal consecrations.
Other Churches: Constructive dialogues and cooperative initiatives with Orthodox, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic partners, especially on evangelization, marriage and family, sanctity of life, and religious freedom.
Provincial Resources
2019 Book of Common Prayer (ACNA)
To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism (Approved Edition)
Texts for Common Prayer (authorized liturgies)
Church planting, catechesis, clergy formation, and safeguarding resources coordinated through provincial ministries and dioceses.
Leadership
Archbishops: Robert Duncan (2009–2014); Foley Beach (2014–2024); Steve Wood (2024– )
Provincial Pro-Cathedral: Christ Church Plano, Texas
See also
Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches
Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion
External links
Official ACNA website]
[https://bcp2019.anglicanchurch.net
ACNA 2019 Book of Common Prayer]
[https://anglicanchurch.net/learn/acna-catechism/
To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism]