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Our Background
The Reformed Episcopal Church was organized in New York City in 1873 by eight clergymen and twenty laymen who were formerly priests and members of the Protestant Episcopal Church. A long debate over the excessive ritualism and exclusive attitude of the Protestant Episcopal Church toward other denominations lay behind the separation. The immediate cause of the division lay in the participation of Bishop George David Cummins, Assistant Bishop of Kentucky, at a Communion Service held in the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. In the face of criticism and with the conviction that the evangelical and catholic nature and mission of the Protestant Episcopal Church were being lost, Bishop Cummins resigned as Assistant Bishop of Kentucky and transferred his Episcopal oversight to a new jurisdiction called the Reformed Episcopal Church.
Doctrine and organization of the Reformed Episcopal Church are similar to that of her parent Church with several important exceptions:
Holy Scripture is the highest authority in the Reformed Episcopal Church.
The Reformed Episcopal Church vigorously holds to the plain understanding of the 39 Articles of Religion of the English Reformation and adopted them as the doctrinal standard of the Church at her founding.
Clergymen ordained as Presbyters in other churches may be received into the ministry of the Reformed Episcopal Church. If their ordination is irregular, such orders are regularized by the laying on of hands of a Bishop. Members are admitted on letters of dismissal from other Protestant denominations.
Worship is liturgical. At Sunday morning worship, the use of the Prayer Book, recently revised to conform with the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (BCP), is required. The 1928 BCP is also authorized for use. At other services the use of the Prayer book is optional while at any service extemporaneous prayer may be used by the minister.
The triennial General Council of the Reformed Episcopal Church is not like the General Convention of the Episcopal Church USA since her bishops do not constitute a separate house but, rather, vote with the Clergy.
The Reformed Episcopal Church has added over fifty new parishes and missions in the last decade. Foreign missions are maintained in India, Liberia, France, Uganda, Brazil, and Germany. In India there is a primary school, hospital, and orphanage. In Liberia there are twenty parishes with a membership of over 3000. There are three Theological Institutions within the United States (Philadelphia, PA; Summerville, S.C.; Houston, TX). The Reformed Episcopal Church is in fellowship through concordat with the Free Church of England (Otherwise known as the Reformed Episcopal Church in England) and the Anglican Province of America.
Our Worship
The Reformed Episcopal Church has recently issued a new Book of Common Prayer, but it is a very conservative work. It has the 1928 service for Holy Communion, and the 1662 service for Holy Communion. Of course it has the usual services for Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer in it along with all the other normal parts. We would love to have you visit us to see for yourself!
This work has the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion in it, which is not just an interesting historical statement but the doctrinal statement of the Reformed Episcopal Church, unchanged from the 1500s. We also have restored the Athanasian Creed to the Prayer Book, along with retaining the Apostles' and Nicene creeds.
Holy Scripture is the highest authority in the Reformed Episcopal Church, and we think this edition of the Book of Common Prayer is based solidly on Holy Scripture.
We do not just say that we are Bible centered, but we practice it with large portions of the Bible read in each service. The preaching is from the Bible from a man who recognizes its infallibility.
Moreover, the triune God is the center of all our worship services with hymns that reflect who He is and His grace in Christ, God and man in one person forever. Come and see!
The Truth about Holy Scripture without Embarrassment
We teach the Bible as the infallible word of God without pulling punches. We are not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, of things like the Virgin Birth. We take a stand on immorality without compromise but with love.
Join us for a Bible study in The Woodlands Wednesday nights 7:30
The Reformed Episcopal Church:
- Historic (since 1873)
- Apostolic
- Credal
- Reformation
- Evangelical
- Liturgical
- Still believing the Bible to be the Word of God
It is a shame that today so many ministers are getting away from the written Word of God, the Holy Scriptures. Everything we believe is based on Scripture so how much more should we pour over this old Book. We in the Reformed Episcopal Church and here at St. Francis are committed to the Bible as the last word on everything of which it speaks, especially our salvation. We are committed to the ancient creeds, but that is because they accurately reflect the teaching of the Bible. Our culture does not care what God says, it prefers to have its own word to God’s Word. Proverbs 29:18 states: “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but happy is he who keeps the law.” This means that when the Word of God is not proclaimed, people “cast off restraint,” giving themselves over to sin and calling it “tolerance” and even righteousness. Come join us as we study the infallible word of the living God.
A Brief History of the REC: George David Cummins
The Reformed Episcopal Church was organized in New York City in 1873 by eight clergymen and twenty laymen who were formerly priests and members of the Protestant Episcopal Church. A long debate over the excessive ritualism and exclusive attitude of the Protestant Episcopal Church toward other denominations lay behind the separation. The immediate cause of the division lay in the participation of Bishop George David Cummins, Assistant Bishop of Kentucky, at a Communion Service held in the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. In the face of criticism and with the conviction that the evangelical and catholic nature and mission of the Protestant Episcopal Church were being lost, Bishop Cummins resigned as Assistant Bishop of Kentucky and transferred his Episcopal oversight to a new jurisdiction called the Reformed Episcopal Church.
Doctrine and organization of the Reformed Episcopal Church are similar to that of her parent Church with several important exceptions:
Holy Scripture is the highest authority in the Reformed Episcopal Church.
The Reformed Episcopal Church vigorously holds to the plain understanding of the 39 Articles of Religion of the English Reformation and adopted them as the doctrinal standard of the Church at her founding.
Clergymen ordained as Presbyters in other churches may be received into the ministry of the Reformed Episcopal Church. If their ordination is irregular, such orders are regularized by the laying on of hands of a Bishop. Members are admitted on letters of dismissal from other Protestant denominations.
Worship is liturgical. At Sunday morning worship, the use of the Prayer Book, recently revised to conform with the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (BCP), is required. The 1928 BCP is also authorized for use. At other services the use of the Prayer book is optional while at any service extemporaneous prayer may be used by the minister.
The triennial General Council of the Reformed Episcopal Church is not like the General Convention of the Episcopal Church USA since her bishops do not constitute a separate house but, rather, vote with the Clergy.
The Reformed Episcopal Church has added over fifty new parishes and missions in the last decade. Foreign missions are maintained in India, Liberia, France, Uganda, Brazil, and Germany. In India there is a primary school, hospital, and orphanage. In Liberia there are twenty parishes with a membership of over 3000. There are three Theological Institutions within the United States (Philadelphia, PA; Summerville, S.C.; Houston, TX). The Reformed Episcopal Church is in fellowship through concordat with the Free Church of England (Otherwise known as the Reformed Episcopal Church in England) and the Anglican Province of America. There are 13,422 members in 137 local parishes and missions.
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