Compare
Reformed and Presbyterian ChurchesandAnglican Communion
At a glance
- Common groundIn full: Common ground
- Common inheritanceBoth stand in the Protestant tradition, which grew from the 16th-century Reformation of the Western church, either directly or through later revival and free-church movements.
Source
- Christianity: The First Three Thousand YearsIdentified, not independently read
Provisional: broadly supported, but awaiting fuller checking.
- GodOne God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- Scripture and authorityScripture as the supreme authority for faith and life
- Sacraments and ordinancesTwo sacraments ordained by Christ: Baptism and the Lord's Supper; Infants are baptised
- AgreementBoth are parties to Joint Declaration on Justification (1999) (31 October 1999)
- Common inheritanceBoth stand in the Protestant tradition, which grew from the 16th-century Reformation of the Western church, either directly or through later revival and free-church movements.
- What distinguishes themIn full: What distinguishes them
- Church and ministryReformed and Presbyterian ChurchesElders and ministers in graded courts and synodsAnglican CommunionBishops; autonomous member churches joined in a communion
Below: 1 topic where teaching varies.
- How their histories connectIn full: How their histories connect
- Common ancestry, no direct separation · Both lines lead back to the Western church under Rome; they did not separate from each other.Reformed and Presbyterian Churches took shape in the Reformation of the Western church under Rome (1519–1560); Anglican Communion took shape in the Reformation of the Western church under Rome (1534–1559).
- Connected today?In full: their relationship today
Not yet researched
The Atlas has not yet researched their present relationship. This is a gap, not evidence either way.
Composed from each tradition’s sourced records. Where a topic is not yet recorded for one side, the Atlas says so rather than guess.
Structured comparison. Composed from each tradition’s sourced position records. No research has yet been written for this particular pair, so the Atlas shows only what those records establish.
Where they differ
Church and ministry
Church government
- Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
- Elders and ministers in graded courts and synods
- Anglican Communion
- Bishops; autonomous member churches joined in a communion
Where teaching varies within a tradition (1)
Sacraments and ordinances
Christ's presence in the Eucharist or Lord's Supper
- Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
- Christ received after a heavenly and spiritual manner, by faithWestminster Confession.
- Anglican Communion
- Article XXVIII speaks of receiving Christ 'after an heavenly and spiritual manner'; Anglo-Catholic and evangelical Anglicans interpret Christ's presence very differently.
Not yet comparable (6)
No sourced position is recorded for one side, so the Atlas does not say whether they agree:
- Christ (christ's divinity): not recorded for Anglican Communion
- Christ (how christ's divinity and humanity are expressed): not recorded for Anglican Communion
- Creeds and councils (the nicene creed): not recorded for Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
- Salvation and grace (characteristic emphasis): not recorded for Anglican Communion
- Church and ministry (ministry): not recorded for Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
- Mary and the saints (asking the saints to pray): not recorded for Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
How their histories relate
The Atlas has no researched record of a direct historical relationship between these two. Not every pair of traditions experienced a schism or union with each other. Each took shape in its own way:
Their relationship today
Not yet researched
The Atlas has no researched record of the present relationship between these two. That is a gap in the research, not evidence of any particular relationship.
Developments towards reconciliation
31 October 1999Several communions
Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification
Lutheran World Federation and Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, signed at Augsburg; later joined by the World Methodist Council (2006), the Anglican Consultative Council (2016) and the World Communion of Reformed Churches (2017)
The signatories state 'a consensus in basic truths of the doctrine of justification'; the remaining differences of language, theological elaboration and emphasis are said to be acceptable.Source
- Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, §40Source verified
Still open: The declaration lists open questions, including the relationship between the Word of God and church doctrine, ecclesiology, authority, church unity, ministry, the sacraments and social ethics.
Signed in 1999 and confirmed by an Official Common Statement; the Methodist, Anglican and Reformed world communions later associated themselves with it. The Atlas has not checked reception by each member church.3 sources
- Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ)Source verified
- Letter of Cardinal Kasper and Dr Noko on the fifth anniversary of the Joint DeclarationSource verified
- Official Common Statement and Annex to the Joint DeclarationIdentified, not independently read
Explore further
Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
All citations link to the Atlas’s single source register.