Anglican Communion

British  

noun

1. a group of Christian Churches including the Church of England, the Church of Ireland, the Episcopal Church in Scotland, the Church in Wales, and the Episcopal Church in the US, all of which are in full communion with each other

---

Anglican Communion Cultural  

1. The group of Christian church es historically based in the Church of England. Anglicans combine Catholic and Protestant elements in their teaching, worship, and government. They have bishops, for example, but do not accept the authority of the pope.

---

Discover More

Nearly all of the churches of the Anglican Communion are in countries that once were possessions of Britain, including the United States, where the Anglican Communion is represented by the Protestant Episcopal Church. Anglicans use the Book of Common Prayer (see also Book of Common Prayer) in worship.

Example Sentences

He has previously insisted the "majority of the Anglican Communion still believes that the Bible requires a male-only episcopacy".

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

Gafcon was formed in 2008 in response to theological differences within the Anglican Communion over the issue of same-sex unions.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

"We see ourselves as a family of autonomous, yet interdependent churches," Bishop Anthony Poggo, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, told the BBC.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

The group was formed in 2008 in response to theological differences within the Anglican Communion, in particular over the issue of same-sex unions.

From BBC • Oct. 3, 2025

It is an odd fact that, though he attended the Anglican Communion service before and after the war, he did not partake of the Communion during the war.

From Washington and His Comrades in Arms; a chronicle of the War of Independence by Wrong, George McKinnon