Wider Church
The Parish within the Church of England
Some background information about the place of the Parish in the Church of England, and some links to relevant websites with much more information..
The Parish of Wargrave with Knowl Hill is within the Deanery of Sonning, in the Archdeaconry of Reading, which is a part of the Diocese of Oxford.This is the formal structure of The Church of England, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Working backwards through this organisational structure:
The Anglican Communion
The worldwide Anglican Communion comprises 38 self-governing Member Churches or Provinces that share several things in common including doctrine, ways of worshipping, mission, and a focus of unity in the Archbishop of Canterbury. Formal mechanisms for meeting include the Lambeth Conference. Much more information can be found on the Anglican Communion Official Website
One can also note the role played by Anglican Mainstream, a community within the Anglican Communion committed to promote, teach and maintain the Scriptural truths on which the Anglican Church was founded. These also guarantee its fellowship with Christians down history and throughout the world. Faithfulness to Scripture as God's Word is essential for sharing the love and purpose of God in Jesus Christ.
The Church of England
Full information about its history, doctrine, structure and procedures can be found on its Official Website. Justin Welby has taken up his role as The Archbishop of Canterbury. Its "Governing Body" is The General Synod which meets usually three times a year. A Synod is a formal meeting of Christians by which the Church is governed. These have taken place from the Council of Jerusalem (described in the Bible in Acts 15) onwards, and such General Councils have regulated doctrine and discipline. More locally, synods meet in the various provinces of the Church to govern its affairs. The Church of England has three tiers of Synods: the General Synod; Diocesan Synods, and Deanery Synods.
One can also note the role played by Anglican Mission in England for promoting mission, biblical church planting and the selection, training and deployment of ordinands for mission and ministry, authentically based upon the Bible and our Articles of Religion in the Church of England. It is about protecting unity with those Anglicans looking in on the Church of England and assuring them that they can still maintain unity with us. It also enables Anglican ministers to remain within the Church of England, and gives a true basis for unity among evangelicals within the Church of England and across the Anglican Communion.