“T” asks: “What’s difference between Anglican and Episcopalian?” And just a week or so earlier, “D” asked “What do you know about that “Anglican” church on Belleview Ave?
Great questions, and ones that I get often enough (and try to cover in my Episcopal 101 classes!). It primarily is a question of history, well, of a two-part history.
Part One: When English colonists came to this side of the Atlantic, they were all part of the Church of England. And they remained Church of England folks until the colonies decided that independence was a better option. The only problem, of course, was that becoming politically independent didn’t change the fact that they wanted to continue worshipping as they had for centuries. Political independence also meant that praying for the reigning monarch in England was no longer going to be done. And, it meant that self-rule/governance for the American church was necessary. So, the American church developed its own Book of Common Prayer in 1789 (a revision of the then-current 1662 English Prayer Book), and became the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (“episcopal” making reference to how the church was governed–that is, by bishops). As the national temperatures cooled after the Revolutionary War, the American church established relationships with its English parent, but needed to remain separate. It would no longer be Church of England, but “Anglican”. Many of the other English colonial churches also adopted “Anglican” as part of their official name, on the one hand to show their connection with the Church of England (specifically the Archbishop of Canterbury) while maintaining their local identities (e.g., the Anglican Church of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Australia).
So, to answer your question briefly, Episcopalians are “Anglicans” because of the continuing connection with the Anglican Communion, whose titular head is the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Part Two: Fast forward two hundred years, and the Episcopal Church (as well as other Christian and Anglican bodies) began to “modernize”. For churches (including the Roman Catholic Church) that used Prayer Books for worship, that suggested prayer book revision. Some American Episcopalians did not want a revised Prayer Book, and separated from the Episcopal Church. They wanted to retain their connection to their Anglican heritage, and began referring to themselves as “Anglicans”. Similarly, other Episcopalians dissented from the Episcopal Church’s ordination of women, and then, the ordination (even to the episcopate) of gay and lesbian person. Some, too, separated from the Episcopal Church (although they may have retained use of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer). As was the case with the earlier dissenters, they claimed that they were the “true” descendants of the Church of England, and claimed the name “Anglican” to show that linkage. “Resurrection Anglican Fellowship” on Belleview (to the east of I-25) is one of those churches. While these Non-Episcopal Church groups claim roots in the Church of England, they are not considered part of the Global Anglican Communion (a list of members of which can be found here: https://www.anglicancommunion.org/structures/member-churches.aspx)
A bit confusing, I know. But, for the most part, if you see “Anglican” on a church sign—as part of the church’s name, it probably is not an Episcopal church in the same denominational way as is Good Shepherd.
(The image attached to this article is the “Compass Rose” the symbol of the Worldwide Anglican Communion. The “slogan” in the middle is Greek, and, translated, reads, “The truth will set you free”.)