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Anglican / Episcopal vs. Pentecostal

A side-by-side comparison of Anglican / Episcopal and Pentecostal teaching on 16 questions, from Scripture and salvation to baptism, communion and church government.

Anglican / Episcopal

The Anglican Communion descends from the Church of England, which broke with Rome in the 1530s while keeping bishops and much of the older liturgy. The Episcopal Church is its American branch. It describes itself as both catholic and Reformed.

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Pentecostal

Pentecostalism began in the early 1900s, notably at the Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles. It teaches that the gifts of the Holy Spirit described in Acts and 1 Corinthians, including tongues and healing, are active today. It is among the fastest-growing Christian movements.

More about Pentecostal Christianity

At a glance

Where they differ: Authority: Scripture and tradition; Baptism; Sacraments or ordinances; Style of worship.

Varies within one or both: Predestination and free will; Communion (the Lord’s Supper); Church government; Clergy and women in ministry; Mary and the saints; The Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts.

Where they agree: Books of the Bible; The Trinity; How a person is saved; Can a saved person fall away?; Death, purgatory and hell; Day of worship.

Side by side

Question	Anglican / Episcopal	Pentecostal
Authority: Scripture and traditionDiffer	Scripture holds first place, and it is read with the help of tradition and reason. This threefold approach is often traced to the theologian Richard Hooker.	The Bible is the inspired and final authority. Believers also expect the Holy Spirit to guide them personally, always tested against Scripture.
Books of the BibleAgree	66 books as Scripture. The Thirty-Nine Articles say the Apocrypha may be read “for example of life and instruction of manners,” but not to establish doctrine.	66 books.
The TrinityAgree	One God in three persons. The creeds are recited in worship and are part of the Book of Common Prayer.	Most Pentecostals, including the Assemblies of God, are Trinitarian. A smaller “Oneness” wing rejects the doctrine and teaches that Father, Son and Spirit are modes of one person.
How a person is savedAgree	Article XI teaches that we are justified by faith only. Anglicans differ on how this fits with the sacraments, with Evangelicals stressing faith and Anglo-Catholics stressing baptism and the Eucharist.	Saved by grace through faith in Christ, usually with an emphasis on new birth and a personal experience of conversion. It is often followed by a distinct experience called baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Can a saved person fall away?Agree	Yes. Article XVI says a believer may depart from grace given and fall into sin, and by God’s grace rise again and amend his life.	Most classical Pentecostal bodies, such as the Assemblies of God, hold that a believer can forfeit salvation, though some Pentecostals teach eternal security.
Predestination and free willVaries	Article XVII affirms predestination in gentle terms. Anglicans range from Calvinists to Arminians, and the church has never enforced one view.	Generally Arminian: Christ died for all, and each person can accept or refuse. A small number of Reformed Pentecostals hold to election.
BaptismDiffer	A sacrament of new birth into the church. Infants and adults are baptized, by pouring or immersion. Anglicans differ on how closely baptism is tied to regeneration.	Believer’s baptism by immersion, as an act of obedience and a public witness. Baptism is distinguished from baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Communion (the Lord’s Supper)Varies	The Eucharist. Anglicans affirm Christ’s presence but leave the manner open, from real presence among Anglo-Catholics to a spiritual or memorial view among Evangelicals.	An ordinance in memory of Christ’s death. It is often marked with a sense of God’s presence and healing.
Sacraments or ordinancesDiffer	Two sacraments “ordained by Christ,” baptism and the Eucharist. Five other rites, including confirmation and marriage, are called sacramental rites, and Anglo-Catholics often count all seven.	Two ordinances, water baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Some Pentecostal groups add foot washing.
Church governmentVaries	Governed by bishops, with a presiding archbishop in each province. The Archbishop of Canterbury is a symbolic leader of the communion, without authority over other provinces.	Varies. The Assemblies of God combines congregational and presbyterian features, and the Church of God in Christ has bishops.
Clergy and women in ministryVaries	Varies. Many provinces ordain women as priests and bishops, while some do not. Clergy may marry.	Varies. The Assemblies of God ordains women, and some other Pentecostal bodies reserve pastoral office for men.
Mary and the saintsVaries	Varies. Anglo-Catholics ask for Mary’s and the saints’ prayers, while Evangelical Anglicans do not. Official teaching honors the saints, but Article XXII calls the invocation of saints “a fond thing vainly invented,” so Anglo-Catholic practice goes beyond the formal doctrine.	Mary is honored as the mother of Jesus. Pentecostals do not pray to her or the saints.
Death, purgatory and hellAgree	Article XXII rejects the “Romish doctrine concerning Purgatory.” Some Anglo-Catholics pray for the dead and hold a gentler view of the intermediate state.	Believers go directly into Christ’s presence at death. Pentecostals hold to a literal heaven and hell and expect the return of Christ.
Style of worshipDiffer	Liturgical, following the Book of Common Prayer or a modern equivalent. Styles range from ornate “high church” to simple “low church” services.	Expressive and Spirit-led, with lively music, spontaneous prayer, testimony and an openness to prophecy, tongues and healing.
The Holy Spirit and spiritual giftsVaries	Varies. Anglicanism includes a large charismatic wing, and other Anglicans give little emphasis to gifts.	All the gifts of the Spirit continue today. Most teach baptism in the Holy Spirit as a separate experience after conversion, and many teach speaking in tongues as the initial sign of it.
Day of worshipAgree	Sunday.	Sunday.
Best known for	The Book of Common Prayer, bishops, and a middle path between Catholic and Protestant traditions.	Speaking in tongues, healing, lively worship and rapid growth in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

“Agree” means the two traditions take the same broad position, although the wording above may still note finer differences. “Varies” means at least one of the two is itself divided on the question, so no single position can be given. These summaries describe typical teaching, and individual churches may vary. For an authoritative statement, consult each denomination’s own confessions.

Anglican / Episcopal vs. Pentecostal