As the Empire waned and countries found independence so autonomous national churches emerged and the world-wide Anglican Communion formed. This is a network of Churches which share common roots in theology, worship, history and structure and includes churches such as the Episcopal Church of the United States. Each Province has its own Archbishop , and the Archbishop of Canterbury is the Primate . The key words are unity and diversity . The average Anglican now is male, coloured, under thirty five and living in an emerging southern country .
Anglican theology is rooted in the Bible .
It affirms belief in the Trinity , the divinity of Jesus Christ and His death on the cross, His bodily resurrection and the new life that flows from that and is received through faith. The doctrine of the Church of England and most other Churches of the Anglican Communion is found in the Thirty Nine Articles . This is a series of doctrinal statements formulated at the time of the Protestant Reformation, to be found in the Book of Common Prayer . There is great breadth of theological emphases and practice within the Anglican Church, ranging from conservative Evangelicals through to Anglo-Catholics. Anglicans believe in two sacraments , baptism and Holy Communion.