There is widespread agreement among clergy and lay leaders on these matters. Nor does anything in the following thoughts lead conclusively to one position or another on controversial questions. Good ones, in fact. The Episcopal Church is sacramental as opposed to confessional. If we have been water-baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity, and if we prepare for and receive the Holy Eucharist in spiritual communion with the Bishop, we are Episcopalians.
Sacramental unity seeks to contain conflict within the boundaries of mutual charity.
By contrast, most Protestant Churches are confessional. Confessional unity seeks to preserve doctrinal purity in the face of conflict. The freedom of discussion which sacramental unity permits can feel dangerous and unboundaried. It takes getting used to. Since the 16th Century, Anglicans have recognized a three-fold basis for authority governing belief and practice.