Anglican Church of Zealandia

== The Anglican Church of Zealandia ==
The Anglican Church of Zealandia is the predominant religious group in the country, and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. According to Stats Zealandia, over 5 million Zealandians identify as Anglican, though few of these people regularly attend church services. The Anglican Church functions as the established Church of the country, though religious role in society and government has waned significantly from the proclamation of the state's establishment of the Church in 1801. Today, the Anglican Church leads clergy in on State occasions, and the Anglican Church is generally the religious body used to head ceremonies of state leadership such as state funerals, state Christmas galas and other gatherings, as well as the Anglican Bishop of Moynaq administering both the Presidential and Prime Minister's oath of office.
== History ==
Contact with the Anglican Church began upon the arrival of Captain James Cook in 1769, when English Priest Samuel Marsden established the first Anglican Mission in Moynaq. As British contact with Zealandia increased, more and more missionaries began to arrive from England and spread their teachings. in 1779, English missionary Thomas Pickerington made the first transcription of the Bible into Axipaal, which shot up the effectiveness of English missionaries throughout the country. The number of Zealandian converts grew rapidly throughout the 1780s, 1790s and the first decade of the 19th century, and the native Zealandians began to incorporate Christian teachings into their worldview. By 1801, the Archbishop of Canterbury recognized the Anglican Church of Zealandia as a province of the Anglican Church, as Zealandia had previously been under the authority of the Archbishop of Calcutta. 
== Demographics ==
The Anglican Church of Zealandia is by far the largest Christian denomination in the country, followed by Catholicism and other Protestant sects. In 2015, 58% of Zealandians identify as Anglicans, a decrease from 62% in 2010. Anglicanism is largely confined to the indigenous Axipaal, as most other immigrant groups bring their own traditions with them.
== Society, Arts and Culture ==
The Church plays a significant role in education, largely in pre-primary education and childcare. The church is affiliated with some private institutions, mostly universities, as Zealandian law protecting public schooling makes running private primary education institutions difficult and cost-prohibitive. 
The Anglican Church, when it first arrived, built its own places of worship, but as more and more of the population was converted throughout the late 18th century and early 19th century, the Church began to take over buildings, temples and shrines built by pre-christian Zealandia. This has led to a great diversity in Church styles throughout the country, with some churches following architectural patterns brought from Europe and many others carrying on or preserving indigenous architectural styles. 
=== Ordination of Women ===
The Church permits the ordination of female priests, and the Church of Zealandia ordained its first female priest in 1989. In 2006, the Church appointed its first female Bishop, Rev. Isabel Aastersen of Kincardine.
== Alignment with other churches ==
The Anglican Church of Zealandia is a member of the Christian Conference of Asia.
The Anglican Church of Zealandia is a Autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, and regularly works alongside the Church of England, the Episcopal Church of the United States, and the Anglican Churches of Canada and Australia.