Theology

Theologians and development practitioners at the The Five Marks of Mission / SDG Bible study writing consultation, Pietermaritzburg, 2019

Anglican and Episcopal churches work to overcome poverty and suffering and to transform communities because of what we believe.

Our vision of a world free of poverty, inequality, conflict and exclusion is rooted in our understanding of God’s mission and special concern for the poor. In the Anglican Communion, we express this through the Five Marks of Mission. Taken as a whole, these five areas reveal the holistic and integral nature of mission, together proclaiming the good news of God’s Kingdom in word and action and bearing witness to God’s ongoing work of love in the world.

We reflect theologically on development to give the churches a strong foundation for their practical work – to tap into the Gospel’s transformational power.

We use a regional lens to explore the Five Marks of Mission that guide the whole of the Anglican Communion in putting its faith into action.

We study Bible passages through the eyes of people from different contexts. These contextual Bible studies become the foundation of our response on priorities in development, relief and advocacy. This helps to connect our faith based understanding with the wider context of issues, such as the Sustainable Development Goals. At the request of the Primates of the Anglican Communion, we have curated a set of Contextual Bible Studies, which set up a conversation between the Anglican Marks of Mission and the Sustainable Development Goals. These are currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French and English.

We think about what highlights of the Church year such as Easter or Pentecost can teach us for our development work.

A shared Christian faith underpins the unity of the churches and agencies that come together in the Anglican Alliance to work for a world free of poverty, inequality, conflict and injustice.

We believe that we are all part of one global community, one creation in God’s image. We believe that the destruction of human dignity through poverty and powerlessness is damaging to the whole of creation. Rooted in this belief is our long tradition of giving and service.

  • Explore the faith base of the Anglican Alliance and our mission in development, relief and advocacy
  • Find resources for worship, reflection, Bible study and prayer
  • Support churches and individuals in prayer.
  • Discover the Prayers for people of four corners of the world, which embodies our mission to bring together people across the Anglican Communion to build a world free of poverty and injustice
  • Read inspiring stories of Anglican and Episcopal churches responding to human need throughout the world