From this united Church came the next great missionary ventures—these to northern Europe. St Boniface (d 755) to Germany, where his success included linking the Frankish ruler (Pepin and later his son Charlemagne) to Rome, which ultimately shaped Western Europe; St Anskar (d 865) whose labors in Scandinavia brought the Faith to Denmark, Sweden and north Germany. And from within this Church of England came great saints, spiritual guides and scholars—a discussion that must be deferred to a different venue.

As with the continental churches in the following centuries, relations between the England and its Church were Rome were not always without conflict. Decrees by the Fourth Lateran Council (1205) made the Reformation almost inevitable, as did Vatican intervention on behalf of King John (opposing the Archbishop of Canterbury and barons) that undermined political reforms in the Magna Carta (1215). The parliamentary decrees of 1533-1539 that separated the Church of England from the Vatican were foreshadowed by a series of statutes enacted throughout the preceding century.

The English Reformation is frequently attributed (wrongly) to the reign of King Henry VIII (d 1547), and his several marriages in search of a male heir to the throne. While the Church of England separated from Rome in this period, Henry himself opposed the theology of reformers like Martin Luther (d 1546) and John Calvin (d 1564); neither Crown nor Parliament nor Church imposed change during Henry’s lifetime, save for authorizing translation of the Bible from Latin into the English language, and its becoming available to all people. Both the parliamentary enactments, and Rome’s excommunication of Henry (in 1538), prepared the groundwork for the reformers who emerged during the reigns of Edward VI (1547-1553) and Elizabeth I (1558-1603).

During the reign of Edward VI, the prayers and services of the church were likewise changed from Latin into the English language, so that public worship would be ‘understood by the people’ who attended the services, in the first (1549) and second (1552) editions of the English Book of Common Prayer. A third (1559) edition was issued during the time of Elizabeth—this especially designed to provide theological breadth and tolerance. Worship was to bring Christians together in prayer to God, not (as Elizabeth herself would state it) to ‘force a window into a man’s heart’ to examine his beliefs, or insist upon his acting contrary to conscience. Respect for personal conscience; increasing lay participation in public worship; a renewed appreciation for the ministry of all Christians; and a greater knowledge of the Bible, theology and spirituality, were primary themes of the English Reformers. The contents of the 1559 Elizabethan Prayer Book are substantially repeated in the 1662 edition—which remains in current use within the Church of England, and from which all other Anglican prayer books largely derive. Together, the BCP and the 1611 Authorized (‘King James’) Version of the Bible, fundamentally helped form the modern English language, and are considered its most brilliant expressions.

During the reign of Elizabeth, the third English missionary movement began, initially to North America. In 1579, the first Prayer Book service was conducted near San Francisco, for the crew of Sir Francis Drake’s vessel Golden Hinde. English colonies in what became North Carolina included Anglican clergy, with baptism of a Native American and the child of a settler at what became Sir Walter Raleigh’s ‘Lost Colony’ in 1587. In 1607, English settlers founded the community of Jamestown, Virginia; which included an Anglican church. By contrast, the later northeastern settlements—the Pilgrims (landing at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620) and Puritans (Massachusetts Bay in 1529)—opposed what became known as the Anglican Church in England and its colonies; although significant differences existed in their respective theologies, the Pilgrims and Puritans, and their successive generations, would form what became the Congregational Church (now the United Church of Christ). Excepting the Commonwealth era (1649-1660), during which monarchy and Anglican hierarchy and worship were suppressed in England (Archbishop Laud executed 1645; King Charles I executed 1649), Anglican missions in America were supported by the English government and popular contributions.

Although Anglican clergy began serving North America in the 16th century, their number did not include bishops (the ‘episcopate’) until after the American Revolution. Restricting the American clergy to priests and deacons during the colonial period was intended to mollify New England Puritans, who feared American bishops would foster Anglican dominate. But consequently, all Anglican clergy for the colonies—whether English- or American-born—had to be trained and ordained in England; remain under direction from the Bishop of London; and (if willing) be assigned and transported to America for an extended period. For laity, this had two effects: obviously, a shortage of Anglican clergy; also, it prevented their receiving the sacrament of Confirmation—impeding their partaking Holy Communion even when an Anglican priest was available. To at least address the shortage of clergy, Methodism—a revival movement within the Church of England, begun in Oxford by two brothers who were Anglican priests, John Wesley (d 1791) and Charles Wesley (d 1788)—was introduced in America in the mid-18th century. Although its leadership included the Wesley brothers and other clergy, Methodism (especially in the colonies) relied upon testimonials—in essence, preaching and worship led by dedicated laity with who had not received seminary training or ordination.

Although the American Revolution is popularly associated with New England (hence Puritan areas) sites such as Boston Harbor, Concord and Lexington, Massachusetts, its leaders were predominantly Anglican—two-thirds of the Continental Congress, and signers the Declaration of Independence, were Anglican—as was their chaplain, Rev. William White (d 1836). However, the Revolution decimated the American Church—the Bishop of London and English missionary societies reassigned their clergy elsewhere; others—often considered (accurately or otherwise) allied to the English cause, were forcibly expelled, exiled, or confined to their home or a single parish. Nor were British or Tory forces necessarily well disposed to Anglican churches or clergy: colonial churches were often desecrated—they were often converted to barracks, or used to house animals or store war-material—or destroyed. By the time peace was restored (Treaty of Paris, 1883), many of the former colonies were left with only one or two priests to serve an entire state—and American Anglicans were still without a bishop to ordain priests or deacons in the apostolic succession. It was then that the Methodist movement transformed itself into a separate religious institution (now the United Methodist Church).