New to AOC?

The Anglican Orthodox Church (AOC) is one of the older conservative Anglican denominations in the United States (founded in 1963) that is not in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury of the Church of England due to the abandonment of Reformation doctrine by that church. Our founding bishop was James Parker Dees who left the Episcopal Church over issues of immoral policies and perceived doctrinal error. He served as Presiding Bishop of the AOC until his death on December 25, 1990.

The Anglican Orthodox Church today firmly holds to the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, the use of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, the Homilies, and the King James Version of the Bible. The Bible is believed by the AOC to be the divinely inspired word of God and to contain all that is necessary for salvation. Additionally, the church preaches the importance of biblical morality both in an individual’s life and as public policy.

The AOC strongly identifies itself as being in the Anglican low church tradition and rejects the use of the title “Father” for its clergy, many of the priestly vestments commonly used in other Anglican jurisdictions, and any veneration of the saints.

The church has been led by the Most Reverend Dr. Jerry Ogles of Enterprise, Alabama since October 22, 2000. He is the Bishop of the United States and the Metropolitan of the Anglican Orthodox Church’s worldwide communion.

The Anglican Orthodox Church was organized on November 16, 1963 to preserve the basic tenets of Biblical Faith, namely:
• The Biblical Faith as once given (Jude 3)
• The 1928 Book of Common Prayer (Praying Scripture)
• The Thirty-nine Articles of Religion (Statement of Faith)
• The Biblical Morality and Worldview

The Anglican Orthodox Church was established by the Most Reverend James Parker Dees, who was a priest, and others who saw that the Episcopal Church was rapidly repudiating its foundations. They wanted to preserve their traditions of the Reformed church as expressed through the Anglican tradition. The Anglican Orthodox Church focuses worship on God as He has commanded. The Bible makes it plain that individuals cannot come before God in their own right, because of the sinful nature of men who have disobeyed Him.

The Bible also makes plain that God has wrought in history a great program of salvation by which sinners are forgiven and again brought into communion with Him. That program is centered on the work of Jesus the Son of God, who was born of the virgin Mary in order that He might become our representative before God living for us bearing in His death the punishment for our sin.

Jesus declared, “No man cometh unto the Father but by me.”