St. Peter's Episcopal Church was first organized in 1844 and is one of the oldest churches in Hillsdale County. Over the last 150+ years, it has been rooted in the traditional priest-centered parish life. Recently, since October of 2006, we have moved into a new form of parish life, called the "Ministry of the Baptized".

What is the Ministry of the Baptized?
This concept, which is also called "Shared Ministry", "Mutual Ministry" or "Total Common Ministry", is based in Scripture and the practice of the early church. To be baptized is to become one who accepts the call to serve others. Through baptism, we are all ordained to ministry. Therefore, the concept of the Ministry of the Baptized, centers not on a leadership model structured around a hierarchy of those of greater or lesser importance, but around the mutual nurturing of the gifts of all members of the community.

Spiritual Gifts
We are all born with spiritual gifts. These gifts include healing, discernment, faith, intercession, mercy, administration, leadership, evangelism, encouragement, hospitality, teaching, giving and helping. In the Ministry of the Baptized model, each member of the congregation is encouraged to discover and begin to use and hone their gifts for their own self-growth, as well as benefiting the rest of the church family and the extended community as well. Some questions you can ask yourself to discover what your gifts are include: What do you do that comes naturally and easily? What do you do that often gets compliments or positive feedback from others? What do you do that makes your heart sing?

"The place God calls you to
is the place where your deep gladness and
the worlds deep hunger meet".
From Wishful Thinking, by Frederick Buechner

The Promise, the Covenant
To make the transition from a priest-centered community to a shared ministry community, a group must be formed to start the process and hold the intent for this new change. Volunteers from the congregation form this group, and train for 3 years. They study many things, including church history, the history and use of the Book of Common Prayer, liturgical planning, the church calendar, pastoral care, as well as developing their own special gifts. At the end of training, a discernment process occurs, so the various positions needed in the church can be filled from within this Covenant Group, such as the role of priest, deacon, worship team, eucharistic visitors and ministers and the pastoral care team. Once the original group completes the 3 year cycle, a new group is formed to begin the process again to train more qualified individuals.

In the interim, services continue every Sunday at St. Peter's. "Supply Priests" come to lead us in worship and administer Holy Communion and on alternate Sundays, Morning Prayer is our form of worship.

What does it mean to be an Episcopalian?
The Episcopal Church has it's roots in the Church of England and is also an Anglican Church. The Anglican Church considers itself directly descended from the Early Church as do the Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox churches. Episcopalians celebrate the "Mass" in ways similar to the Roman Catholic tradition, but do not recognize a single authority, such as the Pope of Rome. The Episcopal Church is a uniquely American branch of the Anglican faith.

Our worship is centered around the "Book of Common Prayer" that was first compiled in the 16th Century by Thomas Cranmer. Since that time, it has undergone many revisions, but it's original purpose has remained the same: To provide in one place the core of the instructions and rites for the Anglican Christians to worship together. It explains Christianity, describes the main beliefs of the church, outlines the requirements for the sacraments and in general serves as the main guideline for the Episcopal life.

(For more information on the history and practices of the Episcopal and Anglican faith, please visit the LINKS section to visit their official web sites).