- adapted from a leaflet produced by St Luke's Cedar HIll.

The Anglican Church of today still uses many terms developed over the 2000-year history of Christianity - they are precise and specific, and mostly used only in church settings. This means they carry a lot of historic weight and meaning - but only if they are understood.  When specialist terminology is not understood, it becomes jargon, which can be confusing, and can feel exclusive. But anyone can learn and use this vocabulary - there are no arcane secret meanings. Churches today can contain many different combinations or modern adaptations of these architectural and decorative elements, which combine to give structure and functional significance to the space - they  are visual cues to what's going on where. The Episcopal Church (Anglican in the USA) website has a detailed and comprehensive glossary here. A quick "cheat sheet" is below:

Parts of the Church

NARTHEX: the inside entrance porch or lobby

NAVE: the main body of the church where the congregation sits. (from Latin navis, a ship - the shape of the roof/ceiling often looks like an upturned boat)

CHANCEL: front part of the church, usually raised one or more steps above the nave floor level. There is no chancel in St. Philip; the arch at the front of the nave creates a visual division between the nave and the sanctuary. Pronounced chance'll.

SANCTUARY: the area where the altar is placed, often raised one step above the chancel floor level. This is considered the holiest part of the church and is entered with extra respect, usually only by clergy, servers, chalice bearers, and the altar guild when on duty.

SACRISTY: a room near the altar where the eucharistic vessel and linens are kept. Vestments and other things used in worship may also be kept there, as well as flower vases, cleaning supplies and church registers. Clergy and servers often "vest" (put on their vestments) in this room.

VESTRY: also called VESTING ROOM, often interchangeable with SACRISTY. This word is also used for a parish's Annual General Meeting, the Vestry Meeting - this stems from the English tradition of church leaders holding church business meetings in the vestry room.

Church furniture and furnishings

PEWS: usually uncomfortable benches where the congregation sits.

FONT: basin for holding water used for baptisms. Often with an ornate base/stand.

LECTERN: rest or stand for the Bible used for reading scripture during services

PULPIT: an elevated platform or reading desk, often partly enclosed up to desk height, used for preaching sermons. In some churches (such as St Philip) there is no separate lectern and lessons are read from the lectern inside the pulpit. In modern times it has become more common to preach simply standing at the front of the church rather than in the pulpit.

PRIE-DIEU: A prayer desk incorporating a seat, small desk and kneeler, where the priest may sit and pray at certain points during a service. There is a prie dieu consisting of a separate chair and prayer desk with kneeler at St Philip but it is not regularly in use. It can be seen against the south wall near the front of the nave, behind the chairs. (French, "pray to God")

PROCESSIONAL CROSS: carried in front of the choir and/or clergy upon entering and leaving the church.

BANNER: textile hangings, changed regularly throughout the year - colours and symbols/motifs are used to mark liturgical feasts, seasons, and events such as weddings or funerals.

ALTAR RAIL:  low railing on the sanctuary step, physically dividing the sanctuary from the rest of the church space. There are often kneelers on the step in front of the railing; communion may be received here.

ALTAR: a consecrated table of wood or stone. The Holy Eucharist is celebrated upon it. Traditionally it was placed against the east end of the church; in this arrangement, the priest serves facing east, away from and in the same direction as the people. Later the altar in many churches was moved out from the wall; in this arrangement, which is in use at St Philip,  the priest serves on the other side of the table, facing west (facing the people). Still later, in many churches the altar has been moved forward to the front of the nave, much closer to the congregation.

CREDENCE TABLE: a small side table for holding the eucharistic vessels and elements during a service. Pronounced cree-dunce.

REREDOS: decorated cloth hanging or carved wood on the wall behind/above the altar. At St Philip, there is a large cross in this position. pronounced rare-a-doss.

RETABLE: a shelf behind the altar where candles, flowers and an altar cross may be kept. 

MISSAL: the liturgical book containing the full text of the Eucharist service. Pronounced miss'll.

MISSAL STAND: a stand or cushion for the MIssal to rest on

ANTEPENDIUM: a textile hanging

PARAMENTS: collective term for all the church textiles

Candles

Priest's vestments (ceremonial clothing)

Communion: Eucharistic Vessels, elements & linens

Other items found/used in church

Liturgical colours

Roles, titles, and administrative units

Photo by Alejandro Morelos on Unsplash