What do the initials / acronym ARCIC or CoGS stand for? Churches, like other communities and organizations, tend to use many acronyms, initialisms and abbreviations. These written shortcuts can make it difficult to easily read a document or participate in a discussion. They may also be perceived as unwelcoming or insensitive to individuals who are “not in the know”. Acronyms are popular because they save time (reading and writing) and will never be absent from our communications but in the interest of making sense of the church’s “alphabet soup” we list here some of the commonest abbreviations, acronyms and initialisms to be found in Anglican Church documents and discussions.
If you come across an abbreviation or acronym NOT on this list please send an e-mail [email protected] and we will reply directly and add it to this list.
A
| ABC |
Anglican Book Centre OR Archbishop of Canterbury |
| ACC |
Anglican Church of Canada OR Anglican Consultative Council |
| ACIP |
Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples |
| ACNS |
Anglican Communion News Service |
| ACO |
Anglican Communion Office |
| ACP |
Associated Church Press |
| ACR |
Anglican Centre in Rome |
| AF |
Anglican Foundation |
| AJ |
Anglican Journal |
| ALIC |
Anglican Lutheran International Commission |
| ANIC |
Anglican Network in Canada |
| ANS |
Anglican News Service (Anglican Church of Canada Press Release) |
| ARCIC |
Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission |
B
| BAS |
Book of Alternative Services |
| BCP |
Book of Common Prayer |
| BSSU |
Blessing of Same Sex Unions |
C
| CA |
Church Army |
| CCC |
Canadian Council of Churches |
| CCCB |
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops |
| CCP |
Canadian Church Press |
| CEP |
Continuing Education Plan |
| CIRC |
Communications and Information Resources Committee |
| CMS |
Church Mission Society (formerly Church Missionary Society) |
| CofE |
Church of England |
| CoGS |
Council of General Synod |
| CSC |
Community of the Sisters of the Church |
E
| ECUSA |
Episcopal Church of the USA (also known as TEC or The Episcopal Church) |
| ELCA |
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America |
| ELCIC |
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada |
| ENI |
Ecumenical News International |
| ENS |
Episcopal News Service |
F
| FWM |
Faith, Worship and Ministry |
G
| GS |
General Secretary OR General Synod |
H
I
| IARCCUM |
International Anglican – Roman Catholic Commission on Unity and Mission |
| IASCER |
Inter Anglican Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations |
| IATDC |
Inter Anglican Theological and Doctrinal Commission |
| ICAOTD |
International Commission for Anglican – Orthodox Theological Dialogue |
| IRSRC |
Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada |
L
| LWI |
Lutheran World International |
M
| MISAG |
Mission Issues and Strategy Advisory Group |
| MRI |
Mutual Responsibility and Interdependence |
| MSCC |
Missionary Society of the Church in Canada |
N
| NCC |
National Council of Churches (also known as National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA) |
| NEC |
National Executive Council (predecessor to Council of General Synod (CoGS) |
| NIAB |
National Indigenous Anglican Bishop |
O
| OHC |
Order of the Holy Cross |
P
| PBS |
Prayer Book Society |
| PBSC |
Prayer Book Society of Canada |
| PWRDF |
Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund |
S
| SSJD |
Sisterhood of St. John the Divine |
T
| TEC |
The Episcopal Church (or Episcopal Church USA, ECUSA) |
U
| UCC |
United Church of Canada |
V
| VIM |
Volunteers in Mission |
W
| WACC |
World Association for Christian Communication |
| WCC |
World Council of Churches |
