The first issue of The Living Church magazine was published on November 2, 1878 by two priests, Samuel Harris of Chicago and John Fulton of Milwaukee. They hoped to awaken and renew their beloved Episcopal Church by encouraging faithful teaching, preaching, and social outreach, and by inspiring the highest quality of music, art, and architecture. From the beginning, The Living Church addressed itself to an audience broader than any single American denomination. The editors had in view the one Body of Christ, joined in fellowship across time and around the world to advance the saving gospel for all.

The small weekly newspaper grew rapidly, nourished by the Anglo-Catholic and ecumenical movements at the time of their greatest flourishing. From 1900-1952, under the editorship of F.C. and Clifford Morehouse, The Living Church earned a nationwide reputation for journalistic integrity and became the major venue for internal discussions of the Episcopal Church’s mission and identity. At the same time, TLC served as a publication of record for ordinations, appointments, obituaries, and official pronouncements.

The Morehouses also pioneered a tradition of distinguished service by our editors in the Episcopal Church’s institutional life, focusing especially on ecumenical relations. F.C. represented the Episcopal Church as a lay delegate to the first Faith and Order meeting at Lausanne in 1927, and Clifford served on the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church and as President of the House of Deputies of General Convention. The same model was followed by later editors. Peter Day became the Episcopal Church’s ecumenical officer. H. Boone Porter, a scholar of liturgy and pastoral theology, helped draft the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Christopher Wells (2009-22) expanded the ministry of TLC is a myriad of ways and is now the Director of Unity, Faith, and Order at the Anglican Communion Office in London. The current Executive Director and Publisher, Matthew S.C. Olver, a priest, liturgical scholar, and seminary professor, has long served the Episcopal Church, including on the Anglican-Roman Catholic Consultation in the U.S. (ARCUSA), the Task Force on Liturgical and Prayer Book Revision, and as a deputy to General Convention.

The Living Church was closely connected for decades with Morehouse Publishing, the Episcopal Church’s main source for high church liturgical resources and theological literature. Though the two entities were formally separated in 1953 when the Living Church Foundation was incorporated, TLC has continued the tradition of publishing resources to help congregations worship faithfully. Since 1983, TLC has published The Episcopal Musician’s Handbook, the essential tool for assisting clergy, musicians and laity in preparing meaningful worship in the Anglican tradition.. The Living Word Plus is a paid subscription containing sermon resources to help engage the Revised Common Lectionary readings for the following Sunday. Illuminations is a lector’s aid for Sunday worship to encourage congregational comprehension. Each weekly downloadable PDF guide provides concise introductions to the lessons as listed in the Prayer Book Lectionary and Revised Common Lectionary.

Over the last decade, the Living Church has played a leading role in helping Anglicans worldwide remain rooted in the historic faith and order of the Church. Alongside direct political service at the General Convention and in the wider councils of the Communion, we have strategically expanded our ministry through a series of educational initiatives we often call “the movement.” Much of our movement work is now spearheaded by the Living Church Institute, founded in 2017. To date, we have hosted more than 30 public conferences, seminars, courses, teaching days, and webinars, in partnership with congregations, dioceses, and churchwide institutions, both at home and abroad. Anglican identity, the call to Christian unity, and reconciliation have been areas of special focus.

Another side of this same strategic work has focused on finding new platforms and means of instruction and encouragement. In 2009, TLC acquired the Covenant weblog, a talented community of women and men that has played a leading role in Anglican affairs since its founding. Now TLC’s online journal, Covenant is without peer in the Anglican Communion as an online locus of sound teaching and deep formation in Christian faith and catholic unity. In 2019, we launched Anglicans Believe, a series of pamphlets focused on classic topics of Anglican theology, such as faith, prayer, and the Eucharist, that are also available for free download in Spanish. During the pandemic of 2020, TLC relaunched The Living Church Podcast, featuring interviews with a range of church leaders, readings from classic texts, and roundtable discussions. Launched in 2022, The Living Church Books, presents historical and theological materials and pastoral resources for Anglican and other Christian readers.

Last but by no means least, gathering Christians together to pray, learn, and build authentic fellowship in Christ has been a key ingredient of our flourishing ministry. We are focused on building networks of leaders who are committed to historic orthodoxy and Christian unity, and we work closely with Communion-minded Anglicans and others around the world who share these goals. This impetus to leadership formation and fellowship dovetails with TLC’s increasingly global reach, governed by an international Foundation of nearly fifty stakeholders. Our dispersed model for staffing enables nimbleness as we stand in solidarity with our many friends and partners — in person, whenever possible.

Editors
Samuel Smith Harris (1878–1879)
John Fulton (1878–1879)
Charles Wesley Leffingwell (1879–1900)
Frederic Cook Morehouse (1900–1932)
Clifford Phelps Morehouse (1932–1952)
Peter Morton Day (1952–1964)
Carroll Eugene Simcox (January 1964 – 1977)
H. Boone Porter (1977–1990)
David Kalvelage (1990–2009)
Christopher Wells (Editor; 2009–2019; Executive Director, 2019-2022)
Mark Michael (Editor of The Living Church magazine; 2019–present)
Matthew S. C. Olver (Executive Director and Publisher; 2023–present)