Who we are
The Episcopal Church welcomes all who worship Jesus Christ.
As Episcopalians, we believe in and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world.
We believe that God loves you – no exceptions.
The Episcopal Church embraces a legacy of inclusion, aspiring to tell and exemplify God’s love for every human being.
The mission of the church, as stated in the Book of Common Prayer’s catechism, is “to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.”
In step with that mission, The Episcopal Church follows Jesus into loving, liberating, and life-giving relationships with God, with each other, and with the earth.
We are the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement.
Church History
While the church building in West Ashley was constructed in the 1970s and the name eventually changed from St. Peter’s to the Church of the Good Shepherd, the origins of the congregation date back to its initial location as St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on Logan Street in downtown Charleston, founded in 1833. That building was destroyed by fire in 1861, but the cemetery remains to this day.
In 1927, the congregation reorganized and merged with Christ Church on Rutledge Avenue to form a new St. Peter’s on that site. It moved to West Ashley in 1973. As our diocese looks to reopen the church, it will return to the historic name of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.
