Pohick Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Rev. Daniel Cenci (Priest-in-Charge); Rev. Ted Renaud (Assistant Rector)

Founded Colonial-era; current structure completed 1774

Denomination Episcopal Church (The Episcopal Church, USA — TEC)

Service Times Sundays — traditional Anglican liturgy; check website for times

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry Yes

Website pohick.org

Pastor Credentials Not published

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

TEC nominally credal but trajectory permits pluralism.

Caution

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

TEC rejects inerrancy; Scripture alongside tradition, reason, experience.

WARNING!

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

No men's ministry listed among Children's, Youth, Music, Parish Life, Outreach.

WARNING!

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

TEC permits broad soteriological views; not confessionally penal-substitution.

WARNING!

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

Episcopal Church ordains women to all orders and is officially LGBTQ-affirming (blessing of same-sex marriages). Black per rubric.

Male current clergy; TEC denominational policy ordains women and affirms LGBTQ+. Institutional affiliation black per rubric.

Disqualifier

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Rev. Daniel Cenci as Priest-in-Charge; Rev. Ted Renaud as Assistant Rector (both male on fetched info). TEC polity allows female clergy.

WARNING!

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Holy Eucharist Rite I and Rite II services — BCP liturgical.

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

TEC mission is often framed around social justice / reconciliation rather than traditional gospel.

WARNING!

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

TEC officially affirming since 2015 GC marriage-rite vote; Diocese of Virginia is progressive.

Disqualifier

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

The Episcopal Church (TEC), Diocese of Virginia — liberal mainline per rubric, automatic black.

Disqualifier

Assessment

Pohick Church is one of the oldest and most historically significant churches in Northern Virginia — originally built in 1774 and known as the parish of George Washington, George Mason, and other Virginia Founders. It is a landmark of American religious history. However, it remains affiliated with the Episcopal Church (TEC), which has undergone systematic theological abandonment since the 1970s — ordaining women as priests and bishops, affirming same-sex marriage, and ordaining LGBTQ+ clergy. The historic beauty of this church and its colonial American legacy are genuinely compelling, but the TEC institutional framework is doctrinally unreliable. Men seeking sound biblical preaching and complementarian theology should consider ACNA alternatives in Northern Virginia (such as The Falls Church Anglican or Truro Anglican), which left TEC precisely over these issues. Visit Pohick as a history lesson; find a sound church for your soul.

#episcopal#tec#historic#george-washington#colonial#lorton#northern-virginia#not-recommended

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Historic church (George Washington + George Mason served on vestry). TEC institutional trajectory places it in black tier regardless of local parish conservatism. [2026-05-19] MOOP rubric: TEC — affirming since 2003. Already rated black.

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Archived snapshot web.archive.org/web/20260307082309/https://www.pohick.org/
↳ Snapshot of pohick.org (live link)
[2] Live source episcopalvirginia.org/church/pohick-lorton/

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.