Articles XIX of the 39 Articles of the Church of England reads:
“THE visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men, in the which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be duly ministered according to Christ’s ordinance in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same.
As the Church of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch, have erred; so also the Church of Rome hath erred, not only in their living and manner of Ceremonies, but also in matters of Faith.”
Why would the English Reformers emphasize preaching along with the sacraments? According to author Philip E. Hughes prior to the 16th Century Reformation preaching ‘had ceased to be a function of the church’. (pg 121).
Why?
Because the Bishops failed in their oversight of their Dioceses. Often Bishops did not live in their Diocese and these titles apparently were for purchase but without an intent to care for the souls in the Diocese. This situation led inevitably to the decline and absence of preaching.
But the ‘rediscovery of the Word of God’ (pg 121) led to the rediscovery of the need for preaching. As the English reformers read the the New Testament is was evident that Jesus was a preacher as were the Apostles. Including the Apostle Paul who says in I Cor 1:17a, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel….”
The English Reformers therefore believed that Apostolic preaching must be reinstituted in the Church for its ‘renewal’ (pg 121).
Therefore you have XIX Article with its definition of the visible church: the visible church is where….the pure Word of God is preached.
Views from an Evangelist 