About The Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion 

The Episcopal Church is one of 38 self-governing churches, or provinces, which make up the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Communion’s provinces are national and multinational, operating from 164 nations on all seven continents. They are linked by their proclamation of the Catholic and Apostolic faith; their common ecclesiastical (church order or governance) structure, including the historic episcopate; their theological grounding in scripture, tradition and reason; their use of liturgies derived from The Book of Common Prayer; their recognition of the Eucharist as the central act of worship; and through their ties to the Archbishop of Canterbury who serves as the primate (primary leader) of the Church of England and spiritual leader of the Communion.

Member churches are interdependent in terms of sharing of mission work and resources, support for ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, and joint advocacy of peace and justice concerns; but they exercise automony in the ordering of their doctrine, ministry, worship, and means of governance. The Communion does not have a centralized governing authority like the Roman Catholic Church; its life is ordered through council and consultation through three advisory bodies:  the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops; the Anglican Consultative Council; and the Primates Meeting. Only the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) may be considered a representative governing body as it is the only one of the three so-called “Instruments of Unity” with its own constitution and canons (body of church law) and with elected representatives of each province in all four orders: lay people, deacons, priests, and bishops. The Archbishop of Canterbury is recognized as the fourth “Instrument of Unity” because of the Archbishop’s historic role as head of the Communion’s mother church, the Church of England (the Latin word Anglicanus refers to the Angles, the native people of England).

The Episcopal Church came into being in 1784 through the consecration of its first bishop, Samuel Seabury, by bishops of the Episcopal Church of Scotland. The formal establishment of the Episcopal Church came in 1789 with the church’s first General Convention and adoption of its constitution and canons. The General Convention is the primary governing authority in the Episcopal Church and—because of the church’s origins—reflects the structure of the U.S. Congress. The Convention is composed of a House of Deputies (lay and ordained deputies from each diocese) and a House of Bishops (all active and retired bishops). The Convention meets every three years to enact legislation, elect representatives to its governing boards and agencies, issue statements on matters of public policy and faith, and strengthen fellowship between its members and its Anglican, ecumenical and interfaith partners.

The president of the House of Bishops—known as the Presiding Bishop—also serves as the chief executive of The Episcopal Church, which is officially incorporated as The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society. The Episcopal Church headquarters is located in New York City, but there are field offices in Washington D.C. (Office of Governmental Affairs); and New Bern, North Carolina (Office of Pastoral Care). As of 2005, The Episcopal Church numbers 2.4 million members worshipping and witnessing in 7,680 congregations organized in 111 dioceses. The dioceses are organized in nine provinces for mutual support, consultation and coordination of ministry with offices and governing bodies of The Episcopal Church.