About Episcopal Churches

The Episcopal Church of the USA is an institution that makes up a small part of the global Anglican Communion. In the United States, there are 111 dioceses that make up the church, and there are also churches that can be found in Columbia, Taiwan, Venezuela, and numerous other places. The US membership of the Episcopal Church is approximately 2.3 million. It should also be noted that a sizeable portion of the U.S presidents were members of this church. It should be noted that the Episcopal Church is not a state run institution. The United States headquarters for the Episcopal Church is in New York city. The person that sits at the head of this church is called the Presiding Bishop. The Presiding Bishop is the leader of the church, and a woman was recently allowed to become the Presiding Bishop for the first time in 2006.

Once the Presiding Bishop is elected, their term will last approximately nine years. Another important part of the Episcopal Church is the General Convention. The General Convention is considered to be the governing body of the organization. Once every few years, the General Convention will meet together, and the General Convention has a structure which is bicameral. The two most important parts of the General Convention are the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. The House of Deputies will choose four members of the clergy as well as laypersons in order to serve as deputies. The House of Deputies will have a president, and this can be either the clergy or the layperson.

The House of Bishops is comprised of all the bishops from the various dioceses that make up the church. The leader of the House of Bishops is called the Presiding Bishop. The Episcopal Church is a large institution that is split into a number of different provinces. There are a total of nine provinces, and they include most states within the U.S as well as Ecuador, Columbia, Venezuela, and other South American countries. The provinces will be further split into smaller dioceses. While a senior bishop may be assigned to these provinces, they are not given the title of archbishop. The smallest and most important element of the Episcopal Church is the diocese. The person who is the leader over a diocese is the bishop.

The bishop will be the leader over a committee, and every diocese will have a convention once a year. At this time, the standing committee will be elected, as well as the bishops. The Episcopal Church has practices and beliefs which some consider to be a bridge between the Protestant churches and Catholocism. The Episcopal Church has a lineage which extends back to the Church of England. The Episcopal Church is known for using the Book of Common Prayer, as well as electing women to be priests. There are a number of ways that members of the Episcopal Church worship. Some use hymns, while others use chants or hand movements. No matter what style of worship is favored, the Book of Common Prayer is something that all members of the Episcopal Church will use.