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The Episcopal Church (TEC) has a long history and is one of the provinces of the Anglican Communion that spans 164 countries worldwide with 77 million members. Its origin is in the planting of the Church of England in the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. Anglicans and Episcopalians practice a faith that is liturgically and theologically a bridge between Catholicism and Protestant traditions. They value a balance of scripture, reason and tradition as set forth by the 16th century English theologian Richard Hooker.
Since the end of the American Revolution when American Episcopalians became an independent church TEC became organized on three levels with a General Convention at the national level, individual dioceses, and local parishes. The General Convention which meets every three years is a bicameral organization composed of a upper House of Deputies both lay and ordained from every diocese and a lower House of Bishops who have ultimate legislative authority to authorize and change TEC’s constitution and canons, to ratify bishops, to change the Book of Common Prayer, and to set forth policies and procedures for governance of the Church.
New dioceses are formed with the consent of the General Convention. Each diocese is governed by a locally elected bishop and through diocesan conventions who pass annual budgets, consider resolutions that may be submitted to General Convention, and hear reports from various ministries of a diocese. Clergy within TEC are women and men who are bishops, priests and deacons. Clergy often have spouses while others remain single. All clergy swear loyalty to the “doctrine, discipline, and worship” of TEC. Today, TEC has members in the United States, as well as, in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Ecuador, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Honduras, Micronesia, Taiwan, Venezuela and the Virgin Islands. |
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