Structure & Regions of the Diocese

The Episcopal Diocese of Washington is made up of 88 churches, and Washington National Cathedral, in the District of Columbia and the Maryland counties of Charles, St. Mary's, Prince George's and Montgomery. The churches of the diocese are organized into six regions.

The diocese is led by the ninth Episcopal Bishop of Washington, Mariann Edgar Budde. It is administered from Episcopal Church House on the grounds of Washington National Cathedral. 

Regions

The Diocese is divided into six election districts of roughly equal representation. Each region elects a regional convener, and a clergy representative and lay representative to Diocesan Council. Some regions do ministry together and share resources, either as an entire region or a sub-section. At other times it makes more sense to cross regional lines. For a complete listing of the regions and their congregations, see the parish directory.
 

Regional Assemblies

A Regional Assembly is an annual meeting of the Bishop and clergy and delegates from the congregations of the six geographic regions of the Diocese. There may be a separate Regional Assembly for each region, or two or more regions may be combined for one Assembly. This takes place in October or November. (See Diocesan Canon 10 [pdf] for full explanation.) 

Click here for full information on Regional Assemblies.
 

Geographical Description of the Regions

• Region 1: Churches in the District of Columbia that are downtown (includes some churches in southwest and southeast Washington north of the Anacostia).
• Region 2: Churches in the District of Columbia that are west of Rock Creek , plus a few along the east side of it, south of Piney Branch (most of northwest Washington).
• Region 3: Churches in western and northern Montgomery County.
• Region 4: Churches in eastern Montgomery County and northernmost part of northeast DC.
• Region 5: Churches in northern Prince George's County, the eastern part of northeast DC and the part of DC that is south of the Anacostia River.
• Region 6: Churches in southern Prince George's County, all of Charles County and St. Mary's County.

 

Parish Bounds

Purpose of Parish Bounds

[Excerpt from the final report of the Task Force on Parish Bounds, 2004]
The idea of parish bounds dates back many centuries to the Church of England. Their primary purpose was to define mission. A parish is a geographic unit of stewardship. A parish church is the place where people gather around an altar to be constantly renewed in ministry that is primarily the care of the world they have been given.

This does not mean that a parish community does not have concerns or does not do ministry outside its bounds. It does mean that it has primary responsibility for doing ministry where it is, defined by its bounds. That is always the first task. And although parish bounds do not define where the membership actually lives, the parish that ignores its evangelical duty to the community within its bounds does so at its peril. The notion of a "destination church" is popular these days, but even those churches that are such places retain a primary responsibility of ministry, including evangelism, in the place where the church is. Not to do so is to create a "disembodied community of faith," i.e., one that has no sense of place and too easily becomes disconnected from the world God is seeking to redeem.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Our Parish Bounds?
A description of each set of parish bounds is on file with the Governance Office. There are also maps of the different jurisdictions available.

How do you Get or Modify Parish Bounds?
There is a whole process for this. You need to negotiate with and have the permission of the vestry of any parish that would be involved. Then the Diocesan Council has to approve the request and forward it to the Convention for its approval. The Governance Office will walk you through the steps.

Does Everyone have Parish Bounds?
Missions: Churches that have mission status do not have parish bounds. Part of a petition to become a parish includes the request for parish bounds and the ceding of parish bounds from the parish in where the mission is located.

Separate Congregations: Churches designated as "separate congregations" do not have parish bounds. When they were created, for a variety of reasons the parish in whose bounds the mission resided gave permission for it to exist within its own parish bounds, but did not cede any bounds. Therefore, it is a congregation that is "separate" from the original parish.