Episcopal structure

Episcopal structure
Structure of the Episcopal Church in the USA

Overview

Many decisions in the Episcopal Church are made by a system of elections done by people elected to represent others. The leadership of the church is organized in a way that comes from our tradition.

There is one bishop who is the leader of the whole Episcopal Church, and their title is "Presiding Bishop." This Presiding Bishop leads and serves the church; he does not command it.
A "diocese" is a geographical area, like a state or a county. Each diocese has at least one bishop who leads its many member churches. These churches are called congregations, parishes or missions.
The priest who leads a parish is called the rector; a priest who leads a mission is called the vicar.
The lay council of people who make decisions for a congregation/parish is called the vestry. With the rector, these people take care of the business of the church.
Each diocese has an annual convention that does the business of the diocese. The clergy and other lay and elected church members make decisions at these conventions.
Every three years, there is a national General Convention. At this convention, elected representatives from each diocese meet to make decisions for the whole of the Episcopal Church.

The National Episcopal Church

The National Episcopal Church is comprised of all Episcopal churches in the United States. The 7, 350 churches are organized into 100 dioceses. Roughly 2.3 million Episcopalians were registered in the United States. (2001 statistics)

The Episcopal Church in the U.S.A. originated in the Church of England. We remain a vital part of the Anglican Communion, but we are now a separate organization led by Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold. The national headquarters are located in New York City.

The role of the national church is to provide resources and support for Christian education, evangelism, stewardship, and social outreach to the dioceses and congregations; to facilitate communication among the dioceses; and to support international missions. In 1996, the national church's budget was about $42 million for this mission and ministry.

The Diocese of Washington

The Episcopal Diocese of Washington is comprised of 94 Episcopal congregations and one cathedral in the District of Columbia and the Maryland counties of Charles, St. Mary's, Prince George's and Montgomery. The congregations are organized into six regions with over 40,000 Episcopalians registered in the diocese's congregations.

Our diocese is led by the Rt. Rev. John Bryson Chane, Bishop of Washington. The diocesan headquarters and the Bishops' offices are located at Episcopal Church House on the grounds of the Washington National Cathedral in the District of Columbia.

The role of diocese is to provide resources and support for Christian education, evangelism, stewardship and social outreach to over 40, 000 members; to facilitate communication among the regions and congregations; to support growth in the diocese; and to provide other Episcopal functions.

Washington National Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, known as Washington National Cathedral, is the seat of the Presiding Bishop and the Bishop of Washington. The Cathedral is neither the administrative offices of the bishop nor the diocesan headquarters; these are housed at Episcopal Church House. The Cathedral serves as our nation's church, the chief mission church of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and as "a house of prayer for all people." The Bishop of Washington heads the Cathedral Foundation (a corporation of five institutions). The Very Rev. Nathan D. Baxter is the Dean of the Cathedral.

The Cathedral has no resident congregation yet welcomes more than 800,000 visitors and worshipers annually. It is the sixth largest cathedral in the world, and has a staff of around 200, as well as more than 1,400 volunteers. The Cathedral pays an annual pledge to the Episcopal Diocese of Washington.

National Episcopal Church in the U.S.A – Episcopal Church Center
815 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017
212/922-5122 – 800/334-7626 – Fax: 212/949-6781
www.episcopalchurch.org

Episcopal Diocese of Washington – Episcopal Church House
Mount Saint Alban, Washington, D.C. 20016-5094
202/537-6555 – 800/642-4427 – Fax: 202/364-6605
www.edow.org

Washington National Cathedral
Mount Saint Alban, Washington, D.C. 20016
202/537-6200
www.cathedral.org/cathedral

Communications Office 4/2002

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