About the Episcopal Church
The Episcopal Church is the province (or division) of the Anglican Communion in the United States with outposts in a dozen or so other countries. It was incorporated in 1785 primarily from what had been the Church of England in the American colonies. Members of the church are known as Episcopalians.
Anglicans thrive in what is known as the Via Media, or Middle Way. Our church was born as a compromise between Catholicism and Protestantism, and our worship and theology contains elements of both. In fact, you will find people and churches whose beliefs are closer to one or the other. Beyond our core beliefs, which are outlined in our catechism, our answer to a lot of theological and ethical questions is some form of “it depends” because we recognize that matters of faith are frequently abstract and nuanced. We believe in a “three-legged stool” of scripture, tradition and reason to guide our way. There is room for a wide range of thought, and we are able to discuss these matters in a respectful environment.
Episcopal means “of bishops”. Like our Catholic brethren, our church has geographic regions, called a diocese, each of which is led by one or more bishops. However, we do not have a single supreme leader like the Pope. Instead, the bishops meet regularly to discuss and decide upon matters of theology and other business. From among them, a Presiding Bishop is elected for a nine-year term, but is considered “a leader among equals” and for much of our history retained responsibility for a diocese at the same time.
Decision by consensus is in Episcopalians’ DNA. Besides the House of Bishops, as they are collectively known, we elect clergy and laity (ordinary, non-ordained people) from across the church to a body called the House of Deputies. Every three years, both houses meet at what is known as the General Convention, at which time any major changes to doctrine are to be decided. After the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer, the Convention is the ultimate authority in our church. This representational form of governance has allowed the church to evolve in keeping with the beliefs of its membership, but also ensures that changes are not made hastily or at the whim of one or a few people in power.
Photo Credit: Victoria Pickering – Used under Creative Commons license. Some rights reserved.
Episcopal Church Pages
- About Us
- What We Believe
- Episcopal News Service
- Episcopal Public Policy Network
- Episcopal Relief and Development
The Presiding Bishop
The 28th and current presiding bishop is the Most Rev. Sean Rowe, who was elected on the first ballot at the triennial General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Kentucky in the summer of 2024. At age 47 he is the youngest presiding bishop the church has had since the 1700s. He was also the youngest bishop in the church at the time of his consecration, and the youngest priest when ordained. Rowe’s investiture took place on the Feast of All Souls, November 2nd, 2024 in the chapel of the Episcopal Church Center in New York. Prior to his election, Rowe was the bishop of the dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York.
Former Presiding Bishops
His predecessor is the Rt. Rev. Michael Bruce Curry. Prior to his election in 2015, he was the diocesan Bishop of North Carolina. In that capacity, he preached one of his best-known sermons, entitled “We Need some Crazy Christians”, at the 2013 General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Indianapolis.
He gained worldwide attention in 2018 when he preached at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor.
Books by Bishop Curry:
- Crazy Christians: A Call to Follow Jesus
- Songs My Grandma Sang
- Following the Way of Jesus, vol. 6 (collab)
Bishop Curry’s immediate predecessor was the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, who at the time of her election in 2008 was diocesan Bishop of Nevada. In addition to ordained ministry, Bishop Schori holds a doctorate in oceanography and is an instrument-rated pilot, as were both her parents.