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The Episcopal Church in the United States of America, often referred to as "ECUSA," is part of the world-wide Anglican Communion and is a part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church that is in fellowship with the See of Canterbury. The Episcopal Church was brought to this country by the early settlers and missionaries from England and was known as the Church of England at that time. After the Revolutionary War, the ties to England were severed and the Episcopal Church became an independent member and the Anglican Communion was thus formed. ECUSA is governed by a General Convention that consists of two houses, a House of Bishops and a House of Deputies and organized into regional area called Dioceses that are presided over by Bishops. Each Diocese consists of a number of individual parishes that are governed by a Rector, Vicar or Priest-in-Charge, together with an elected Vestry. The General Convention meets every three years to plan and enact legislation setting the policy of the church. The House of Bishops is comprised of all the Bishops of the Episcopal Church and also meets on a regular basis between conventions. The House of Deputies consists of Lay and Clerical delegates that are elected from each Diocese at the Annual Convention of the Diocese. The 75th General Convention will meet June 13-21, 2006, in Columbus, Ohio. The Book of Common Prayer provides a consistent form of worship used throughout the church and, although the way in which the worship is conducted may differ slightly between individual parishes, the form remains uniform throughout the various Dioceses of the church. You may click here to go to the website of ECUSA. |
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last update 12/16/2007 |
