The Episcopal Church welcomes all who worship Jesus Christ, in 111 dioceses and regional areas in 17 nations. The Episcopal Church is a member province of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The mission of the church, as stated in the Book of Common Prayer’s catechism (p. 855), is "to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ." As part of that mission, we’re following Jesus into loving, liberating and life-giving relationship with God, with each other and with the earth as the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement. We seek every day to love God with our whole heart, mind and soul, and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40).
For the Episcopal Church, the Jesus Movement calls us to focus on three specific Priorities:
For the Episcopal Church, the Jesus Movement calls us to focus on three specific Priorities:
- EVANGELISM: Listen for Jesus' movement in our lives and in the world. Give thanks. Proclaim and celebrate it! Invite the Spirit to do the rest.
- RECONCILIATION: Embody the loving, liberating, life-giving way of Jesus with each other.
- CREATION CARE: Encounter and honor the face of God in creation.
The beginnings of the Church of England, from which The Episcopal Church derives, date to at least the second century, when merchants and other travelers first brought Christianity to England. It is customary to regard St. Augustine of Canterbury's mission to England in 597 as marking the formal beginning of the church under papal authority, as it was to be throughout the Middle Ages.
In its modern form, the church dates from the English Reformation of the 16th century, when royal supremacy was established and the authority of the papacy was repudiated. With the advent of British colonization, the Church of England was established on every continent. In time, these churches gained their independence, but retained connections with the mother church in the Anglican Communion.
The Historical Society of The Episcopal Church (HSEC) is an association of persons and entities dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of information on the history of The Episcopal Church. Founded in 1910 as the Church Historical Society, members include scholars, writers, teachers, ministers (lay and ordained), students - anyone with interest in the objectives of the Society.
National Episcopal Historians and Archivists
NEHA provides a forum for exchanging ideas, gives mutual support, and serves as an archival and historical network for any who preserve, explore and share the historical dimensions of The Episcopal Church. Begun as an outgrowth of the Church Historical Society in 1961, NEHA seeks to answer the needs of church leaders who know attention should be given to nurturing congregational, diocesan, and institutional historians, registrars and archivists.
Episcopal Women's History Project
Statement of purpose: To promote and encourage research, writing and publication in all matters touching upon the history of women in The Episcopal Church; To promote and encourage the collection and preservation of records and other artifacts of interest pertaining to such history; To foster and promote public knowledge of interest in such history.
In its modern form, the church dates from the English Reformation of the 16th century, when royal supremacy was established and the authority of the papacy was repudiated. With the advent of British colonization, the Church of England was established on every continent. In time, these churches gained their independence, but retained connections with the mother church in the Anglican Communion.
The Historical Society of The Episcopal Church (HSEC) is an association of persons and entities dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of information on the history of The Episcopal Church. Founded in 1910 as the Church Historical Society, members include scholars, writers, teachers, ministers (lay and ordained), students - anyone with interest in the objectives of the Society.
National Episcopal Historians and Archivists
NEHA provides a forum for exchanging ideas, gives mutual support, and serves as an archival and historical network for any who preserve, explore and share the historical dimensions of The Episcopal Church. Begun as an outgrowth of the Church Historical Society in 1961, NEHA seeks to answer the needs of church leaders who know attention should be given to nurturing congregational, diocesan, and institutional historians, registrars and archivists.
Episcopal Women's History Project
Statement of purpose: To promote and encourage research, writing and publication in all matters touching upon the history of women in The Episcopal Church; To promote and encourage the collection and preservation of records and other artifacts of interest pertaining to such history; To foster and promote public knowledge of interest in such history.