THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
The Episcopal Church is "a constituent member of the Anglican Communion, a Fellowship within the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, of those duly constituted Dioceses, Provinces and regional Churches in communion with the See of Canterbury, upholding and propagating the historic Faith and Order as set forth in the Book of Common Prayer." (From the preface to the Constitution of the Episcopal Church.)
The Episcopal Church is defined both as a fellowship of dioceses, which fellowship implies the fullness of communion and common life within and among the dioceses, and in communion with the See of Canterbury, which carries with it the hope of communion with all those churches themselves in communion with the See of Canterbury. Thus, when we speak of the missionary action of this church it concerns the work of the dioceses of the Episcopal Church and dioceses throughout the Anglican Communion.
The mission of the church is to the whole world, not just to the churches that are part of the Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion hold their missionary charter by virtue of the "sending forth" that is demanded of us in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ and witnessed to in the lives of the prophets of God.
The basic "unit" or community from which this mission is engaged is that of bishop and people together as a diocese. Some have argued that it is the congregation that is this unit, but in the Episcopal Church and in other episcopal churches we believe it is the bishop who is chief pastor of a church community and that it is that pastor and all of us as the people who are to take responsibility that the Word be preached, reconciliation practiced and justice done.
The GEM Network exists to support dioceses of the Episcopal Church so that they can work together to share concerns, ideas, talents, hopes and prayers in the work of mission which is theirs to do.
For further information about the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion we direct you to:
Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation
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and the following lists from the highly informational pages of LOUIE CREW:
Bishops of the Episcopal Church: http://newark.rutgers.edu/~lcrew/bishops/thread.html
Dioceses of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion: http://www.newark.rutgers.edu/~lcrew/rel2.html#other
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