Board for Transition Ministry; ... Presiding Bishop calls for week of prayer for Democratic Republic of Congo . Dec 24, 2017 - [Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs] “Have a blessed Christmas, a wonderful New Year, and go out and make music in the heart of the world,” Presiding Bishop and Primate …

An episcopal polity is a hierarchical form of church governance ("ecclesiastical polity") in which the chief local authorities are called bishops. Our church as an organization – from the national governing structure all the way to the individual parish – is run by lay people and clergy working together, making decisions together, in an open and democratic process. The Lay Organization is a movement to provide greater leadership opportunities for the Lay members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. As in the Catholic Church, bishops ordain (formally appoint) the clergy. Laypeople, however, have a role in helping to govern the church. [Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs press release] Welcoming Sunday.Homecoming Sunday.Back To Church Sunday.Welcome Home Sunday.Registration Sunday.Gathering Sunday.The names vary, but the purpose is the same – events and activities slated for that one Sunday in each congregation which marks the conclusion of summer and the beginning of the new program year. One way that democratic governance is practiced is that each member of the church has the right to vote on matters at church business meetings. April 13, 2010. The history of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America has its origins in the Church of England, a church which stresses its continuity with the ancient Western church and claims to maintain apostolic succession. Some other Protestant churches also have an Episcopal organization, with bishops who are elected by church members. When writing about The Episcopal Church, please follow these guidelines: In the first reference, the full name of the church is preferred: The Episcopal Church. Episcopal Church Structure and Organization. In the late 1980s the church had about 2,500,000 members in some 7,000 parishes and missions, with about 14,000 clergy. Its close links to the Crown led to its reorganization on an independent basis in the 1780s. Episcopal Church General Information. Our church as an organization – from the national governing structure all the way to the individual parish – is run by lay people and clergy working together, making decisions together, in an open and democratic process. Like Battle, Jim Curry thinks the Episcopal Church was right to incorporate more advocacy in its mission, an evolution that he dates to the civil rights and antiwar movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Episcopal Relief & Development is partnering with the Province of the Anglican Church of the Congo (PEAC) to address violence against women by increasing church and community participation in response, awareness and prevention. (The word "bishop" derives, via the British Latin and Vulgar Latin term *ebiscopus/*biscopus, from the Ancient Greek ἐπίσκοπος epískopos meaning "overseer".)