Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Episcopalians?
The Episcopal Church is part of God's One,
Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church in the whole World!
The name of our church comes from the Greek
Word Episcopos which means "bishop" or "overseer." The leaders
of our church are called bishops and we are called Episcopalians. All
Episcopalians have bishops.
What Do Episcopalians Believe?
We believe that God and God's people can
speak to us through the Bible. All the things we need for a good life
are in there.
We are a church with many old stories.
Some of these stories connect us to Jesus and the things he taught us.
Some of the stories help us understand what other people think about God and
Jesus.
The Episcopal Church does not have a
human-made set of rules for being God's people. We believe that in our
life with God, we should use our minds--we should think about the Bible,
tradition, and our own experience.
What Is a Church?
The church is not a building where people
go to worship God. The church is all of God's people.
God's people work in the world to help
other people know about God's love for all people. All of God's people
do God's work. Some people are chosen to be leaders in the church.
These people receive special training and education. They are
"ordained." This means they have been chosen by God and by the church
to lead. They are called deacons, priests, and bishops. Other
people do God's work every day in everything they do. They are
baptized. This means that they are part of God's great family that we
call the church.
How Is the Episcopal Church Structured?
Many decisions in the Episcopal Church are
made by a system of elections done by people elected to represent others.
The leadership of the church is organized in a way that comes from our
tradition. This is one bishop who is the leader of the whole Episcopal
Church. This Presiding Bishop leads and serves the church. S/he
does not command the church. There are bishops who lead the dioceses
of the church. (A diocese is a geographical area, like a state of a
county.) Each diocese has at least one bishop. A diocese has
many member churches. They are called parishes or missions. The
priest who leads a parish is called the rector; a priest who leads a mission
is called the vicar. The council of people who make decisions for a
parish is called the vestry. With the rector, these people take care
of the business of the church. Each diocese has a convention that does
the business of the diocese. The clergy and other elected church
members made decisions at these conventions. Every three years, there
is a national General Convention. At this convention, elected
representatives from each diocese meet to make decisions for the whole of
the Episcopal Church.
