Anglican: Of or relating to the Church of England.
Anglican Communion: A world-wide federation of Churches which share common history and DNA with the Church of England. The Episcopal Church is part of the Anglican Communion. There are 38 such Churches or Provinces, each with its own constitution and canons. The spread of the Anglican Church relates to England colonizing the world in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Episcopal Church was the first daughter Church of the Church of England, established in 1789, following the American Revolution. As a social entity, it came into being in 1867 when the then Archbishop of Canterbury called together Anglican bishops throughout the world. This was the first of what was to be called Lambeth Conferences.
Anglican Consultative Council: Facilitates the co-operative work of the churches of the Anglican Communion, exchanges information between the Provinces and churches, and help to co-ordinate common action. It advises on the organization and structures of the Communion, and seeks to develop common policies with respect to the world mission of the Church, including ecumenical matters. The ACC membership includes from one to three persons from each province. Where there are three members, there is a bishop, a priest and a lay person. Where fewer members are appointed, preference is given to lay membership. The ACC was formed following a resolution of the 1968 Lambeth Conference which discerned the need for more frequent and more representative contact among the Churches than was possible through a once-a-decade conference of bishops. The constitution of the Council was accepted by the general synods or conventions of all the Member Churches of the Anglican Communion. The Council came into being in October 1969.
Archbishop of Canterbury (ABC): The senior bishop of the Anglican Communion. He (perhaps someday She) is appointed by the English monarch and is understood to be primer inter pares (First Among Equals.). Invites fellow bishops to the Lambeth Conference and is part of the Primates Meetings (see below)
Bishops: Bishops in the Episcopal Church are elected by both clergy and lay delegates to diocesan convention (regular, or specially called). Generally, five or more nominees are presented. Usually these individuals are priests, rarely, they have already been consecrated bishop in another diocese. To be elected, the candidate must have a majority of both clergy and lay votes. Following an election, but before consecration, 2/3 of all Standing Committees and Bishops must consent to the election.
Diocesan Convention: A yearly gathering of representatives from every Episcopal congregation in a diocese. Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral is in the Diocese of West Missouri. A diocese is a geographic area headed by a bishop. Our bishop is Barry Howe. Representatives to Convention are either elected by the parish or by the Vestry. All clergy who are canonically resident also attend diocesan convention.
Executive Council (of The Episcopal Church.): Analogous to a Standing Committee (see below) at the national church level. Presided over by the Presiding Bishop; chaired by the President of the House of Deputies, and made up of clergy and lay people representing sub-portions of the Episcopal Church, also known (confusingly) as provinces.
General Convention: A gathering of diocesan representatives known as deputies. Each diocese elects at diocesan convention 8 deputies: 4 clergy and 4 lay. In addition, the entire House of Bishops. The work of the Episcopal Church flows from and toward General Convention.
Instruments of Communion: Four entities which work to foster a sense of unity among the provinces of the Anglican Communion: The Archbishop of Canterbury, Lambeth Conference, Primates Meetings, and Anglican Consultative Council.
Lambeth Conference: A gathering of Anglican bishops from throughout the Communion. Held every decade or so. Bishops are invited by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Its name comes from Lambeth Palace which is the headquarters for the ABC. These conferences have always been consultative. They do not legislate, make binding decisions, or exert power over other one another. [From The Study of Anglicanism, Stephen Sykes and John Booty, SPCK/Fortress Press, 1988: The social organization of the Anglican Communion is far removed from that of the Roman Catholic Church, which is an international, autonomous Church with a centralized legislative base in Rome and where power is ultimately exercised by one man, the pope.]
President of the House of Deputies: Presiding officer of the senior House of General Convention (GC). The HOD is made up of 4 clergy and 4 lay deputies from every diocese of TEC. The President of the HOD may be lay or ordained. Bonnie Anderson was elected President at the 2006 GC and serves for 3 years. She shares responsibility with the Presiding Bishop for carrying out the work of the Church as defined and mandated by the General Convention.
Presiding Bishop: Elected from the House of Bishops by the House of Bishops in the Episcopal Church to preside at gatherings of bishops and the Executive Council, to be the senior bishop. Also First among Equals within the House of Bishops. Serves a term of 9 years. The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church is Katharine Jefferts Schori, the first woman to be elected as Presiding Bishop and the first woman Primate in the Anglican Communion.
Primate: The senior or chief bishop of an Anglican Province. Another word for archbishop or presiding bishop. Depending on the constitution of the Church involved, this person is either appointed or elected.
Primates Meeting: The Primates Meeting was established in 1978 by Archbishop Donald Coggan (101st Archbishop of Canterbury) as an opportunity for leisurely thought, prayer and deep consultation and has met regularly since.
Standing Committee: A diocesan committee, chaired by a priest and presided over by the bishop and made up of clergy and lay representatives who are charged with overseeing the work of the diocese in between diocesan conventions.
Windsor Report: The Report of a Committee appointed by the ABC following the General Convention of 2003 (ie; consent to the consecration of the bishop-elect of New Hampshire) charged with addressing how to maintain the highest degree of communion. The chairs report begins with this question: What do we believe is the will of God for the Anglican Communion?
