The Episcopal Church welcomes all who worship Jesus Christ, in 106 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:
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.
Book of Common Prayer
What We Believe
We Episcopalians believe in a loving, liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As constituent members of the Anglican Communion in the United States, we are descendants of and partners with the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church, and are part of the third largest group of Christians in the world.
We believe in following the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world.
We have a legacy of inclusion, aspiring to tell and exemplify God’s love for every human being; women and men serve as bishops, priests, and deacons in our church. Laypeople and clergy cooperate as leaders at all levels of our church. Leadership is a gift from God, and can be expressed by all people in our church, regardless of sexual identity or orientation.
We believe that God loves you – no exceptions.
The Most Rev. Michael C. Curry, Presiding Bishop
Presiding Bishop
Sean W. Rowe
"The Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe was elected presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church in June 2024 and took office on Nov. 1 for a nine-year term. In this role, he serves as the church’s chief pastor and CEO. Known for his expertise in organizational learning and adaptive change, Rowe is committed to strengthening support for local ministry and mission.
He was ordained bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania in 2007 after serving as rector of St. John’s in Franklin, Pennsylvania, for seven years. From 2014 to 2018, he served as bishop provisional of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem, and from 2019 to 2024, he led a partnership between the Episcopal Dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York.
Rowe holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Grove City College, a Master of Divinity degree from Virginia Theological Seminary, and a doctorate in organizational learning and leadership from Gannon University. He has served as a leader of many civic and churchwide organizations and governance bodies, and as parliamentarian for the House of Bishops.