Everything about Episcopal Church In The United States Of America totally explained
The Episcopal Church is the official name of the Province of the
Anglican Communion in the
United States.
The Church was organized shortly after the
American Revolution when it was forced to break with the
Church of England on penalty of treason as Church of England clergy were required to swear allegiance to the British monarch, and became, in the words of the 1990 report of the Archbishop of Canterbury's Group on the Episcopate, "the first Anglican Province outside the
British Isles". Today it's divided into nine provinces and has dioceses outside the U.S. in
Taiwan,
Central and
South America, the
Caribbean and
Europe. The
Episcopal Diocese of the Virgin Islands encompasses both
American and
British territory.
In keeping with Anglican tradition and theology, the Episcopal Church considers itself a
via media, or middle way, between
Roman Catholicism and
Protestantism.
The Episcopal Church was active in the
Social Gospel movement of the late nineteenth century and since the 1960s and 1970s has played a leading role in the progressive and liberal movements on church and state issues. For example, in its resolutions on state issues the Episcopal Church has opposed the
death penalty, and supported the civil rights movement and
affirmative action. Some of its leaders and priests marched with demonstrators. Some dioceses ordain openly homosexual men and women; in others, same-sex unions are celebrated. However, on other issues such as abortion, the church has taken both sides of the debate.
In most dioceses, women are ordained to the priesthood and episcopate, as well as the diaconate. The current Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church is
Katharine Jefferts Schori, the first female
primate in the Anglican Communion.
Official names
There are two official names of the Episcopal Church specified in its Constitution: "The Episcopal Church" (commonly abbreviated
TEC), and "The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (commonly abbreviated
PECUSA). "The Episcopal Church" is the most commonly used name.
In the early days of the church, the name was "The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America." In the middle of the 19th century, some began trying to drop "Protestant" from the church's title, on the grounds that the original break of the
Church of England from the
Roman Catholic Church had nothing directly to do with the Protestant Reformation. Also, it had come to mean anti-Catholic rather than anti-papal. In a 1964 General Convention compromise, priests and lay delegates suggested adding a preamble to the church's constitution, recognizing "the Episcopal Church" as a lawful alternate designation while still retaining the earlier name.
The fight continued until the 66th
General Convention voted in 1979 to use the name
Episcopal Church (dropping the adjective 'Protestant') in the
Oath of Conformity of the
Declaration for Ordination. The 68th General Convention in 1985 rejected a resolution that would have changed the Constitution to delete the designation of
Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America as an official name.
The preamble to the Constitution of the Episcopal Church now reads:
The evolution of the name can be seen in The Episcopal Church's
Book of Common Prayer (BCP). In the 1928 BCP, the title page said, "According to the use of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America." In contrast, the change in self-identity can be seen in the title page of the 1979
Book of Common Prayer, which states, "'According to the use of The Episcopal Church."
The Episcopal Church communicates in English, Spanish and French because it has dioceses in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe. In Spanish the church is called
La Iglesia Episcopal Protestante de los Estados Unidos de América or
La Iglesia Episcopal and in French
L’Église protestante épiscopale dans les États unis d’Amérique or
L'Église épiscopale.
The alternate name
Episcopal Church in the United States of America (abbreviated "ECUSA") is commonly seen, but has never been the official name of the Episcopal Church. Because it contains integral jurisdictions in many other countries, it has thought that it needs a name that isn't directly tied to the United States. But since several other churches in the Anglican Communion also use the name "Episcopal", this article uses the name "Episcopal Church in the United States of America", as do some other sources (
Anglicans Online, for example).
The full legal name of the national church corporate body is the
Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America,
History
The English Church in British North America (1497–1775)
The Episcopal Church traces its history from its origins in the
Church of England. It stresses its continuity with the early universal Western church and maintains
apostolic succession.
When
John Cabot founded the first English colony in North America on
24 June 1497, he must have had some sort of religious service — it was St. John the Baptist's Day and the day was likely not a coincidence — and yet there's no extant record. In any case, Cabot sailed under the authority of
King Henry VII and the English Church was still firmly Roman Catholic.}}
The first service read from the
Book of Common Prayer on American soil occurred on
19 June 1579 in a harbor far north of
San Francisco, when the crew of
Sir Francis Drake's ship the
Golden Hind landed. Drake named the new land
Nova Albion or
New Albion and claimed it for
Queen Elizabeth I. The landing site may have been near
Astoria, Oregon or, speculatively, much further north in British Columbia. The exact location has never been certain but is
variously reported as between 48 degrees and 42 degrees north latitude, a range which includes most of Washington, all of Oregon, and a sliver of California. The harbor was reportedly at either, 48, 44, 38 1/2, or 38 degrees. Drake and his crew stayed in this now lost harbor for over five weeks, repairing the Golden Hind.
The propagation of the Church of England occurred in three ways. One way was by officers of ships and lay military and civil officials reading services from the
Book of Common Prayer regularly when no clergy were present. For example, in the charter issued by Charles I for Newfoundland in 1633 was this directive:
The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel and the Bishop of London, continued to support the petitions of local clergy in seeking a bishop for the colonies; and strong opposition continued to these proposals, especially in the South, where a bishop would threaten the privileges of the lay vestry.
On the eve of Revolution, a large fraction of prominent merchants and royal appointees were Anglicans—and were
Loyalists. About 27 percent of Anglican priests nationwide supported independence, especially in Virginia. Almost 40 percent—approaching 90 percent in New York and New England—were loyalists. Out of 55 Anglican clergy in New York and New England, only three were Patriots, two of those being from Massachusetts. In Maryland, of the 54 clergy in 1775, only 16 remained to take oaths of allegiance to the new government (McConnell 2003). William Smith made the connection explicit in a 1762 report to the Bishop of London. "The Church is the firmest Basis of Monarchy and the English Constitution", he declared. But if dissenters of "more Republican ... Principles [with] little affinity to the established Religion and manners" of England ever gained the upper hand, the colonists might begin to think of "Independency and separate Government". Thus "in a Political as well as religious view", Smith stated emphatically, the church should be strengthened by an American bishop and the appointment of "prudent Governors who are friends of our Establishment"
Revolution (1775–1783)
By 1775 about 400 independent congregations were reported throughout the colonies. The church was
disestablished in all the states during the
American Revolution. The Episcopal Church was formally separated from the Church of England in 1789 so that clergy wouldn't be required to accept the supremacy of the
British monarch.
Embracing the symbols of the British presence in the American colonies such as the monarchy, the episcopate, and even the language of the Book of Common Prayer, the Church of England almost drove itself to extinction during the upheaval of the American Revolution.
The consequences of such bravado were very serious.
In return, the Scottish bishops requested that the Episcopal Church use the longer Scottish prayer of consecration during the Eucharist, instead of the English prayer. Seabury promised that he'd endeavor to make it so. Three years later, in 1787, two priests -
William White of
Pennsylvania and
Samuel Provoost of
New York - were consecrated as bishops by the
Archbishop of Canterbury, the
Archbishop of York, and the
Bishop of Bath and Wells, the legal obstacles having been removed by the passage through
Parliament of the
Consecration of Bishops Abroad Act 1786. Thus there are two branches of
Apostolic succession for the American bishops:
- Through the non-juring bishops of Scotland that consecrated Samuel Seabury.
- Through the English church that consecrated William White and Samuel Provoost.
All bishops in the American Church are ordained by at least three bishops. One can trace the succession of each back to Seabury, White and Provoost. (
See Succession of Bishops of the Episcopal Church.) In 1789, representative clergy from
nine dioceses met in Philadelphia to ratify the church's initial constitution.
The fourth bishop of the Episcopal Church was James Madison, the first bishop of Virginia. Madison was consecrated in 1790 under the archbisop of Canterbury and two other Church of England bishops. This third American bishop consecrated within the English line of succession occurred because of continuing unease within the Church of England over Seabury's nonjuring Scottish orders. During the
American Civil War, an
Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America was temporarily formed from the dioceses within the seceded states, but this was viewed as a "separation and not a division", concerning no questions of dogma or practice (other than the prayers for Congress and the President).
James Theodore Holly went on to found of the Anglican church in Haiti and became the first African-American bishop on
November 8,
1874. As Bishop of Haiti, Bishop Holly was the first African-American to attend the
Lambeth Conference. However, he was consecrated by the American Church Missionary Society, an Evangelical Episcopal branch of the Church.
In 1873, the
Reformed Episcopal Church broke away from the Episcopal Church over what its members saw as the loss of
Protestant and
evangelical witness in Episcopalianism.
Samuel David Ferguson was the first black bishop consecrated by The Episcopal Church, the first to practice in the US, and the first black person to sit in the
House of Bishops. Bishop Ferguson was consecrated on
June 24,
1885, with the then-
Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church acting as a consecrator.
The Episcopal Shield, adopted in
1940, is based on the
St George's Cross, a symbol of
England (mother of world Anglicanism), with a
saltire reminiscent of the
Cross of St Andrew in the
canton in reference to the historical origins of the American
episcopate in the Scottish Episcopal Church.
More than a quarter of all
presidents of the United States have been Episcopalians (
see List of United States Presidential religious affiliations).
In 1976, the General Convention requested that ECUSA's Clergy Deployment Board determine if there were "racial inequities" in clergy placement. It also passed a resolution calling for an end to
apartheid in
South Africa. The General Convention asked ECUSA "dioceses, institutions, and agencies" to create
equal opportunity employment and
affirmative action policies in 1985. In 1991, the General Convention declared "the practice of racism is sin". On
June 16,
2006, the Episcopalian House of Bishops endorsed a resolution apologizing for its complicity in the institution of slavery and its silence over “Jim Crow” laws, segregation and racial discrimination. By a unanimous vote, the House endorsed Resolution A123.
Recent controversies
Several issues have recently created tensions in the Episcopal Church, including the reliability of scripture and historic church teachings as reliable sources for Church doctrine and the exclusive claims of Jesus regarding salvation and the definition of Christian marriage. The two most debated issues have been the ordination of women and the role of homosexuals in the church.
While speaking at a conference at the
Vancouver School of Theology in May 2007, Jefferts Schori gave an overview of the Episcopal Church's troubles for a Canadian audience:
In answer, at the request of the Anglican Communion's Lambeth Commission, the Episcopal Church released
To Set Our Hope on Christ on
June 21,
2005, which explains "how a person living in a same gender union may be considered eligible to lead the flock of Christ."
Secessions
On
December 2,
2006, the Convention of the
Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, one of the most conservative dioceses in the church, passed a series of resolutions which, when confirmed at the convention in 2007, set into motion withdrawal from the Episcopal Church and affiliation with another Anglican Church, "“The diocese shall be a constituent member of the Anglican Communion and in full communion with the See of Canterbury.” This was combined with a resolution which removed the present boundaries of the diocese, theoretically allowing it to absorb other dissenting congregations in the United States. The diocese has 48 parishes and 18,000 members but includes an active caucus which opposes secession. The
Diocese of Quincy joined seven other dioceses in requesting alternative pastoral oversight. On
December 8,
2007, the Diocese of San Joaquin voted to secede from the Episcopal Church and join the South American congregation of the
Worldwide Anglican Communion.
Members of some individual parishes are also attempting to leave the Episcopal Church and take church property with them. In the
Diocese of Virginia, members of eight parishes voted to leave The Episcopal Church and formed the
Anglican District of Virginia, which is part of the
Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA). The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia hold that property in the Episcopal Church is held in trust for the diocese and the church as a whole, and that parishes own and control property only so long as they remain part of the Episcopal Church, regardless of who originally donated the goods to the parish. This position is part of the canon law of the Episcopal Church. The
Diocese of Virginia has taken legal action against these members. Groups of Episcopalians from the breakaway parishes who were loyal to the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia have begun holding services at alternative sites until their parishes return to the Church.
Some former Episcopalians have formed other churches in response to women's ordination: for example the
Anglican Catholic Church and the
Congress of St Louis.
Membership
Total membership of active baptized members in 2007 is exactly 2,154,572, a 4.15% decline from 2006 according to the 2008 National Council of Churches Report. (this is the figure for all dioceses, the figure for the United States itself is 2,205,376) as counted by the Episcopal Church from all submitted parochial reports for
2005 - the latest year available.
In recent years many mainline denominations have experienced a decline in membership. Once changes in how membership is counted are taken into consideration, the Episcopal Church's membership numbers were broadly flat throughout the 1990s, with a slight growth in the first years of the 21st century. A loss of 115,000 members was reported for the years 2003–5, which has been attributed in part to controversy concerning ordination of homosexuals to the priesthood and the election of Gene Robinson (who is openly gay) as Bishop of New Hampshire.
Structure
The governance the Episcopal Church is
Episcopal polity, which is the same as other
Anglican churches. Following the
American Revolution, American Anglicans were technically not a part of the Church of England's structure, so they'd to form their own. The Church has its own system of
canon law.
The Episcopal Church is composed of 110
dioceses in the
United States,
Colombia, the
Dominican Republic,
Ecuador,
Haiti,
Honduras,
Puerto Rico,
Taiwan,
Venezuela and the
Virgin Islands. It also includes the
Convocation of American Churches in Europe and the
Navajoland Area Mission, which are a jurisdictions similar to a diocese. The Presiding Bishop is one of three Anglican primates who together exercise metropolitan jurisdiction over the
Episcopal Church of Cuba, which is an extra-provincial diocese in the Anglican Communion.
These dioceses are organized into nine
provinces. Each province has a synod and a mission budget, but doesn't have authority over the dioceses which make it up.
Today, there are over 7000 congregations, each of which elects a
vestry or
bishop's committee. Subject to the approval of its diocesan bishop, the vestry of each parish elects a priest, called the
rector, who has spiritual jurisdiction in the parish and selects assistant clergy, both
deacons and
priests. (There is a difference between vestry and clergy elections - clergy are ordained members usually selected from outside the parish, whereas any member in good standing of a parish is eligible to serve on the vestry.) The diocesan bishop, however, appoints the clergy for all missions and may choose to do so for non-self-supporting parishes.
The
middle judicatory consists of a
diocese headed by a
bishop. Diocesan conventions are usually held annually. Unlike the Church of England in which bishops are governmental appointees, the bishops in the Episcopal Church are elected at these diocesan conventions, subject to confirmation by the House of Bishops. (All bishops are first ordained priests.)
At the national level, the church is governed by the triennial General Convention, which consists of two bodies:
The House of Deputies (consisting of 4 laity and 4 clergy from each diocese, usually elected at the diocesan convention).
The House of Bishops (consisting of all living active bishops who have headed dioceses - retired bishops have voice but not vote).
The Chief Officer of the Episcopal Church, elected from and by the House of Bishops and confirmed by the House of Deputies at General Convention, is called the Presiding Bishop and serves on term of 9 years.
The location of the Presiding Bishop's office is the Episcopal Church Center, the national administrative headquarters, located at 815 Second Avenue, New York, NY. It is often referred to by Episcopalians simply as "815."
Worship and liturgy
Varying degrees of liturgical practice prevail within the church, and one finds a variety of worship styles: traditional hymns and anthems, more modern religious music, Anglican chant, liturgical dance, charismatic prayer, and vested clergy of varying degrees. As varied as services can be, the central binding aspect is the Book of Common Prayer or supplemental liturgies.
Often a congregation or a particular service will be referred to as Low Church or High Church. In theory: » High Church, especially the very high Anglo-Catholic movement, is ritually inclined towards embellishments such as incense, formal hymns, and a higher degree of ceremony. In addition to clergy vesting in albs, stoles and chasubles, the lay assistants may also be vested in cassock and surplice. The sung eucharist tends to be emphasized in High Church congregations, with Anglo-Catholic congregations and celebrants using sung services almost exclusively. Often, due to the effects of the Second Vatican Council on the Roman Catholic Church, some Anglo-Catholic Episcopalian services are actually more elaborate than a modern Roman Catholic Mass.
Low Church is simpler and may incorporate other elements such as informal praise and worship music. "Low" congregations tend towards a more "traditional Protestant" outlook with its emphasis of Biblical revelation over symbolism. The spoken eucharist tends to be emphasized in Low Church congregations. » Broad Church incorporates elements of both low church and high church.
A majority of Episcopalian services could be considered to be "High Church" while still falling somewhat short of a typical Anglo-Catholic "very" high church service. In contrast, "Low Church" services are somewhat rarer. However, while some Episcopalians refer to their churches by these labels, often there's overlapping, and the basic rites don't greatly differ. There are also variations that blend elements of all three and have their own unique features, such as New England Episcopal churches, which have elements drawn from Puritan practices, combining the traditions of "high church" with the simplicity of "low church". Typical parish worship features Bible readings from the Old Testament as well as from both the Epistles and the Gospels of the New Testament.
In the Eucharist or Holy Communion service, the Book of Common Prayer specifies that bread and wine are consecrated for consumption by the people. Those wishing for whatever reason to avoid alcohol are free to decline the cup. A Eucharist can be part of a wedding to celebrate a sacramental marriage and of a funeral as a thank offering (sacrifice) to God and for the comfort of the mourners.
The veneration of saints in the Episcopal Church is a continuation of an ancient tradition from the early Church which honors important people of the Christian faith. The usage of the term "saint" is similar to Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Those inclined to the Anglo-Catholic traditions may explicitly invoke saints as intercessors in prayer.
The Book of Common Prayer
The Episcopal Church publishes its own Book of Common Prayer (BCP) (similar to other Anglican BCPs), containing most of the worship services (or "liturgies") used in the Episcopal Church. Because of its widespread use in the church, the BCP is both a reflection of and a source of theology for Episcopalians.
The full name of the BCP is: The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church Together with The Psalter or Psalms of David According to the use of The Episcopal Church.
Previous American BCPs were issued in 1789, 1892, and 1928. (A proposed BCP was issued in 1786 but not adopted.) The BCP is in the public domain; however, any new revisions of the BCP are copyrighted until they're approved by the General Convention. After this happens, the BCP is placed into the public domain.
The current edition dates from 1979 and was marked by a linguistic modernization and, in returning to ancient Christian tradition, it restored the eucharist as the central liturgy of the church. The 1979 version also de-emphasized the notion of personal sin and reflected the theological and worship changes of the ecumenical reforms of the 1960s and 1970s. On the whole, it changed the theological emphasis of the church to be more Catholic in nature. In 1979, the Convention adopted the revision as the "official" BCP and required churches using the old (1928) prayer book to also use the 1979 revision. There was enough strife in implementing and adopting the 1979 BCP that a "resolution of apology" was issued at the 2000 General Convention for those "offended or alienated during the time of liturgical transition to the 1979 Book of Common Prayer". Now all previous versions of the Book of Common Prayer are canonically authorized.
Doctrine and practice
The center of Episcopal teaching is the life and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The basic teachings of the church, or catechism, includes:
Jesus Christ is fully human and fully God. He died and was resurrected from the dead.
Jesus provides the way of eternal life for those who believe.
God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit, are one God, and are called the Holy Trinity, "Three and yet one"
The Old and New Testaments of the Bible were written by people "under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit." The Apocrypha are additional books that are used in Christian worship, but not for the formation of doctrine.
The two great and necessary sacraments are Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist
Other sacramental rites are confirmation, ordination, marriage, reconciliation of a penitent, and unction.
Belief in heaven, hell, and Jesus's return in glory.
The full catechism is included in the Book of Common Prayer and posted on Episcopal website here
. The threefold sources of authority in Anglicanism are scripture, tradition, and reason. These three sources uphold and critique each other in a dynamic way.
The Episcopal Church follows the via media or "middle way" between Protestant and Roman Catholic doctrine and practices: that's both Catholic and Reformed. Not all Episcopalians self-identify with this image, especially those whose convictions lean toward either evangelicalism or Anglo-Catholicism. There are many different theologies represented within the Episcopal Church. Some Episcopal theologians hold evangelical positions, affirming the authority of scripture over all. The Episcopal Church website glossary defines the sources of authority as a balance between scripture, tradition, and reason. These three are characterized as a "three-legged stool" which will topple if any one overbalances the other. It also notes » The Anglican balancing of the sources of authority has been criticized as clumsy or "muddy." It has been associated with the Anglican affinity for seeking the mean between extremes and living the via media. It has also been associated with the Anglican willingness to tolerate and comprehend opposing viewpoints instead of imposing tests of orthodoxy or resorting to heresy trials.
This balance of scripture, tradition and reason is traced to the work of Richard Hooker, a sixteenth century apologist. In Hooker's model, scripture is the primary means of arriving at doctrine and things stated plainly in scripture are accepted as true. Issues that are ambiguous are determined by tradition, which is checked by reason. More recently, the Episcopal Church has developed a fourth leg known as "experience." This understanding is highly dependent on the work of Friedrich Schleiermacher. These "four legs" of Episcopal theology may be likened to the Wesleyan Quadrilateral of Methodist theology.
A public example of this struggle between different Christian positions in the church has been the 2003 consecration of the Right Reverend Gene Robinson, an openly gay man living with a long-term partner. The acceptance/rejection of his consecration is motivated by different views on the authority of and understanding of scripture. This struggle has some members concerned that the church may not continue its relationship with the larger Anglican Church. Others, however, view this pluralism as an asset, allowing a place for both sides to balance each other.
Comedian and Episcopalian Robin Williams once described the Episcopal faith (and, in a performance in London, specifically the Church of England) as "Catholic Lite -- same rituals, half the guilt."
Social issues
The preparation materials for delegates to the 2006 General Convention highlighted areas of "Social Teaching/Contentious Resolutions" made by the General Convention in the previous 30 years including race, economic justice, ordination of women, and inclusion. In some areas, such as race, the church has maintained a consistent theme. In other areas, such as human sexuality, the church has faced larger struggles.
On race
In 1976 the Convention called for an end to apartheid while commending the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (formerly the Church of the Province of Southern Africa) for its ministry.
In 1979 the Convention condemned the Ku Klux Klan and all similarly racist groups and called on church members to oppose them.
Between 1982 and 1985 equal opportunity employment and affirmative action were first implemented within the church.
In 1991 the Convention declared 'the practice of racism is sin' and called on all church members to work to remove racism from the US.
In 1994 the Convention condemned "the racist and unjust treatment" of immigrants.
On economic justice
In 1991 the Convention recommended parity in pay and benefits between clergy and lay employees in equivalent positions.
Several times between 1979 and 2003 the Convention expressed concern over affordable housing and supported the church working to provide affordable housing.
In 1982 and 1997, the Convention reaffirmed the Church's commitment to eradicating poverty and malnutrition and challenged parishes to increase ministries to the poor.
In 1997 and 2000, the Convention urged the church to promote living wages for all.
In 2003 the Convention urged legislators to raise the US minimum wage and to establish a living wage with health benefits as the national standard.
On the ordination of women
The first women were ordained priests in the Episcopal Church on 29 July 1974, though the orders hadn't been endorsed by General Convention. The so-called Philadelphia 11 were ordained by Bishops Daniel Corrigan, Robert L. DeWitt, Edward R. Welles, assisted by Antonio Ramos. On 7 September 1975, four more women were irregularly ordained by retired Bishop George W. Barrett. The 1976 General Convention, which approved the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate, voted to regularize the 15 forerunners.
In 1994 the Convention affirmed that there's value in the theological position that women shouldn't be ordained
In 1997 the Convention affirmed that "the canons regarding the ordination, licensing, and deployment of women are mandatory and that [diocesesnoncompliant in 1997] shall give status reports on their progress toward full implementation."
In 2006 the convention elected Katharine Jefferts Schori as Presiding Bishop. She is the first woman to serve as primate in the Anglican Communion.
The three "non-compliant" dioceses are San Joaquin, Quincy, and Fort Worth. The 2006 directory of the North American Association for the Diaconate lists three women deacons in Quincy, 15 in San Joaquin, and 8 in Fort Worth. Fort Worth also allows parishes that wish to call a woman priest to transfer to the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Dallas.
On inclusion
In 1976 the Convention declared that homosexuals are "children of God" and "entitled to full civil rights".
In 1979 the Convention endorsed the Equal Rights Amendment and urged legislatures to ratify it.
In 1988 the Convention reaffirmed the expectation of chastity and fidelity in relationships.
In 1991 the Convention restated that "physical sexual expression" is only appropriate within a monogamous "union of husband and wife". The Convention also called on the church to "continue to reconcile the discontinuity between this teaching and the experience of members", referring both to dioceses that have chosen to bless monogamous same-sex unions and to general tolerance of premarital relations.
In 2000 the Convention affirmed "the variety of human relationships in and outside of marriage" and acknowledged "disagreement over the Church's traditional teaching on human sexuality."
The 2006 General Convention affirmed "support of gay and lesbian persons and children of God"; calls on legislatures to provide protections such as bereavement and family leave policies; and opposes any state or federal constitutional amendment that prohibits same-sex civil marriages or civil unions."
Ecumenical relations
Like many other Anglican churches, the Episcopal Church has entered into full communion with the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrech. The Episcopal Church is also in a relationship of full communion with the Philippine Independent Church, the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar, and the union churches in south Asia: the Church of Bangladesh, the Church of North India, the Church of Pakistan, and the Church of South India.
Disagreements over Apostolic Succession and the episcopacy didn't foil progress in the relationship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In 1999, the document Called to Common Mission led to full communion between the two churches.
The Episcopal Church itself maintains ecumenical dialogues with the United Methodist Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Moravian Church in America, and participates in pan-Anglican dialogues with the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, and the Roman Catholic Church. In 2006 a relation of interim Eucharistic sharing was inaugurated with the United Methodist Church, a step that may ultimately lead to full communion.
Historically Anglican churches have had strong ecumenical ties with the Eastern Orthodox Churches, and the Episcopal Church particularly with the Russian Orthodox Church, but relations in more recent years have been strained, following the ordination of women and the ordination of Gene Robinson to the episcopate. A former relation of full communion with the Polish National Catholic Church (itself once a part of the Union of Utrecht) was broken off by the PNCC in 1976 over the ordination of women.
The Episcopal Church was a founding member of the Consultation on Church Union and participates in its successor, Churches Uniting in Christ. The Episcopal Church is a founding member of the National Council of Churches, the World Council of Churches, and the new Christian Churches Together in the USA. Dioceses and parishes are frequently members of local ecumenical councils as well.
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