The Episcopal Church

Being an Episcopal Church means that St. Stephen's is more than the people who worship at the corner of Grove Avenue and Three Chopt Road. One of the wonderful things about being an Episcopalian is the fellowship one has with other Anglican and Episcopalian Christians throughout the world. There is a great sense of connectedness in the Episcopal Church.

The word "Episcopal" comes from the Greek word for bishop, and refers to the Episcopal Church's structure as a church governed by bishops. Bishops and other clergy in the Episcopal Church are set apart for particular ministries, but it is also true that lay people have a crucial role in the ministry, worship and governance of this branch of God's church. Since colonial times, when members of the Church of England adapted their religious practices to the New World, lay people have served on vestries and have filled other important roles in a church that is in some ways hierarchical, but in most ways, is democratic.

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church is part of the Diocese of Virginia, one of the oldest and largest dioceses in the Episcopal Church. Our diocese includes 80,000 people who worship God and reach out to others in 181 parishes in 38 counties in central, northern and northwestern Virginia. It is one of three Episcopal dioceses in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the others being the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, based in Roanoke, and the Diocese of Southern Virginia, based in Norfolk. Our diocesan bishop is the Rt. Rev. Shannon Sherwood Johnston. Our suffragan bishop (a bishop elected to assist the diocesan bishop) is the Rt. Rev. David Colin Jones, and our assistant bishop (a bishop appointed to assist the diocesan bishop) is the Rt. Rev. Edwin F. Gulick.

The Episcopal Church is a fellowship of 2.2 million Christians in 112 dioceses throughout the United States as well as Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, The Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Micronesia, Taiwan, and the Convocation of American Churches in Europe. The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church is the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori.

The Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, a global fellowship of 73 million Christians in 38 self-governing provinces. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Rowan Williams. While he is sometimes compared to a pope, a more accurate description of his role is that he is "first among equals" with his brother and sister bishops from throughout the Anglican Communion.

There are a number of sources of more in-depth information about the Episcopal Church and what it means to be an Episcopalian, including:

The Inquirers Class with the Rector, offered three times a year.

The Episcopal Church's Web site, particularly the "I am Episcopalian" page.

The Diocese of Virginia's Web site, particularly the "Diocesan Community" section and the Virginia Episcopalian newspaper

The Book of Common Prayer (the prayer book we use in church)

The Episcopal Handbook (available for purchase in the parish office)

Those Episkopols by Dennis Maynard (available for purchase in the parish office)

A Dictionary for Episcopalians by John N. Wall (available for purchase in the parish office)