The Anglican Communion

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The Anglican Communion is an international association of parishes that combine Catholic and Protestant elements in their teaching, worship, and government. Its parishes embrace over 75 million members worldwide.
 
The Anglican Alliance is a platform for those across the Anglican Communion who work to free the world off poverty and injustice, to be a voice for the voiceless, to reconcile those in conflict, and to safeguard the earth.
 
Despite its broad reach and deep resources, the Anglican Communion has no official legal existence or any governing structure that exercises authority over member churches. There is an Anglican Communion Office in London, under the aegis of the Archbishop of Canterbury, that serves in a supporting and organizational role. The Anglican Communion is held together by a shared history, expressed in its ecclesiology, polity and ethos, and by participation in international consultative bodies.
 

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__​_Beyond the archbishop, the communion is divided into regions led by a Primate, or overseeing Bishop. Our primate for the Episcopal Church is the Presiding Bishop. Each primate oversees a number of smaller divisions or dioceses. Each diocese is led by its own bishop. Our current bishop is The Rt. Rev. W. Michie Klusmeyer, VII Bishop of West Virginia.
 
Three elements have been important in holding the Communion together:  
  • The shared ecclesiastical structure of member churches, manifested in an episcopal polity maintained through the apostolic succession of bishops and synodical government.
  • The principle of belief expressed in worship, investing 
    Importance in approved prayer and other documents.
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  • The historical documents and writings of early Anglican divines that have influenced the ethos of the Communion.