THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION is an international association of national and regional Anglican Churches. There is no single "Anglican Church" with universal juridical authority as each national or regional church has full autonomy. As the name suggests, the Anglican Communion is an association of those churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Episocpal Church is the official Anglican Church in the United States and encorporates traditions that include Protestant and Catholic, ancient and reformed, conservative and liberal.
The three basic sources of beliefs in the Episcopal Church are Scripture, reason, and tradition. Episcopalians believe that God teaches us and leads us by all three means. The mission of the Episcopal Church and of all Episcopalians is "to follow Christ; to come together week by week for corporate worship; and to work, pray, and give for the spread of the Kingdom of God."
The Episcopal Church in the United States has about 1.9 million members and is divided into 100 dioceses across the United States and in South and Central America. Each diocese is led by an elected biship and an executive board and standing committee composed of both elected lay and clergy members.