The dioceses of San Joaquin, Pittsburgh, Fort Worth, and Quincy recently voted to secede from the Episcopal Church. The bishop of Pittsburgh was recently deposed for abandonment of communion, with several other bishops removed from ministry in the Episcopal Church after declaring their alignment with other provinces of the Anglican Communion. The diocese of Virginia is in the midst of protracted legal battles with parishes seeking to leave with property, with Virginia lower courts issuing rulings reflecting minority interpretation of The Episcopal Church governance. What's going on, who's in charge, and what about real-property assets? In order to determine the locus of authority within the Episcopal Church, political scientist James Dator carefully analyzed the three main styles of constitutional government confederal, federal, and unitary and applied them to the Episcopal Church in his 1959 dissertation. Now, working with religious journalist Jan Nunley, who added current legal cases and canonical updates, Dr. Dator s research offers newfound currency and prescient applicability. Topics include a thorough examination of the Episcopal Church s Constitution and Canons, 1782 to present, plus the structure, executive powers, and governing roles of its various parts."

* Reflections on tradition and change for the twenty-first-century church * Something for both newcomers and those familiar with liturgy and spirituality Like the scribe and master of the household cited by Jesus in Matthew 13, Re-membering God "brings out of treasure what is new and what is old," and empowers us to go and do likewise. As both critique and encouragement for the church in the early part of the twenty-first century, it seeks to reclaim the foundational riches of the church's liturgy and spirituality in the face of cul-tural change. These resources, some lost or neglected and others under-utilized, can help rebuild the church, raising up what has been cast down and renewing what has grown old. This series of reflections explore with discernment what is "fashionable," and acknowledge the deepest and most endur-ing human needs and hopes, which only God can answer. Re-membering God puts liturgical and spiritual practice into terms easily understood by both newcomers and seasoned devotees, for the benefit of this and future generations. Understanding the value of the past and with an eye to the future, this book will inform our next conversations about evangelism and church growth.

The Anglican Communion is said to be coming apart at the seams. But is that really true? Backpacking Through the Anglican Communion is the exciting new book that challenges the tired narrative of Anglican disunity. Jesse Zink has traveled tens of thousands of miles around the world, visiting and worshiping with Anglicans in some of the Communion s most diverse provinces Nigeria, the largest province ministering in an unstable political environment; South Sudan, at one point the fastest-growing church in the world, now rebuilding after devastating civil wars; England, the mother church of Anglicans, struggling to adjust to a new, secular age; South Africa, a church dealing with the legacy of entrenched discrimination and rapid social change. The story Zink learns at the grassroots level of the church is far different from the one that dominates its highest levels. He shows that when conversations about power, history, and sexuality are undertaken in a spirit of mutuality and trust, they can strengthen, not weaken, the Anglican Communion. The result is a book that presents vivid slices of Anglican life around the world, argues convincingly that unity is central to the Communion s mission, and presents a credible path to achieving that unity in a global church. It is a book that will be sure to shape coming debates about the future of the Anglican Communion. "

Get to know the first five Black women to be elected diocesan bishops within the Episcopal Church. During this moment, with the #metoo movement, Black Lives Matter, and the increased feelings of division in our country, Black women clergy in the Episcopal Church have voiced a need to come together, believing that their experiences and concerns may be very different than those of other clergy. That need is answered here in This Band of Sisterhood. The five Black women bishops featured in this book can provide a compass for how to journey along these new paths. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Carlye J. Hughes, Kimberly Lucas, Shannon MacVean-Brown, and Phoebe A. Roaf offer honest, vulnerable wisdom from their own lives that speaks to this time in American life. Both women and men will find this book invaluable in discerning how God might be calling them to use their own leadership skills.

The world is ever changing and so must the Episcopal Church to remain relevant to its followers. A grounded, necessary book on the Episcopalian faith in the 21st century. In the Church's Teachings for a Changing World series, two visionary Episcopal thinkers and church leaders team up to revitalize the currency, integrity, and scholarship of this series with fresh new voices and style; concise and clear enough for newcomers, yet grounded and thoughtful enough for seminarians and leaders. In this foundational text for the Church's Teachings for a Changing World, Law and Spellers explore seismic shifts in American life and the opportunities and challenges each presents to the church today. With a winning combination of passion, creativity, and wisdom, the authors call for a return to Episcopal basics and insist that faithfully engaging a changing world might be the most truly Anglican practice of all. "This is the book I've been waiting for. The Episcopal way of following Jesus and being Christian may be one of the best-kept secrets in the Western world. Finally, someone has taken the light out from under the bushel. Let it shine."-The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church.

This is the first extensive collection of descants on hymns in Episcopal sources that do not appear in the published hymnals. It contains descants by twenty-two composers on one hundred one hymn texts set to eighty-one hymn tunes. An added bonus is that twenty-seven of the tunes have alternate harmonizations. In addition to dramatic descants on triumphal and celebrative hymns, several hymns are included that require the descant to be reflective and quiet. Many may be played by instruments rather than sung by sopranos and/or tenors. These descants, harvested from working Episcopal church musicians, are examples of the useful day-to-day work in the local church. Even though they are small musical gems and greatly enjoyed by congregations, such practical compositions rarely obtain exposure beyond the local parish or diocese. The theme of the 2005 Annual Conference of the Association of Anglican Musicians in Baltimore, MD was "Come to us, Creative Spirit: The Art and Craft of the Church Musician." The vision embodied in that conference title echoes a hymn text by David Mowbray (Come to us, creative Spirit) which honors the creativity of those who speak their faith artistically and seeks to make such voices available to all. It is in that spirit that this book of descants is published.

A new edition of the comprehensive resource linking hymns and anthems to lectionary readings. Liturgical Music for the Revised Common Lectionary, Year B is the second of three volumes in a series of planning guides for church musicians and clergy, identifying hymns and anthems that are connected to the scripture appointed for Sundays and feast days. In addition to identifying hymns and anthems appropriate for each Sunday of the church year, this volume also offers suggestions about where in the liturgy each selection can best be used. Featuring hymns from hymnals authorized for use in the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Moravian Church in America, as well as anthems from a variety of sources, Liturgical Music for the Revised Common Lectionary helps liturgical planners add musical variety to services and link congregational and choral singing to the lectionary.

Wisdom through easy-to-grasp phrases. Biblical and cultural proverbs have been cherished throughout the ages. One reason for their enduring influence is that they reveal deeper wisdom through easy-to-grasp phrases. They form our lives by offering wisdom we can hold onto and use in life's most complex situations. In the increasingly complex world of modern ministry, it has become harder for pastors and church leaders to act wisely when the models for ministry keep changing. Ministry Proverbs is a collection of 60 proverbs that the Rev. Dr. Graham Standish has developed over the years to guide his own ministry. These are proverbs such as "We are only responsible for our efforts. God is responsible for the results. So be responsible for your part, and let God be responsible for God's part. Wisdom comes in learning to tell the difference." Each proverb is followed by 4-6 paragraphs of reflection that take the reader deeper into the ramifications and applications of the proverb. The reflections are intended to help readers to apply the proverbs in their own ministries, and to remember them so that when they face a difficult or uncertain situation, they can tap into the wisdom.

All of us are natural theologians, willing and able to think through questions of belief and relate the insights of theologians to our public and personal lives. In this clear and engaging introduction, Thompsett gives us the tools to think theologically by grounding us in the history, theology, spirituality, and biblical foundations of Anglican belief, particularly that of the Episcopal church. Beginning with the Bible and what it reveals to us about the distinct calling of the People of God, Thompsett goes on to consider the insights of the Reformation regarding the importance of the laity and the contribution of lay people, particularly women, to the expansive mission of the nineteenth century in education and social work. She then explores different aspects of Anglican identity, and lay movements of liberation in the global South. Aimed primarily at a lay and non-specialist audience, this book introduces key facets of Anglicanism and aspects of contemporary theology. It is an excellent parish educational resource, especially for adult forums and group study.

The perfect book for newcomers who are often confused by the worship service, Welcome to Sunday is also an excellent book for those who have been sitting in the pews without fully understanding what happens on Sunday morning. Episcopal priest Christopher Webber takes the reader from the sidewalk outside the church, guides them through the service, and sends them out again when the service has ended. Webber explains the postures, the Christian year, the colors we use during various seasons, and all the elements in the Service of the Eucharist. As in Webber's very popular Welcome to the Episcopal Church, the tone of the easy-to-read book is conversational, making it useful for parish study.

Throughout the 20th century lay women in the Episcopal Church, often acting in isolation and without institutional support, offered a powerful witness of leadership, vocation, and theological resilience. "Deeper Joy" studies groups of women with similar callings yet located in diverse settings throughout church and society such as schools, hospitals, and other civic institutions. The topics presented here reflect new historical perspectives and unexplored primary materials, including interviews that bear on all women's ministries, hence addressing neglected and important aspects of life in the American church.

After an introductory chapter on women and vocation, five major sections will explore lay women's vocations through the lenses of community life, education, mission, civic life, and working for change from within the Episcopal Church. Topics include Anglican sisterhoods, the Companions of the Holy Cross, the deaconess movement, women of the New Deal, women in foreign missions, the settlement house movement, and women in education. The views of African-American, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American women are all represented. A concluding chapter addresses future directions for leadership and service.

In the section entitled "Concerning the Service of the Church," the Book of Common Prayer identifies the normative services of the Episcopal Church: The Holy Eucharist, the principal act of Christian worship on the Lord's Day and other major Feasts, and Daily Morning and Evening Prayer, as set forth in this book, are the regular services appointed for public worship in the Church. (BCP, 13) Eucharistic propers (collects, Scripture readings, and proper prefaces) are provided in the Book of Common Prayer for the days when the Eucharist is the principal service. As celebration of the Eucharist has become more frequent, many congregations and other communities of faith now celebrate weekday Eucharists on days for which the Prayer Book does not assign propers. To facilitate the use of these authorized options, this resource contains weekday propers for the seasons of the Church Year (the temporal cycle), the Common of Saints (the sanctoral cycle), and Various Occasions from the Prayer Book and from resources authorized since the adoption of the Prayer Book. The propers in this resource are grouped into three sections by type for the temporal cycle, the sanctoral cycle, and various occasions.

* For people whose eyes glaze over when questions of salvation/redemption/atonement come up * Written by a theologian, but with a lay audience in mind Even theologians have had different ideas about the theology of atonement; how are the rest of supposed to understand it? This book is a good place to start. Crysdale, whose background in both psychology and theology gives her a unique perspective, presents an overview of the history of the theology of atonement, addressing clearly the difficulties around this concept, and bringing us with her to a contemporary understanding. "Please join me in welcoming an informative, thoughtful, creative, and persuasive book on the atonement. St. Paul and even Anselm's contributions to this multi-faceted doctrine are rendered accessible here. I only wish Crysdale's volume had been available during my fifty years of teaching Anglican theology. Please don't miss reading her contemporary, scholarly perspectives. She has much to teach us."-Fredrica Harris Thompsett, author of We Are Theologians "No 'doctrine' has more distorted the living of lives called Christian than substitutionary satisfaction theories of the atonement. So thank God we now have Crysdale's constructive account of the atonement that helps us see that we do not need a theory of the atonement because what God has done in the crucifixion is not a violent exchange but rather God's way of befriending his people. I hope that this well researched book will be widely read."-Stanley Hauerwas, author of Without Apology

The dinner table may be the only time that today's busy families sit down together - and pray together. This book meets families where they are, offering prayers of thanks for macaroni and cheese, fast-food meals, and, yes, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Includes rhyming prayers for little kids, dinner-table prayers for special family occasions, and prayers marking the movement of the church year.

Of particular interest to scholars and practitioners across the Anglican Communion with contributions from a wide breadth of scholars. Liturgical Spirituality is a collection of Anglican reflections on the spirituality of the liturgy, inviting readers into the Church s patterns of prayer, seasons of the year, and sacramental action. With contributions from all over the world, from the North Atlantic to Australia, the collection helps develop a comprehensive understanding of contemporary Anglican spirituality."

"The old way of "being church"-measured by political influence, money, and congregants in the pews-may indeed be vanishing, but it is being replaced by something new and beautiful for those with the eyes, ears, heart, and soul to experience it. Prolific author Greg Garrett reminds Episcopalians of the many gifts that our tradition can offer a doubting and hurting world. He reveals a church that values intellect, beauty, diversity, and community, and promotes thoughtful engagement with questions of faith, ethics, and community. This church espouses a generous orthodoxy, welcoming left and right, mystic and doubter. It values education, social justice, and engagement with literature and culture. And in opposition to the radical individualism espoused by most of American Protestantism, it offers the unique gift of a tradition shaped by English culture that believes the individual is a part of her or his community-not in opposition to it."

Preaching as Prophetic Calling is the twelfth in a series of books devoted to presenting examples of preaching excellence from parishes throughout the Episcopal Church. This volume addresses the difficult and essential area of preaching a prophetic word. What does a prophetic sermon look like without being shrill, and without being filled with musts, oughts, and shoulds ? This collection of sermons includes examples of prophetic preaching that are visionary and that speak in ways that offer radical comfort as well as radical challenge. "

The story of Episcopalians in America is the story of an influential denomination that has furnished a large share of the American political and cultural leadership. Beginning with the Episcopal Church's roots in sixteenth-century England, The Episcopalians offers a fresh account of its rise to prominence. Chronologically arranged, it traces the establishment of colonial Anglicanism in the New World through the birth of the Episcopal Church after the Revolution and its rise throughout the nineteenth century, ending with the complex array of forces that helped shape it in the 20th century and the consecration of Gene Robinson in 2003. The authors focus not only on the established leadership of the church but also to the experience of lay people, the form and function of sacred space, the evolution of church parties and theology, relations with other Christian communities, and the evolving ministries of women and minorities.

Preaching Through Holy Days and Holidays is the eleventh in a series of books devoted to presenting examples of preaching excellence from parishes in the Episcopal Church. These sermons, collected from clergy around the country, focus on preaching the Holy Days and Holidays of the church and secular calendar. Contents include sermons for:
-- the High Holy Days (Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Easter Evening, and Pentecost)
-- major festivals (The Presentation of Our Lord, Ascension Day, The Transfiguration of Our Lord, All Saints' Day)
-- Feasts of various saints
-- celebrations of ministerial vocation (The Baptism of Our Lord, The Nativity of John the Baptist, the ordination of a bishop, the renewal of ordination vows)
-- civic holidays (Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving) and more.

Timed to be launched at 2009 General Convention, Juan Oliver definitive look at the history and potential future of Latino ministry in the Episcopal Church comes at an opportune time. With Latino ministries growing around the country in all traditions, and with increasing resource and programmatic offerings being allocated to serve those communities, this highly descriptive handbook profiles the culture, faith, and importance of this emerging minority.

Within the book chapters, Oliver surveys topical areas, such as: Who/What is a Latino? Latino Biblical Interpretation Worship in a Latino congregation The spiritual lives of Latinos Latino authority and governance Latino administration and stewardship The Latino priest: Factotum or Specialist? The Latino deacon The Latino bishop Non-Latinos in Latino ministry

While this one-volume guide is especially useful for Christian educators, showing them how to teach week by week according to the ethos and tradition of the Episcopal Church, it also provides a valuable and useful reference tool for all church leaders and members in connecting Christian faith to daily life.

This new guide to Christian education and formation is based on the Book of Common Prayer, the cornerstone of Anglican liturgy and theology. Keyed to the Revised Common Lectionary, all activities and lessons are structured on the seasons and lessons for Years A, B, and C. The guide stresses the major themes of baptismal theology and shows how teachers, parents, and children can live the liturgical cycle in Christian formation ministries at church and at home.

"The image of dancing with God may seem like an odd one for a book on Christian theology," writes Jay Johnson, "More than a few people probably assume dancing and theology have at least one thing in common: Other people do them. The good news of Christian faith suggests something different. Each and everyone of us is invited to dance with God. Each of us can dance. Each of us can do theology." Theology, long seen as the domain of professors, scholars, and clergy, is actually the work of all God's people. Dancing with God uses the metaphor of dance to help readers--especially those without a theological background--approach the discipline of theology as something we all do, and not only something to believe. And doing theology is the practice of hope. This book explores the way Anglicans approach theology. The good news, according to Johnson, is not about the assurance of "getting things right." It comes, instead, from considering our texts, creeds, and liturgies as invitations to dance with the God of abundant life. Beautifully and accessibly written, Dancing with God makes an excellent book for individual or parish study.

The New Church's Teaching series has been one of the most recognizable and useful sets of books in the Episcopal Church. With the launch of the Church's Teachings for a Changing World series, visionary Episcopal thinkers and leaders have teamed up to revitalize the series with fresh voices and style, making it grounded and thoughtful enough for seminarians and leaders, yet concise and clear enough for newcomers. A leading thinker and vibrant presence at the intersection of church and world, Winnie Varghese explores the "what", "how", and "why" of Episcopal engagement with contemporary social issues. Like the master of the household in Jesus' parable (Matthew 13:52) who "brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old," Varghese leads readers to discover theological resources from generations past and how they help to guide our action around thorny issues like racial justice, gender and sexuality, economic disparity, definitions of "family," the environment, and much more.

These studies, by a group of outstanding American theologians, canonists, and church historians, provide a great deal of evidence for the historical basis and continuing importance of bishops' conferences in the life of the church.