Anglican Communion

The Anglican Communion consists of thirty-eight autonomous churches, or provinces, worldwide which are in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury. These churches include over 500 dioceses, 64,000 congregations, and 70 million members. The Anglican churches teach the Catholic and Apostolic faith, as expressed in the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible and the creeds of the ancient church, and interpreted through the authority of Scripture, Tradition, and Reason.

The Instruments of Unity
The Instruments of Unity are the four inter-Anglican structures which enable communication, communion, and shared mission between the provinces of the Anglican Communion.

The Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury and the Primate of All England. The see of Canterbury has been the seat of authority for the Church of England since 601 A.D. when St. Augustine of Canterbury was appointed head of the Church in England by the Pope. Today the Archbishop is regarded as the spiritual head of the Church of England and of the Anglican Communion, having the status of 'primus inter pares', or first among equals.

The Lambeth Conferences
The Lambeth Conference is called every ten years by the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is a meeting of all the bishops of the communion, who come together to consult among one another. It has advisory authority over the provinces, but does not have legislative authority.

The Primates' Meeting
The Primates' Meeting is a meeting of the primates of the provincial churches, and occurs on a yearly basis.

The Anglican Consultative Council
The Anglican Consultative Council is a body consisting of one bishop, one priest or deacon, and one layperson from each province. It meets every two to three years.

Provinces of the Anglican Communion
There are 38 autonomous provinces of the Anglican Communion, each with their own juridical structure under the leadership of a primate or chief bishop. There are also six extra-provincial churches which lack their own primate but instead are under the primatial jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Africa
The Anglican Church of Burundi The Church of the Province of Central Africa Province de L'Eglise Anglicane Du Congo The Anglican Church of Kenya The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) L'Eglise Episcopal au Rwanda The Church of the Province of Southern Africa The Episcopal Church of the Sudan The Anglican Church of Tanzania The Church of the Province of Uganda The Church of the Province of West Africa

Asia
The Church of Bangladesh Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui The Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean The Nippon Sei Ko Kai (The Anglican Communion in Japan) The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem &amp; The Middle East The Anglican Church of Korea The Church of the Province of Myanmar (Burma) The Church of North India (United) The Church of Pakistan (United) Church of the Province of South East Asia The Church of South India (United) The Church of Ceylon (Extra-Provincial to the Archbishop of Canterbury)

Europe
The Church of England The Church of Ireland The Scottish Episcopal Church The Church in Wales The Lusitanian Church (Extra-Provincial to the Archbishop of Canterbury) The Reformed Episcopal Church of Spain (Extra-Provincial to the Archbishop of Canterbury)

North America
The Anglican Church of Canada Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America La Iglesia Anglicana de Mexico The Episcopal Church in the United States of America The Church in the Province of the West Indies Iglesia Episcopal de Cuba Bermuda (Extra-Provincial to the Archbishop of Canterbury)

Oceania
The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand &amp; Polynesia The Anglican Church of Australia The Church of the Province of Melanesia The Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea The Episcopal Church in the Philippines

South America
Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil Iglesia Anglicana del Cono Sur de America Falkland Islands (Extra-Provincial to the Archbishop of Canterbury)