San Antonio, Tx 78209
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Bishops
What is a Bishop? 
In the Episcopal Church, The Book of Common Prayer explains that three distinct orders of ordained ministers - bishops, priests, and deacons - have been recognized since the time of the New Testament. Bishops are called to carry on the "apostolic work of leading, supervising, and uniting the Church" (BCP p. 510). Bishops represent Christ and his church and provide Christian vision and leadership for their dioceses. They are the upholders of the faith of the Church; every bishop at his or her ordination declares that he or she believes "the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, and to contain all things necessary to salvation."
The word "episcopal" means pertaining to a bishop. The term comes from the Greek episcopos, meaning "overseer." Thus the Episcopal Church is a church that recognizes the authority of bishops. In fact, the Episcopal Church is organized into dioceses, the very definition of which is a territory under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
When it refers to something related to the Episcopal Church - "the Episcopal liturgy" or "an Episcopal priest" - the word "Episcopal" is capitalized. But it can also be used to mean pertaining to a bishop - an episcopal ring is worn by a bishop to signify his office - and is then lower-cased.
According to Episcopal Church canon, a diocesan bishop must make an episcopal visit to every congregation in his or her diocese at least once every three years. In this diocese, every congregation is visited at least once a year, and many are visited twice a year. At his or her visit, a bishop confirms or receives persons into the Episcopal Church, preaches, is the chief celebrant at the Eucharist, and usually visits with members of the congregation during Christian education time or at a reception.
Bishops are also the pastors of the pastors - the ones from whom the priests of the diocese seek counsel, wisdom, and guidance.
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