-  The term “Anglican Communion” was coined in 1885 to describe the network of Anglican (some are also known as Episcopalian) churches founded all over the world through both colonization and later missionary efforts.

-  Organized into 38 geographical provinces (some national, some regional)
and encompassing 161 countries with a total of 84,000,000  members.  A vast majority (between 50 and 60 million of those members live in the global south and two-thirds world.)  One global south province, Nigeria, sees more Anglicans in church on any given Sunday morning than the provinces of the United States, England and Canada combined.

- Each of the 38 provinces is led by a chief bishop or Primate, whose role is distinguished by the fact that he has responsibilities beyond his home diocese.
 

- Provinces are composed of dioceses (smaller geographical units), each of which is overseen by a bishop.  Dioceses, in turn, are formed of individual parishes. 

-The spiritual head of the Anglican Communion is the Archbishop of Canterbury.  The Archbishop of Canterbury is also the leader of the Church of England.

- Lambeth Conference: Meeting of all (more than 700) Bishops of the Anglican Communion once every ten years.  The last Lambeth conference was held in 1998.  The next is scheduled for 2008.  It is called and presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Archbishop’s official residence, Lambeth Palace in England. Resolutions passed by the Lambeth Conferences are advisory — they have primarily moral, rather than legally binding, authority. 

- Instruments of Unity:  While the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lambeth Conference serve as the primary symbols of Anglican unity, the church also comes together through regular meetings of the primates and through the work of the Anglican Consultive Council, a representative body that brings together clergy and laity from all over the Anglican Communion.

Resources for further information:

• The official website of the Anglican Communion is here:  
• The provinces of the Anglican Communion are listed here: 
• Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, has a website here: 

- Updated July 7, 2006-