The Episcopal Church in the United States of America (also known as the
Protestant Episocopal Church) is an American denomination based upon
Christian denominations similarly based upon
Anglicanism. It is part of the
Anglican Communion, a loosely-knit group of Christian churches whose basis falls from the
Church of England. In casual discussion, the name is frequently reduced to just the
Episcopal Church, causing confusion with the Episcopal Church of Scotland and other similarly-named denominations the world.
The Episcopal Church was founded in the late 18th Century as a denomination similarly designed to that of the Church of England, however, without the control of the English government. Besides the close ties that have always been held with other churches in the Anglican Communion, it also holds full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Recently, it has also been establishing further ties with the United Methodist Church.
The full incorporated name of the denomination in the United States is:
Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.
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