The Bishop and the Baptised

Recent scholarship suggests a significant difference between the structures of TEC (The Episcopal Church) and the Church of England through the influence of baptismal ecclesiology on TEC. This book unpacks this, and demonstrates that baptismal ecclesiology is more evident in the Common Worship ordinal than in the TEC Ordinal. As arguably the key document for understanding Anglican ecclesiology, the Ordinal affirms the importance of the bishop ordaining in the context of a Eucharist, with the liturgical action indicating the ontology and praxis of the bishop’s ministry in the daily life of the Church. This unique text poses serious questions about the way the C of E is structured, how dioceses are run and the role of bishops through the lens of liturgical theology.