Council of the Diocese

The Council of the Diocese, which meets annually, is the primary governing body of the Diocese of Atlanta. Delegates include lay people from each parish, clergy who are in good standing, canonically resident in the Diocese, and continuously exercising clerical functions, and one Youth and one College Ministry representative. See The Constitution of the Diocese of Atlanta, Article 2.

The Executive Board

The Executive Board, made up of one clergy and one lay representative from each convocation of parishes, meets with the officers of the diocese periodically between sessions of the Council of the Diocese. The Executive Committee acts for the Executive Board between meetings. See Diocesan Canon 5.

The Standing Committee

The Standing Committee is composed of six members, three clergy and three lay persons. One clerical and one lay member is elected at each Annual Council for a term of three years. The Standing Committee acts as the Council of Advice to the Bishop when necessary and where there is no bishop the Standing Committee is the ecclesiastical authority. The Standing Committee is requested to give consent for all bishops elected in the Episcopal Church. It recommends persons for ordination. It gives the bishop advice and consent on the purchase, sale, or encumbrance of any property held by a congregation or the diocese. See Diocesan Canon 3.

Convocations

Churches and worshiping communities of the Diocese of Atlanta are organized into regional convocations. One clergy and one lay person from each convocation compose members of the Executive Board.

Click here to view the full list of regional convocations.

Parish Vestries

Vestries work with the clergy of a parish to administer the temporal business of the parish. Members of the Vestry are elected by the parish at annual meetings and are called to play a leadership role in the life of the parish. See Canon 33.

The Episcopal Church Governance

The Diocese of Atlanta is one of 109 dioceses and regional areas in 17 nations and is a member province of the worldwide Anglican Communion. See Episcopal Church Governance.