About Us

Welcome to the website of The Diocese of West Tennessee, where the promise of God in Christ is good news for all people. We offer a variety of worship and outreach opportunities for individuals and families of all ages and backgrounds.

If you are new to our Diocese and searching for a church family, please visit our parish directory. We invite you to contact us at the diocesan office if you cannot find the information you need, info@episwtn.org.

For some basic information on The Episcopal Church in general, please go to the National Church Visitor's Center:
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/welcome/welcome/welcome.html

 

Facts about the Diocese, the Episcopal Church USA, and the Anglican Communion

There are currently more than 11,000 total baptized members worshipping in 34 congregations in West Tennessee. Composed of both rural and urban parishes and missions, the diocesean ministries also include Emmanuel Episcopal Center, Barth House on the University of Memphis campus, and St. Columba Conference Center. The seat of the Diocese is St. Mary's Cathedral which was consecrated in 1858 and served as a refuge during the Yellow Fever epidemics. It also played an integral part of the civil rights movement in the city in the 1960s.

The Diocese of West Tennessee, encompassing 21 counties from the Tennessee River on the east, including a small portion of Hardeman County across the river, to the Arkansas/Missouri border on the west, was incorporated in union with The General Convention of The Episcopal Church USA on December 31, 1982. The first Bishop of the Diocese was the Rt. Rev. Alex Dockery Dickson, consecrated on April 9, 1983 and retired in September 1994. He was succeeded by the Rt. Rev. James Malone Coleman, consecrated on November 13, 1993 and retired in June 2001. The third and current Bishop of West Tennessee is the Rt. Rev. Don Edward Johnson.

Beyond West Tennessee, The Episcopal Church is made up of more than 2 million worshipers in about 7,500 congregations across the United States, and in Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Globally, the Episcopal Church is part of the Anglican Communion of 70 million Anglicans in 31 self-governing churches, 500 dioceses, 30,000 parishes, and 64,000 congregations in 164 countries. The Anglican Communion is made up of churches around the world that trace their roots to the Church of England and maintain a "communion" with it, hence the name "Anglican."