Anglican Communion
Province Territorial Jurisdiction Year Established Year Dissolved
Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui China 1912 1949
Church of Hawaii Hawaii 1862 1902
Church of India , Pakistan , Burma and Ceylon Bangladesh , India , Myanmar , Pakistan , Sri Lanka 1930 1970
Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America Confederate States of America 1861 1865
United Church of England and Ireland England , Wales , Ireland 1800 1871
Organisation -- Former provinces
The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion. Founded in 1867 in London, England, the communion currently has 85 million members within the Church of England and other national and regional churches in full communion. The traditional origins of Anglican doctrines are summarised in the Thirty-nine Articles (1571). The Archbishop of Canterbury (currently Justin Welby) in England acts as a focus of unity, recognised as primus inter pares (first among equals), but does not exercise authority in Anglican provinces outside of the Church of England. The Anglican Communion was founded at the Lambeth Conference in 1867 in London, England, under the leadership of Charles Longley, Archbishop of Canterbury. The churches of the Anglican Communion consider themselves to be part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church, and to be both catholic and reformed. Although aligned with the Church of England, the communion has a multitude of beliefs, liturgies, and practices, including evangelical, liberal and Anglo-Catholic. Each retains their own legislative process and episcopal polity under the leadership of local primates. For some adherents, Anglicanism represents a non-papal Catholicism, for others a form of Protestantism though without guiding figure such as Luther, Knox, Calvin, Zwingli or Wesley, or for yet others a combination of the two. Most of its 85 million members live in the Anglosphere of former British territories. Full participation in the sacramental life of each church is available to all communicant members. Due to their historical link to England (Ecclesia Anglicana means English Church), some of the member churches are known as Anglican, such as the Anglican Church of Canada.