The Diocese of California
About the Episcopal Church in the Bay Area
Our Mission
Embodied Justice
Church Vitality
Rooted Spirituality
Transparent and Accountable Leadership
Inclusive Community
Our Vision
Our Vision is to be the Beloved Community!
We do this through our five Beloved Community principles:
Embodied Justice, Church Vitality, Rooted Spirituality,
Transparent and Accountable Leadership, and Inclusive Community
The Beloved Community, like the Kingdom of God Jesus references in the gospels, is something we catch glimpses of here and now!
Read more about the Beloved Community visioning priniciples.
Our Congregations
The Episcopal Church in the Bay Area serves a diverse community of faith encompassing the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Approximately 22,000 people form 73 congregations, which are organized into six deaneries.
Our congregations spread the Gospel in many languages and cultures. Communities offering Spanish-language services include St. James, Oakland, La Santísima Trinidad, Richmond, and El Buen Pastor, Redwood City. In addition, services are held in Chinese at Our Saviour, Oakland, and True Sunshine, San Francisco. Christ Church-Sei Ko Kai, San Francisco, serves Japanese Americans, worshipping in both English and Japanese. Holy Child and St. Martin’s, Daly City, is a congregation offering Asian-American and Filipino ministry.
Our congregations embrace a variety of worship styles. Church of the Advent, San Francisco, offers mass in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. People conclude the service with congregational dance at St. Gregory of Nyssa, San Francisco. St. Clement’s, Berkeley, worships with the 1928 Prayer Book, while at St. Augustine’s, Oakland, the liturgy and music draw from African American and traditional Anglican sources. In addition to in-person services, many congregations offer online worship services, Bible Studies, and other programs.
Our congregations are composed of lifelong Episcopalians and people raised in other denominations; spiritual seekers and those with a more traditional approach to faith; those who care deeply about social justice, and those who come to nourish their souls with beauty. In these communities, you will find children and elders, families and singles, straight and queer people, lifelong Christians, interfaith couples, converts, and seekers. In our worship of God, we strive to create communities that serve the world’s needs and share the unconditional welcome offered at Jesus’ Table.
