Trinity Episcopal Church is a congregation that is part
of the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee.
The volunteer organization that pays attention to the spiritual leadership and the fiduciary leadership of the church is called the Vestry. There are nine elected people who are the Vestry, plus the congregational leader called the Senior Warden, and the Facility leader called the Junior Warden. Each of the Vestry members is on a committee, Worship, Finance, Hospitality, Outreach, The priest of the church is called the Rector, the Rector leads the Vestry. The vestry also includes a treasurer, appointed by the Rector.
The Diocese of Milwaukee is a collection of Episcopal churches throughout the southern third of Wisconsin. These offices are in the city of Milwaukee. The Diocese is led by a Bishop. The Bishop is the spiritual and fiduciary leader of the diocese, with an executive committee and a finance committee. The Bishop has staff as needed. One of the responsibilities of the Bishop is to support congregations and clergy by visiting each congregation, when the Bishop visits, the congregation will often have those who have been preparing, confirmed. When a diocese is in transition between bishops, the Standing Committee acts as the ecclesiastical authority (the Bishop). At the congregation’s annual meeting, four people are elected as representatives to the Diocesan Convention, which meets yearly.
“We are a church, a people empowered and endowed by the Holy Spirit with the gifts necessary to accomplish the mission God has set before us to restore all people to unity with Him in Christ.”
The Episcopal Church is headquartered in New York, however, many staff people work locally. The Episcopal Church meets in convention every three years. Those who have been elected by their diocese as representatives (both lay and clergy) are deputies and meet in the House of Deputies. The Bishops of the dioceses meet in the House of Bishops. The one who leads the House of Deputies is called the President of the House of Deputies, and that is The Rev. Gay Clark Jennings. The one who leads the House of Bishops is called the Presiding Bishop and that is The Right Reverend Michael Curry .
“Being a Christian is not essentially about joining a church or being a nice person, but about following in the footsteps of Jesus, taking his teachings seriously, letting his Spirit take the lead in our lives, and in so doing helping to change the world from our nightmare into God’s dream.”