Constitution and Canons

Capitalize when referring to the published document containing the official set of governing rules for The Episcopal Church and in numbered citations. Lowercase in other uses.

• The Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church is published as a separate volume following each General Convention.
• The Episcopal Church’s constitution was first adopted by General Convention in 1789. The canons of The Episcopal Church are enacted by the General Convention.
• The most familiar description of the roles and functions of the presiding bishop can be found in Canon I.2.4 of the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church.
• On the day following that joint session, the House of Bishops will elect one of the nominated bishops to be presiding bishop “by a vote of a majority of all bishops, excluding retired bishops not present, except that whenever two-thirds of the House of Bishops are present a majority vote shall suffice” (Constitution I.3).