Anglican Communion -- The world-wide network of Anglican Christians from 160 countries.  While the church is known as either the Anglican Church, the Church of England, or the Episcopal Church, depending on the region, all Anglican Christians are part of the wider Anglican family, unified under the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury in England.  The current Archbishop of Canterbury is the Most Rev. Rowan Williams.

Archdeaconries and Deaneries -- To assist the bishop with pastoral care and administration, each diocese is divided into regional areas called Archdeaconries, each overseen by a Regional Archdeacon.   Each Archdeaconry is then broken down further into areas known as Regional Deaneries, each with a Regional Dean who keeps in close contact with the churches in the area.

Cathedral -- Each diocese has a central church designated as the Cathedral Church of the Diocese.  Although every cathedral serves a local congregation, it is also the “Bishop’s Church” and serves as the central gathering place for all Anglicans in the diocese for special services and events.  The rector of the cathedral is known as the “Dean”.  In Vancouver, the Very Rev. Peter Elliott is Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, located at 690 Burrard Street, Vancouver.

Diocese -- A regional grouping of churches, under the leadership of a bishop.  In this area, we are part of the Diocese of New Westminster, which is made up of 78 urban and rural churches in Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley (to Hope), the Sunshine Coast and Kingcome Inlet on the B.C. coast.  The diocese is led by Bishop Michael Ingham.

Primate -- The national leader of the church also has the title of Archbishop. The current holder of the office is the Most Rev. Fred Hiltz. The Primate's office is situated in Toronto.

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