About Us

About Us

A Place for Everyone

Join a faith tradition rooted in God’s unconditional love, and a collection of people who celebrate our differences instead of letting them separate us. We follow Jesus, and with him as our example, we strive to love one another, stand up for the marginalized, and welcome the stranger.

No matter who you are, we invite you to be part of one of our 87 faith communities and six college ministries across Alabama.

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About Us

What We Believe

The Episcopal Church is a Christian church that is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. We Episcopalians believe in a loving, liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe in following the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world.

We have a legacy of inclusion, aspiring to tell and exemplify God’s love for every human being; women and men serve as bishops, priests, and deacons in our church. Laypeople and clergy cooperate as leaders at all levels of our church. Leadership is a gift from God, and can be expressed by all people in our church, regardless of sexual identity or orientation.

We believe that God loves you – no exceptions.

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What We Do

As the Episcopal Church in Alabama, we care for the 87 parishes and six college ministries in our diocese through ministry support, resources, and events. Our goal is to help all our parishes and ​faith communities​:

Equip the Saints


By offering tools and support that will help ensure all parishes thrive for the next 100 years.


Proclaim The Gospel


By nurturing and empowering committed disciples of Jesus and future leaders of the Church.


Seek & Serve Christ in all ​persons


By finding ways to diversify our parishes through creating pathways to racial healing and reconciliation.

Mission

To proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ, to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves, to strive for justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being.

Our Presiding Bishop

About Us

The Most Rev. Sean Rowe




The Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe was elected presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church in June 2024 and took office on Nov. 1 for a nine-year term. In this role, he serves as the church’s chief pastor and CEO. Known for his expertise in organizational learning and adaptive change, Rowe is committed to strengthening support for local ministry and mission.  

He was ordained bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania in 2007 after serving as rector of St. John’s in Franklin, Pennsylvania, for seven years. From 2014 to 2018, he served as bishop provisional of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem, and from 2019 to 2024, he led a partnership between the Episcopal Dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York. 

Rowe holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Grove City College, a Master of Divinity degree from Virginia Theological Seminary, and a doctorate in organizational learning and leadership from Gannon University. He has served as a leader of many civic and churchwide organizations and governance bodies, and as parliamentarian for the House of Bishops. 

Our Diocesan Bishops

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Glenda S. Curry

Bishop of the Diocese of Alabama

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Glenda S. Curry is the 12th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama. She was consecrated as bishop coadjutor on June 27, 2020, and was recognized and invested as bishop diocesan on January 9, 2021, at the Cathedral Church of the Advent.

Prior to her election, Curry served as the rector of All Saints Episcopal Church, Birmingham. Following her ordination to the priesthood she served as the rector of Epiphany Episcopal Church in Leeds. Prior to her ordination, Curry served as the president of Troy State University in Montgomery. She received her M.Div from the University of the South, Sewanee, in 2002.

She serves as chaplain to Province IV Daughters of the King (DOK) and as Bishop liaison to Episcopal Church Cursillo Ministries.

Bishop Curry is married to Bill, and they enjoy traveling, hiking, and spending time with their seven grandchildren.

To schedule an appointment with Bishop Curry, please email Anne Tippet or call 205-358-9224.

Our Bishops and Staff

The Very Rev. Richard T. Lawson

Bishop-Elect of the Diocese of Alabama

On January 31, 2026, the Very Rev. Richard T. Lawson III was elected bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama at a special electing convention at the Cathedral Church of the Advent, and has received the canonically required consent of a majority of The Episcopal Church’s diocesan standing committees and bishops with jurisdiction.

His ordination is scheduled for Saturday, June 27, 2026, at Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, AL, with the Most Rev. Sean Rowe, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, as the Chief Consecrator.

Lawson received his M.Div. from General Seminary and later an S.T.M. from the University of the South (Sewanee). In 2001, he was ordained a deacon at Epiphany in Guntersville by Bishop Onell Soto and later that year was ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral Church of the Advent by Bishop Henry Parsley. He began his ordained ministry as curate and later as rector at St. John’s in Decatur, a thriving parish where he gained extensive experience in pastoral care. He then served as rector of Grace-St. Luke’s Church and School in Memphis, where the parish flourished and experienced healing under his leadership.

Before his election, Lawson served as the Dean of St. John’s Cathedral in Denver, a dynamic and growing congregation, and the cathedral for the Diocese of Colorado.  He is married to Katherine, and they have two adult children.

To schedule an appointment with Bishop-Elect Lawson, please email Anne Tippett or call 205-358-9224.

Our Bishops and Staff