An important change in the organization of the Church was made in 1919 by the establishment of a ha tional council, with the presiding bishop at its head, to act as the executive body of the General Convention between its sessions, and to have charge of the general missionary, social and educa tional work of the Church; with the provision that, for the future, the presiding bishop should be elected instead of succeeding to this office by seniority of consecration. The national council has given new impetus and effectiveness to the work of the Church and strengthened her corporate life. The revision and enrichment of the Book of Common Prayer, undertaken in 1913, has been given much consideration at each meeting of the General Convention since that time. The statistics reported at the last meeting of the Convention in 1925 included the following: dioceses and mission ary districts, 104; communicants 1,193,321; clergy, 6,140; candi dates for Holy Orders, 454; lay readers, 3,740; enrolled in Sunday Schools 498,814; total contributions for the year 1925,
055. It is the earnest and increasing desire both of clergy and
people that the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States should make the utmost of her opportunity to serve the cause of Christian reunion; and at the General Convention in 1910 a movement was initiated to bring about a world conference on faith and order. After 17 years of preparation and effort, the conference was held in 1927 at Lausanne, and was attended by representatives of all the major Churches of Christendom with the exception of the Roman Catholic Church.
S. Perry, Historical Collections relating to the Episcopal Colonial Church (187o), and History of the American Episcopal Church (1885); Bishop White, Memoirs of the Protestant Episcopal Church (188o) ; S. D. McConnell, History of the Ameri can Episcopal Church (189o) ; C. C. Tiffany, History of the Prot estant Episcopal Church (1905) ; see also ref. under art. ENGLAND,