Who We Are

At the heart of our Diocese are our 66 congregations. In communities across Oklahoma, small and large, rural and urban, led by full-time or part-time clergy and dedicated lay leaders, Episcopalians gather to worship, form disciples of Jesus of all ages, and love and serve our neighbors. Every congregation has vitality, which is the life that God gives through the Holy Spirit, sustained by the sacraments.

Our calling in congregations is to open ourselves to God’s blessing and purpose for us through spiritual practices. The primary calling of our Bishop and Diocesan Staff is to be in partnership with our congregations in order to offer resources and encouragement for greater vitality by God’s grace.

Our Diocese has a particular dedication to the faith formation of children, youth, and young adults through summer camps and retreats at St. Crispin’s Conference Center + Camp, our five Episcopal schools, and college chaplaincies at OU and OSU. Our young people strengthen the vitality of our congregations and are formed to be servant leaders.

Episcopalians are Prayer Book people, and our Book of Common Prayer grounds our relationship with God in prayer. The threefold pattern of prayer is weekly Eucharist (and ideally on major feast days during the week), daily Morning and Evening Prayer (the Daily Office), and personal devotions (other forms of prayer, such as Centering Prayer, Ignatian Prayer, the Rosary, Icon Prayer, and many others). Our prayer and worship of God are our first and greatest duty; to love God, from which flows our love of neighbor. Prayer opens our hearts to God’s transformation, more and more, into the likeness of Christ.

The Episcopal Church has a long history of welcome and inclusion. We were among the first mainline denominations to ordain women (1974), and welcome all the baptized to all the sacraments, including our LGBTQ+ siblings. We strive to be increasingly multigenerational and multicultural, reflecting the neighborhoods around us.

While our congregations are a diverse mix of political and theological viewpoints, each, in their own way, embraces justice, reconciliation, and sharing the Good News of Jesus with a hurting world.

Our Bishop, as the primary spokesperson for our Diocese, speaks publicly on matters of justice, particularly those that impact Oklahoma and that are supported by Holy Scripture and the teachings of the Episcopal Church. Bishop Poulson has spoken in recent years on vaccination, the death penalty, incarceration, abortion, racial reconciliation, food insecurity, and addiction.