Refers to the office of bishop. Episcopacy also refers to the system of church government in which bishops serve as general superintendents of the church and are responsible individually and collectively for the spiritual and temporal welfare of the denomination. The episcopal system is established by the Constitution as an integral part of the organizational structure of United Methodism.
Source: A Dictionary for United Methodists, Alan K. Waltz, Copyright 1991, Abingdon Press. Used by permission.
