So when I started getting into the Episcopal Church thang, there was this undercurrent of distress amongst some of the assembled viz the “proper” shortname or acronym for the church. At that time, it was ECUSA (Episcopal Church in the United States of America), which had some feathers ruffled because earlier it had been PECUSA (Protestant etc. etc.), as a shortened form of its full legal name, The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Some
folks had liked the “Protestant” bit, others had objected to it (and some thought it was confusing with the Presbyterians, PCUSA), and so ECUSA it was.
Except now that’s not any more, at least not semi-formally, as someone realized that there are non-US members of the US (for various reasons, including geopolitical and missionary). Indeed, there are Episcopal dioceses in 16 countries all told, including Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Haiti, and Taiwan.
So at General Convention came the announcement that now we’ll be referring to ourselves as TEC (The Episcopal Church), at least in formal (or informal) national church communications. A “branding” exercise,one might call it.
The Episcopal Church’s national office in New York and many of its diocesan newspapers are changing the way they refer to their church, from ECUSA (Episcopal Church in the USA) to The Episcopal Church.
The informal change was discussed at last April’s meeting of diocesan communicators, including newspaper editors, said Kay McLaughlin, director of communications for the diocese of Lexington (Ky.). Canon Robert Williams, the national church’s director of communications, proposed the change and “it made immediate sense to us,” said Ms. McLaughlin, who began using it in her newspaper, The Advocate.
The national office does not control diocesan newspapers and the discussion did not take place in political terms; however, communicators noted that the Episcopal Church includes several countries outside the U.S., such as Haiti, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Honduras. As the U.S. church’s place in the worldwide Anglican Communion comes under scrutiny, it was felt that the name change emphasizes its international nature.
This makes nice for non-USA types, but may be confusing (or presumptuous) regarding some non-US-centered churches that call themselves Episcopal (e.g., the Scottish Episcopal Church). The Wikipedians have some discussion on the subject, as well as on ECUSA in general.
UPDATE: A very dissenting view.