Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast
Diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States
The Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, part of Province 4. The diocese was created in 1970 from portions of the adjoining dioceses of Alabama and Florida.
Its territory encompasses the southern third of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle region, west of the Appalachicola River. Most of its churches are located in the Mobile, Alabama area and in a population strip along the Gulf of Mexico extending from Pensacola to Panama City, Florida; most of the remaining churches are located in Alabama, typically in towns with greater than 10,000 population. Historically, the diocese's congregations have favored low, or evangelical, churchmanship, with a generally more conservative theological and cultural tone than the Episcopal Church nationally. However, in most places, and especially in smaller municipalities, they are often the most liberal and tolerant religious options available to residents.
Diocesan offices are located in Pensacola, while the cathedral is Christ Church Cathedral in Mobile, making it one of only a few dioceses in the Episcopal Church where the diocesan offices and cathedral are located in different cities and the only diocese in which they are located in different states.
The diocese reported 18,291 members in 2015 and 16,803 members in 2023; no membership statistics were reported in 2024 national parochial reports. Plate and pledge income for the 61 filing congregations of the diocese in 2024 was $16,988,332. Average Sunday attendance (ASA) was 4,526 persons.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast” is diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Episcopal, Diocese and Central, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5383459. VIAF identifies the subject as 133987732. The Library of Congress control number is no95004676. Authority coordinates are 30.689, -88.041. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1970, 2015, 2023 and 2024.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast primary sources, Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast archive and Episcopal research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
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This entry incorporates text from “Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.