Part of the Christian Family

English churches and congregations have been established on the Continent since before the Reformation. The number of these grew to such an extent that in 1633 congregations of the Church of England in all foreign countries were placed under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of London 

(London then being the chief port of England). Anglican dioceses and then provinces were later formed in all parts of the world outside the United Kingdom.

The Church of England maintains friendly relations with other Christian churches in mainland Europe and is committed to the quest for the full visible unity of the Church. Other churches "in communion" are the Old Catholic churches of the Union of Utrecht and the Lutheran churches of Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Lithuania. Special agreements also exist with the Evangelical Church in Germany (The Meissen Agreement) and the Roman Catholic Church in France ("Twinnings and Exchanges"). 

The Episcopal Church of the United States of America (ECUSA) has also established six churches in Europe. They are under the jurisdiction of the Presiding Bishop of ECUSA. Since 1971 they have been placed in the care of the Bishop-in-Charge of the American Convocation in Europe. The Spanish Episcopal Reformed Church and the Lusitanian Church (Portugal) are also full member churches of the Anglican Communion.