German Protestant and Anglican experts outline and explain the different understandings of episcopacy and oversight which arose during the German and English reformations, and how these have developed since, allowing the reader to understanding how these are reflected in the liturgy and the law of the churches. Their contributions draw on research presented at the second conference held under the Meissen Agreement between the Church of England and the Evangelical Church in Germany. On the basis of these papers and of the work of other recent ecumenical dialogues, the Conference sets out in its report an agenda for future work towards an ecumenical consensus on these issues for the life and unity of the Church as a whole.