B 

Baptism, Holy ~ An individual's full  and indissoluble initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ's Body, the Church. 

Baptismal Font ~ The special basin used to holdwater for  Holy Baptism. The Episcopal Church most often practices baptism by sprinkling or pouring water on an individual's forehead, rather than by full imersion. A person may be baptized at any age.

Baptismal Ministry ~ The work, mission, and ministry of all the baptized within their faith and cultural community. All baptized Christians have a ministry or ministries by virtue of their baptism. Baptismal ministry encourages and enables them to grow in and exercise their ministries. It is also referred to as "total ministry" or "mutual ministry".

Baptismal Ministry Task Force ~ A task force of Diocesan Council composed of lay and ordained persons convened by the bishop to support the development of Baptismal Ministry in our churches.

Bishop, Assisting ~ A person who has the spiritual and liturgical rank of a bishop who assists the Bishop of a diocese. In some instances, retired diocesan bishops become assistants to other bishops, however, some assistant bishops are specially ordained for their work. Assistant Bishops can perform most functions performed by other bishops. WNY does not have an assisting bishop.
Title: The Right Reverand, the Rt. Rev., Bishop.

Bishop, Co-adjutor ~ A person consecrated to become the next bishop of a diocese when the diocesan bishop retires, at which time the term Co-adjutor is dropped. Suffragan bishops do not automatically become diocesan bishops. WNY does not have a bishop co-adjutor at this time.
Title: The Right Reverand, the Rt. Rev., Bishop.

Bishop, Diocesan ~ The chief executive and spiritual leader of a diocese; sometimes referred to as "The Diocesan". The Diocesan Bishop of Western New York is The Rt. Rev. J. Michael Garrison.
Title: The Right Reverand, the Rt. Rev., Bishop.

Bishop, Suffragan ~ A working co-bishop in a diocese. A suffragan bishop does not inherently become the diocesan bishop when the sitting diocesan bishop retires or resigns, however, a suffragan is eligible to to elected a bishop coadjutor or diocesan bishop in any diocese.

Benedictine Promise and Parish Development ~ A core framework defined by Robert Gallagher in his Congregational Development Manual.  Built upon the values of stability, obedience and conversion of life, the Benedictine Promise is a way to assess a congregation‚s dynamics and structures and a guide in shaping the culture and climate of a congregation.

Betsy Smylie Memorial Fund for Deaf Ministry ~ An endowment fund the
purpose of which is to support continued deaf ministry in the diocese; named for the Rev. Betsy Smylie (1953-1999) who served as deaf missioner from 1989 - 1998.

BEC ~ See Board of Examining Chaplains

Bishop Brent School of Ministry ~ An arm of the Commission on Ministry which sponsors diocesan-wide training and educational courses. Named for the Fourth Bishop of Western New York, Charles Henry Brent.

Board of Examining Chaplains ~ A group of clergy appointed by the bishop who may be called upon to review the General Ordination Exam (GOE) of an individual seeking ordination in our diocese. After this review the board may also interview the candidate orally before making recommendations to the bishop regarding the person's readiness for ordination.

Book Of Common Prayer ~ A collection of prayers, readings, Psalms, devotions, and services used by the Episcopal Church; the worship book used by Episcopalians. Nearly all services in any Episcopal Church will be printed in this book.

Bridgebuilders ~ A program of Diocesan Council; a specially trained team that helps congregations assess their current health, organizational structure and needs.

Business Methods in Church Affairs ~ The title of a national and local canon which contains instructions on conducting church finances.