In the Anglican Communion, churches whose historical roots and origins are in the Church of England, are almost always organized along national boundaries. (Some exceptions are the Church of the Province of the West Indies, the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (also known as the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Unites States of America, or PECUSA), and the Province of the Indian Ocean.) These "national churches" are usually called provinces of the Anglican Communion, as are those other churches (examples above) that transcend national boundaries.

Bodies of the General Convention of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS) are often mistakenly referred to as belonging to the DFMS's "national church," but this ignores that the DFMS/PECUSA includes provinces that are outside of the United States.