Liturgy and Mission

The liturgy of the church and the mission of the church are not two separate activities in which we engage, but two sides of the same coin. At the center of the cosmos is the worship of the Triune God (Revelation 4, 7). In the liturgy of the church we make an ordered response of worship to the Word of God, while in the mission of the church we join with God in bringing all creation into that ordered worship, offering the world back to God. The Post-Communion Prayer in the “Renewed Ancient Rite” of the 2019 Prayer Book captures both sides of this twofold work, as we thank God for feeding and uniting us to himself through Jesus Christ, and then pray that the Father will “send us out to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord.” Similarly, both Morning and Evening Prayer include a “Prayer for Mission” near the end of the rite, inviting us to prayerful participation in God’s missional work. The Great Litany, the Solemn Collects in the Good Friday liturgy, and various Occasional Prayers (especially numbers 16-20) further underscore this missional focus. At the same time, the goal of mission does not end “out there” in the world, but in drawing new believers to full discipleship through catechesis, baptism, repentance, and sacramental participation in the life of Christ. Historic Anglican liturgy thus draws us, both individually and as a covenant people, into the very nature of the Triune God, so that we are formed by God’s missional concerns for the whole creation, and can invite the world to conversion and newness of life within the worshiping body.

While the liturgy drives and empowers mission, it always remains primarily oriented toward God. The Eucharist, in particular, is not a “seeker service” in the contemporary sense; the intended participant is a baptized Christian. In fact, in the early days, catechumens were invited to leave midway through the liturgy, before the “holy mysteries” began. All are welcome to attend most Anglican services; but this orientation toward God—and emphasis on the kind of worshiper God desires—serves as a continual reminder that there is a process of ongoing transformation (discipleship) to which the liturgy calls us, and calls us to invite others.

Candidates for ordination should understand and be able to articulate how liturgy shapes us to engage in God’s mission and how that mission draws all creation into worship of the Triune God.

Areas of Liturgics

1. History of Christian Worship
2. Content and use of The Book of Common Prayer
3. Daily Office
4. Corporate and Private Prayer
5. Sacramental Theology
6. The Holy Eucharist
7. Baptism and Confirmation
8. Marriage and Children
9. Rites of Healing
10. Death and Burial
11. Sanctification of Time
12. Sanctification of Space
13. Liturgy and Music
14. Liturgy and Mission