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One of the glories of the Church of England is its liturgy. The word liturgy describes the patterns, forms, and words through which public worship is conducted. The Church of England was probably the first Christian church to introduce, in 1544, a common liturgy written in the language of the people, for the people. This ethos continues today. There are currently two main books of services authorized for use in the Church of England: The Book of Common Prayer 1662 and Common Worship. At the end of 2000, the authorization period of The Alternative Service Book 1980 came to an end, and it was replaced by Common Worship, a new generation of worship material. The Book of Common Prayer During the Reformation the first official liturgical text in English appeared in 1544 and the first complete Book of Common Prayer, in 1549. The book went through several revisions until 1662, since when its wording has remained unchanged. It is much loved for the beauty of its language and the services that it contains, especially Morning and Evening Prayer and the Order of Holy Communion, are still used in many churches throughout the country, either in their entirety or in an adapted form. It has served as a model and inspiration for worship throughout the rest of the Anglican Communion, and constitutes a fundamental source of Anglican doctrine. It cannot be altered or abandoned without an Act of Parliament. The Morning and Evening Prayer services for today from the Book of Common Prayer are available on this site. Follow the links to view these services. Although it is not an authorized service, you can also view and use a traditional form of the Compline Night Prayer service by following this link. Please read the copyright information before making use of all the material.
Common Worship: In Advent 2000, the Church of England unveiled a new generation of liturgy. Known as Common Worship, the material is a mixture of old and new that promises much for the collective worship and life of the Church. The material replaces The Alternative Service Book 1980, which ceased to be authorized on December 31 2000. Part of the function of liturgy is to create resonances with people's experience and their own situations. That is why we sometimes need a mixture of ancient and modern, as well as vibrant images in the text. Another function of liturgy that has been a key consideration in the development of the Common Worship material is the concept of the Christian life as a journey - a journey that can be travelled by both Christians and those as yet uncommitted. The emerging liturgy is designed to be dynamic, a powerful tool for both mission and spirituality that will help people along the way. You can find more information about Common Worship, together with resources and the liturgical texts to read for yourself, in the Common Worship section of this web site. Follow this link to go straight to these pages. The Alternative Service Book 1980 During the twentieth century the Church of England, like other Christian churches, felt the need to produce liturgical rites in modern language that drew on the latest fruits of historical scholarship and at the same time met the pastoral needs of the age. A period of experimentation began in the 1960s and culminated in the publication in 1980 of the Alternative Service Book 1980 (ASB), which was intended to be an alternative to The Book of Common Prayer. The ASB was authorized in the first instance for a period of ten years, which was subsequently renewed for a further decade, until the end of the year 2000. Further information If you would like to know more about the history of any of these services or Anglican liturgy in general, please consult the Secretary of the Liturgical Commission by following this email link. There is a rich tradition of music to support these and other traditional and contemporary services. For details of official and complementary liturgical resources, please follow this link to the Church House Publishing web site.
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