CHRISTIAN LITURGY

Protestant churches

While Liturgy is defined as "a set form of ceremony or pattern of worship" some Protestant churches are finding their corporate voices in the TRADITIONAL aspect of worship. They are offering both a more Traditional worship service, as well as a contemporary service. Of particular note is the Baptist church. What is being found in several congregations is a resurgence in ministers wearing robes, use of Handbells or chimes to "announce" the beginning of worship, as well as use of acolytes. The purpose, which is clearly defined, is not to mirror other denominational practices, but to bring the worshiper to an active sense of self and God. Through sights and sounds we touch the presence of God. Whether we are walking a rural road under the cool canopy of trees or kneeling for prayer in a large ancient church setting, the presence of the Father is with us.

Christian liturgy is a pattern for worship used (whether recommended or prescribed) by a Christian congregation or denomination on a regular basis.

The liturgy of the many denominations ultimately derives from that of the western Catholic church, however most "post-Protestant" denominations (e.g. evangelicals, etc.) claim to have no need for liturgy, or else insist that their manner of worship is a full return to the days of the apostles. The descriptions that follow explain the liturgies of those traditional, mainline denominations that fully acknowledge the history of their origins and retain an emphasis on liturgy as an important part of their worship style.

Methodist or Wesleyan traditions
Many Methodist Churches have official liturgies. In most cases these are derived from The Sunday Service of the Methodists in the United States of America, a service book prepared by John Wesley for the Methodists in the American colonies who became separated from the Church of England by the American Revolution. The Sunday Service is itself a simple revision of The Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England, so that Methodist liturgies tend to resemble Anglican liturgies.

Liturgies may differ depending on the denomination. The United Methodist church, specifically in High Church Methodism, resembles the Episcopal liturgies.

Anglican communion
At the time of English Reformation, The Sarum Rite was in use along with the Roman Rite. Henry VIII wanted the Latin mass translated into the English language. Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer authored the Exhortation and Litany in 1544. This was the earliest English-language service book of the Church of England, and the only English-language service to be finished within the lifetime of King Henry VIII.[2] In 1549, Cranmer produced a complete English-language liturgy. Cranmer was largely responsible for the first two editions of the Book of Common Prayer. The first edition was predominantly pre-Reformation in its outlook. The Communion Service, Lectionary, and collects in the liturgy were translations based on the Sarum Rite[3] as practised in Salisbury Cathedral. The revised edition in 1552 sought to assert a more clearly Protestant liturgy after problems arose from conservative mimicry of the mass on the one hand, and a critique by Martin Bucer (Butzer) on the other. Successive revisions are based on this edition, though important alterations appeared in 1604 and 1662. The 1662 edition is still authoritative in the Church of England and has served as the basis for many of Books of Common Prayer of national Anglican churches around the world. Those deriving from Scottish Episcopal descent, like the Prayer Books of the American Episcopal Church, have a slightly different liturgical pedigree.