Wisdom

The Worship Well is about much more than passing along new texts, images, and music. Come here for words of wisdom on everything from worship planning and guiding principles to inclusive language and multicultural liturgical development.

Care to share your own reflections on liturgy-related topics -- an especially enlightening e-mail, an excerpt from a book or magazine, a provocative sermon or newsletter article, a stirring essay you've been holding on your computer? Click here to submit.

"While there is some risk in encouraging liturgists working locally to share their work broadly, the risk of limiting that possibility is greater..." — The Rev. Dr. Clay Morris

Read more of Clay Morris's reflection on Liturgical Renewal and The Internet. Clay is the Episcopal Church's Officer for Liturgy and Music.

What's New

Don't miss the excellent collection of "60 Ideas for Creative Worship" from the Anglican 'Wibsite.'

Why use a screen in the sanctuary? The Episcopal Diocese of New York has republished an excellent, brief article from Alban Weekly on "Multimedia and Worship" explaining some of the potential benefits.

The Liturgical Commission of the Diocese of New York has a number of helpful pieces on liturgy for the church year and for pastoral occasions on their website.

New Zealand liturgical scholar Bosco Peters offers the entire text of his book Celebrating Eucharist for download.

WorshipHelps is a web log with a variety of contributors from diverse theological backgrounds offering reflections on planning liturgy as well as ideas for multisensory worship and an occasional text or song for worship.

The Rev. Dr. Maggi Dawn reflects on the differences and potential common ground between sermons and lectures.

Stephanie Spellers' new book, Radical Welcome: Embracing God, The Other, and the Spirit of Transformation, is accompanied by online resources from Church Publishing, including guides for leader workshops, congregational resources, and discussions of best practices for parishes.

Good liturgy takes work. True, the Book of Common Prayer and centuries of history and tradition structure the way we worship as community. But how can ministers and congregants make liturgy a vibrant, dynamic collaboration rather than rote ritual? Norma de Waal Malefyt and Howard Vanderwell work through this very question with practicality and imagination in their new book Designing Worship Together: Models and Strategies for Worship Planning. Their suggestions are food for thought indeed.

The Most Rev. Kenneth Untener, bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Saginaw, Michigan, wrote a provocative essay, "Ritual and Community: What I've Learned in the Parishes." He challenges us to engage the congregation, proclaim and preach the word with heart and power, and to give the Eucharistic rites their true due.

God's Friends is the journal of the parish of St. Gregory of Nyssa in San Francisco, known for its innovative liturgy; it's published three times per year, is available for free online, and is a good source for new inspiration and ideas. Every year, St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church and its sister foundation, All Saints Company (one of the partners in creating The Worship Well), host a conference to spark and nurture creative, thoughtful approaches to liturgy. The following talks and resources form the core of the 2005 conference.

Shelley Chesley and Betsy DeRuff are working to plant a church in Marin County as part of the Diocese of California. They offer "Looking for Life in the Liturgy," an insightful set of questions they created for their own parish visitations; use it to take a closer look at your own congregation.

The Diocese of Massachusetts' Liturgy and Music Committee has compiled this annotated bibliography of liturgy-planning resources, including a broad range of suggested materials on inclusive language, architecture and space, liturgy planning, liturgical leadership training, worship in multiethnic communities and with young people, and much more.

Planning for New Worship

Liturgy tech: eChurch Active is a magazine that focuses on the effective use of technology for the church: hardware, software, AV, music tools, and more.

"On Planning Worship": Helpful notes on process from the Church of England.

"A Pastorally Sensitive Plan" for liturgical renewal is by Leonel Mitchell, professor emeritus of liturgics at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois [excerpted from A Prayer Book for the 21st Century (Liturgical Studies 3)].

Thoughts on Creating Liturgy

Sarah Dylan Breuer, a contributor to Get Up Off Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog (Cowley Publications), writes on what she's learned about planning and leading worship from the rock band U2 in her article "U2 and Liturgy," from her web site "Grace Notes."

Criteria for a "Healthy" Liturgy is by Juan Oliver, director of El Programa Hispano/Latino en Teología y Pastoral and adjunct professor of liturgics at General Theological Seminary, New York, who shares his well-regarded set of touchstones for developing and evaluating liturgy.

"Core Values of Effective Liturgy" is from The Sophia Network, an Episcopal group dedicated to renewing both the liturgist and the liturgy.

"Principles that Guide Us at St. Gregory's" is from St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco (with preface by co-rector Donald Schell).

"Praying Rightly: The Poetics of Liturgy" is by Jennifer Phillips, vicar of St. Augustine's Episcopal Church in Kingston, Rhode Island [excerpted from Gleanings: Essays on Expansive Language with Prayers for Various Occasions].