Patterns of liturgical practice--theologically rich yet culturally sensitive--function as sacred drama and evoke people's sense of holy mystery. Understand the history of liturgical developments and the significance of signs and symbols to enhance your faith expression.

To learn more, click on Approaches to Christian Liturgy. Then, check out the basic and in-depth resources listed below!

WORSHIP : Liturgy 

Making Liturgy: Creating Rituals for Worship and Life (Book)
Dorothea McEwan, Pat Pinsent, Ianthe Pratt, Veronica Seddon, Editors.  Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim Press, 2001.
What happens when the language, symbols, and space of the church stop making sense? According to Making Liturgy, they need to be recreated and reclaimed, so that the larger worshiping body can be engaged.

Reviving Sacred Speech: The Meaning of Liturgical Language (Book)
Gail Ramshaw, Author.  Maryville, TN: OSL Publications, 2000.
With metaphor (especially the ambiguity of metaphor) as its unifying principle, this book explores the impact of sacred language and sacred speech on time, place, and physical objects as parts of the worship experience.

The Work of the People: What We Do in Worship and Why (Book)
Marlea Gilbert, Christopher Grundy, Eric Myers, Stephanie Perdew, Authors.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2007.
This book and study guide explain the structure, actions, words, and setting of worship and how they come together to support spiritual growth, welcome newcomers into faith, and prepare people to apply their faith in daily life.

The Art of Public Prayer: Not for Clergy Only (Book)
Lawrence A. Hoffman, Author.  Skylight Paths Publishing, 1999.
Observing that public worship fails to evoke God’s presence as perceived in the community, author Lawrence Hoffman examines the systemic causes of this failure and concludes that we must ask basic questions about why we do what we do.

Book, Bath, Table, and Time: Christian Worship as Source and Resource for Youth Ministry (Book)
Fred P. Edie, Author.  Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim Press, 2007.
This text bases youth ministry on the Christian ordo, the ancient church pattern which ordered its life around the liturgical holy items of bath (baptism), book (Scripture), table (Eucharist), and prayerfully organized time.

Caring through the Funeral: A Pastor's Guide (Book)
Gene Fowler, Author.  St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2004.
Caring through the Funeral is a helpful tool for clergy and other caregivers who assist the bereaved. It features rich resources for creating meaningful funeral liturgy.

Christian Liturgy: Catholic and Evangelical (Book)
Frank C. Senn, Author.  Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1997.
This well-researched text tells the story of Christian liturgy from the point of view of its cultural setting and attends to the theological meanings of liturgy (sacramental worship in particular).

Come Unto Me: Rethinking the Sacraments for Children (Book)
Elizabeth F. Caldwell, Author.  Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim Press, 1996.
Focused on the sacraments, particularly Baptism and Holy Communion, the author explores the meaning and various rituals that lead to greater understanding of the sacraments and their influence on the practice of faith for adults and children.

Culturally-Conscious Worship (Book)
Kathy Black, Author.  St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2000.
This book examines the cultural and liturgical issues related to multicultural, inclusive worship. Black explores cultural complexities, defines related terms, and shows how churches can embrace culturally-sensitive change.

Designing Worship Together: Models and Strategies for Worship Planning (Book)
Norma de Waal Malefyt, Howard Vanderwell, Authors.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2004.
This book offers practical tools and guidance for planning and implementing worship services that are both relevant and spiritually meaningful. The advice offered is helpful regardless of the worship style employed.

Holy People: A Liturgical Ecclesiology (Book)
Gordon W. Lathrop, Author.  Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press, 1999.
Scripture tells us that the assembled church is "holy." Gordon Lathrop draws from biblical, historical, and experiential sources to explore how holy people "do church."

Immersed in the Splendor of God: Resources for Worship Renewal (Book)
F. Russell Mitman, Author.  Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim Press, 2005.
Russell Mitman believes we ought to be significantly changed by our worship experience. In Immersed in the Splendor of God, he offers a variety of resources for reship renewal that address the dynamics of the structure of worship.

Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals: Weaving Together the Human and the Divine (Book)
Herbert Anderson, Edward Foley, Authors.  San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1998.
Herbert Anderson and Edward Foley examine the importance of connecting stories and ritual in worship and in pastoral care—showing how baptisms, weddings, funerals, and times of crisis or transition can thus be enriched.

Music in Christian Worship: At the Service of the Liturgy (Book)
Charlotte Kroeker, Author.  Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2005.
This essay collection explores the role of music in Christian worship from philosophical, historical, theological, aesthetic, and cultural perspectives to help readers make musical choices that are meaningful in their settings.

Stilling the Storm: Worship and Congregational Leadership in Difficult Times (Book)
Kathleen S. Smith, Author.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2006.
This book shows how difficult times affect the worship life of a congregation, how worship can be a key part of the congregation's healing process, and how church leaders can tailor worship to the particular congregational difficulties.

Textweek (Web Resource)
Congregations that plan their worship services or educational programs using the Revised Common Lectionary will find in this Web site a useful collection of study and liturgy resources.

The Wisdom of the Seasons: How the Church Year Helps Us Understand Our Congregational Stories (Book)
Charles M. Olsen, Author.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2009.
The Wisdom of the Seasons demonstrates how linking individual and congregational stories to the grander stories of the church year can be a way to tap the wisdom inherent in biblical traditions and integrate it with everyday life.

Worship Without Words: The Signs and Symbols of Our Faith (Book)
Patricia S. Klein, Author.  Paraclete Press, 2000.
Author Patricia Klein provides a guide to the symbols of church architecture and worship space, with in-depth explorations of the alter and the cross.