Session 4: A Service of the Word

History of Church of England Worship Texts

• The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) was first produced in English in 1549 and went through several revisions, with the 1662 edition being the most familiar.
• The BCP was the main text for worship in the Church of England for most of its history.
• The last revision of the BCP was in 1928.
• The Alternative Service Book (ASB) was introduced in 1980 and lasted for 20 years.
• Common Worship (CW) was published in 2000 and is still in use today.
• CW is more complicated than its predecessors, with more alternatives and a three-year cycle.

GOPIA Service Design Method

• GOPIA stands for Givens, Opportunities, Purpose, Image, and Action.
• It is a system of service design that examines the givens, opportunities, purpose, controlling image, and action for any given service.
• GOPIA can be used to create a service of the word, as demonstrated in the example of Ash Wednesday.

Service of the Word

• A Service of the Word is a non-sacramental service that covers a great deal of ground.
• The Service of the Word in the Book of Common Prayer was created in the form of a dialogue between God and worshippers.
• This dialogue structure is also present in Common Worship.

Balanced Worship

• The authors of the worship texts have created a careful balance in the services.
• The balance is between Word, Prayer, Praise, and Action.
• Action is an important aspect of worship, and it can take many forms.

Philosophy of Worship

• One major change in the history of the church was the shift from worship being performed by the clergy on behalf of the congregation to worship involving everyone.
• This change is echoed by the Methodist Church.

Designing Worship

• The degree to which lay people are involved in the creation and design of worship services varies greatly.
• A collaborative approach to designing worship can be beneficial, involving clergy and laity working together.

Explore the history of texts used in the Church of England, starting from the earliest production in English in 1549. Learn about the revisions made to the Book of Common Prayer and the texts that have followed. Discover more about the strtucture of Service of the Word and how to create one using the GOPIA method.