Worship & Prayer

Sammi Tooze

Discipleship Adviser & Strategy Enabler

07930424280

Why does worship matter?

‘O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; bow down before him, his glory proclaim.’
John Samuel Bewley Monsell, after Psalm 96

Worship lies at the heart of the Christian life. It is in worship that we express our theology and define our identity. It is through encountering God within worship that we are formed (and transformed) as Christian people.

One of the glories of the Church of England is its liturgical worship. Liturgy refers to the patterns, forms, words and actions through which public worship is conducted. We are blessed by the diversity of worship offered across the Church of England and across the Diocese of York – all of which seek to enable people to grow in faith, and be sent out as changed people to live Christ’s story in everyday life.

There are many things which form our worship – words, music, silence, movement – and the process of creating this requires care and prayer. As well as a diverse tradition and style in which worship is offered, some churches may want to explore Messy Church or Fresh Expressions.

Diocesan Worship Working Group

The diocesan Worship Working Group was founded to be a reflective, inspirational and proactive presence in the diocese, focusing on equipping the whole people of God in worship.

The group work to endorse resources across the diocese, as well as creating new resources where needed, and work to foster understanding and delight in leading and enabling worship. Members of the group take part in enabling leaders to catch a vision of culture change towards transformational missional worship, resourcing the breadth of the Church of England in how it can be enriched without necessitating drawing back to historical traditions. This includes a role of teaching and demystifying, exploring creativity and improving knowledge in a way that offers freedom. The WWG group takes a lead in exploring where needs are across the diocese, discerning how to respond and resource those needs, and explores fresh perspectives on worship such as Fresh Expressions, alternative creative worship, and digital.

If you have any resourcing needs in your church, benefice or deanery, do get in touch to have a conversation about what the Worship Working Group may be able to offer.