New Church of England Initiative Aims to Transform Worship

Road shows and websites will be central to a new Church of England initiative encouraging everyone involved in planning and leading worship to move beyond what is simply good to the level of what is worthy of God and capable of transforming people's lives.

The Church of England's Liturgical Commission is launching Transforming Worship, an initiative to help everyone responsible for worship to make the most of the resources available, now that the Common Worship texts have been completed to stand alongside the Book of Common Prayer at the centre of Church of England worship.

Under the banner of Transforming Worship, members of the Commission will start the ball rolling with a series of road shows, focussing on leadership in worship this autumn, and concentrating on all-age worship next spring.

A booklet for parishes and other places of worship will be published, early next year, to encourage reflection and study, with a programme of training events, with partner organisations, and a Transforming Worship website to follow.

"In the life of the church," says the Rt Rev Stephen Platten, Bishop of Wakefield and Chairman of the Commission, "all our concerns are intimately related, and the church's worship is where they obviously intersect. In worship, Christians are formed and transformed by their encounter with the living God, their vocations are inspired and nourished, their mission is enabled and their giving in response to God's generosity is nurtured.

"Transforming Worship isn't about criticising current worship. It is about the need regularly to renew our worship and how we use all the elements at our disposal. It is about making sure our worship is not only worthy of God but also to ensure that it connects with people and transforms lives."