Synod and liturgy: the real problem

Ordinarily, the last day of synod can be fairly routine. However, as someone tweeted, ‘like the last session of a test match, the pitch is a little unpredictable [in the dying hours of synod’ Having spent most of our time discussing matters of a Diocese wide and national nature, the discussion about liturgy – a matter to do with our local churches – was very welcome.

There were two matters – one was the recently developed ‘Common Prayer’ resources, which all are now invited to give feedback about. The other was an ordinance (ie church legislation) listing what services are authorised.

The elephant in the room was the place of liturgy. It was around 40 years ago now that we learnt that liturgically based church services were having little impact, and probably not the way to reach new generations with the Gospel of Jesus. Since that time, there have been various attempts to update the language and content of liturgy. While I would have liked to have heard from more on the final day of synod, I am also thankful that this discussion has now been opened up. To read more, click here.