May this resource enhance our collective effectiveness
of making Jesus known and lifted high in worship.
Greg Williams, GCI President
Steele Creek, NC, US
I am thrilled to introduce our updated “Pastoral Liturgy Guide” (formerly called the Ceremony Book). This updated version includes sacraments, ceremonies, seasonal worship directions, and templates.
The writing and editing were done by a collection of GCI staff and pastors. And as I read the drafts, it was evident to me that the Holy Spirit was guiding the process.
Why the update? Our last update was in 2011, and at that time we were focused on our theological emphasis. This was appropriate as we wanted to be true to our Incarnational Trinitarian theological position.
Over the past 15 years, many of our leaders have suggested that we could use a refreshed set of ceremonies to add a relational tone that is “more user-friendly.” Leaders also asked us to add worship events that were missing. And we needed to fill out our worship calendar more fully with worship aspects of Holy Week and Advent season.
How to use it? You will notice that the guide is divided into three distinct sections.
The Sacraments
The sacraments were established by Christ and mandated by him for all who have received and believed in him. Both baptism and holy communion have present and eternal spiritual significance and consequences. Both are for believers who have faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, and both are commanded for all who believe.
The Ceremonies
The ceremonies are scripts that in some cases could stand alone. They are intended to be templates that should be modified and personalized, as necessary, to be fitting for the context of specific situations (weddings, funerals, and such).
Seasonal Worship
The worship elements of seasonal worship tools are provided as examples to help congregations highlight special days in the annual Christian calendar. We encourage pastors and worship leaders to adapt them in ways that honor the congregation’s culture, voice, and worship style. Adaptations should remain consistent with GCI’s theology and teaching.
Since GCI has a presence in 62 countries around the world, there will be cultural nuances as to how the liturgy guide gets expressed nation by nation and congregation by congregation. From the Home Office, we intend this to be a guide — a tool to help point the pastor, the Hope Avenue Team, and the worship leaders toward our shared purpose of worshipping Jesus in season and out of season.
Please receive this gift as a sharp tool that can enhance our collective effectiveness of making Jesus known and lifted high in worship.
Greg Williams, GCI President
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