How do you want to worship God?

9:17am Wednesday 27th August 2008

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One Anglican organisation believes getting back to basics is the only way to encourage people to return to church. The Prayer Book Society wants all parish churches to make the 1662 Book of Common Prayer – which contains everything you need to know about all Church of England services – a big part of at least one Sunday service. With the national Back to Church Sunday on the horizon, the Gazette reports.

Pastor Olaf Hauptmann would love to bring a rock band into his church.

If anything is guaranteed to get a young person’s interest, it would a couple of guitars, drums, three chords and a lot of noise.

It is happening at Frinton Free Church and it is going down extremely well.

But Mr Hauptmann is realistic – he has to cater for his congregation and he does not think Colchester New Church would appreciate rock.

Colchester New Church has been in the town since the 1890s.

The church – and a similar one in Brightlingsea – is affiliated to the General Church of the New Jerusalem.

It is Protestant, not Anglican, and, as Mr Hauptmann says, it is very much in tune with what the congregation wants, which isn’t pop groups or the Book of Common Prayer.

Frinton Free Church, though, does want pop groups. The church is part of the Baptist Union of Great Britain.

Senior minister the Rev Ben Marlowe has a congregation which varies between 800-900 each Sunday.

There are four services – traditional Baptist, contemporary family, in-depth teaching, “grunge” rock band worship – and no Book of Common Prayer.

If bums on seats are anything to go by, Frinton Free Church is a success.

But isn’t this just too much entertainment and not enough worship, God taking second place to having a good time?

“No, they are coming here to commune with God,” declared Mr Marlowe.

“Our congregation finds they can do that here because we create a relaxing environment and offer a variety of worship to help people connect with God.”

He believes inflexibility in worship is one of the biggest barriers to attracting people to church. Those churches which strictly keep to the Book of Common Prayer and any other one way of worship are not necessarily catering for 21st-century society.

When it first appeared, the Book of Common Prayer was not just a revelation. It was a revolution.

If anything showed England had broken with Roman Catholicism, it was this book, the first religious book in the country to be written in English, not Latin.

It was probably the greatest snub its architect, Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, could have given the Pope.

“Cranmer was making this book understandable – and accessible – to what was ordinary man,” explained the Rev Philip Banks, priest at St Peter ad Vincula, Coggeshall.

“This had been previously unheard of. It was, in effect, the man-in-the-street being able to commune directly with God.”

Each month, St Peter’s uses the Book of Common Prayer at Choral Evensong. But, while Mr Banks has “a great love” for this book, he insists it does not help everyone to become closer to God.

“And that is what church services are all about,” he said.

“Churches have to offer a variety of services – and we do here at St Peter’s – to meet the needs of what is now a very diverse society.

“I would argue with the Prayer Book Society you cannot expect all churches to use the Common Prayer Book.”

Mr Banks believes if the church is to be important to more people, it has to modernise.

The Chelmsford Diocese – which covers Colchester and Tendring – couldn’t agree more.

The Rev Charlie Kosla, the diocese’s mission and parish development adviser, stressed that while the Church of England values tradition, that did not mean it stood still.

“It is essential that we communicate our faith to today’s generations in a way that is clear and relevant.

“This will require the need for ongoing change and development in every church,” he explained.

“The faith we proclaim does not change, but how we package it will, depending on our hearers.”

So, more balance and change – not overkill on the Book of Common Prayer or rock groups – are what could just change the fortunes of the Anglican church.

WHAT IS THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER?

• The Church of England’s first Book of Common Prayer, published in 1549 in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English Reformation after the breach with Rome, written in English, not Latin, and edited by the Arcbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer.

• The work of 1549 was the first prayer book to contain the forms of service for daily and Sunday worship in English and to do so within a single volume. It included morning prayer, evening prayer, the Litany, Holy Communion plus the orders for baptism, confirmation, marriage and funeral
• There have been revisions since 1549. The 1662 revision has remained the official prayer book of the Church of England. An alternative book called Common Worship has replaced the Book of Common Prayer at the main Sunday worship service in many English parish churches.