The ultimate beginner's guide to Common Worship, with explanations of every book in the series, all the services in use, and what you should use when.

Are you confident in using the varied resources that Common Worship offers, or do you sometimes feel simply baffled by the choices rather than excited by the potential? If the sheer size and complexity of Common Worship is sometimes confusing, then this book for you. This new edition of Mark Earey’s user-friendly and confidence-building guide to the Common Worship library of resources is the ultimate companion for all seeking to ‘grow into the expansive possibilities of preparing and leading good worship’ as Christopher Cocksworth writes in his Foreword. This essential handbook includes: • A simple guide to every Common Worship book - what’s in it and what you might need it for. • Things you can change in liturgy – and things you probably shouldn’t! • Quick Tips that take you straight to the practical things you need to know. • Frequently Asked Questions which tackle some of the most common issues. • A glossary of liturgical terms to help you know your paten from your pall. Now brought fully up to date, this companion includes details of all recent Common Worship publications in print, online and in apps, including new authorized texts in accessible language and for use with children.

The introduction of Common Worship services in the Church of England has gone remarkably smoothly, considering the immensity of the task. But despite its overall success, the sheer variety of material, coupled with the complex rules about what is and is not allowed, have left some parishes, clergy and Readers wondering if this is really the best way to produce good worship. A question such as, ‘How do we use Common Worship for a Messy Church service of Holy Communion?’ focuses the issue – but it is a question being asked in different ways in lots of different places. In this book, Mark Earey turns to the future, asking whether the framework of canon law, notes and rubrics within which Common Worship operates is any longer fit for purpose. In a mixed economy Church in which fresh expressions of church, alt.worship and new monasticism all sit alongside traditional parish churches, he asks whether it is time for the current rules-based approach to Church of England liturgy to make way for an approach based on trust and accountability. Such an approach would allow for more local flexibility and creativity, but raises big questions about how such worship can be truly indigenous yet authentically Anglican.

To complement the popular 'how to do it' publications, which give guidance on the move to Common Worship, a serious and scholarly commentary on the whole range of Common Worship texts is offered here. There is an historical survey of the origins and development of each rite from New Testament times, through the Middle Ages, the Reformation, and up to the present day. This is followed by a detailed commentary on the rite as a whole, and on each part of it, including a comparison with the ASB and other contemporary liturgies, and a short list of books for further reading.